The University of South Florida football team will be celebrating part of the holidays across the Pacific Ocean.
Game officials announced Tuesday that the Bulls will be playing in the Hawaii Bowl against San Jose State on Dec. 24 in Honolulu.
The game willl be played at the Ching Athletics Complex, on the campus of the University of Hawaii-Manoa. Kickoff will be at 8 p.m., and ESPN will televise. It will be the only bowl played on Christmas Eve.
At more than 4,200 miles, it will be the Bulls' farthest road trip from Tampa.
"We’re thrilled to welcome South Florida and San Jose State,” bowl executive director Daryl Garvin said in a news release. “Players, coaches and fans from both coasts will enjoy bowl week in paradise, while we showcase the natural beauty of Hawaii to television viewers around the world.”
USF, which finished the regular season 6-6, will be making its second consecutive bowl appearance under Coach Alex Golesh. The Spartans come into the game with a 7-5 record.
“We are excited for the opportunity to compete in the Hawaii Bowl against a very good San Jose State team,” Golesh said in a news release.
“Hawaii is a unique and beautiful destination that our players are excited to experience, and we look forward to productive bowl practices and a great game as we continue to build our program.”
The Bulls, of the American Athletic Conference, closed out the season with four wins in their last six games.
This is USF's 12th overall bowl appearance. It has won seven of its last 11 bowls, including three of its last four, and defeated Syracuse 45-0 last year in the Boca Raton Bowl.
San Jose State, of the Mountain West Conference, closed out its regular season with a 34-31 win over Stanford.
San Jose State is led by receiver Nick Nash, who leads the FBS in receptions (104), yards receiving (1,382) and receiving touchdowns (16). Nash is a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award that goes to the best receiver in the country.
First-year head coach Ken Niumatalolo was born in Laie, about an hour north of Honolulu on Oahu, and was a quarterback at the University of Hawaii in the late 1980s.
“So happy for our entire program,” Niumatalolo said in a news release. “Everyone, especially our players, worked extremely hard for this amazing reward."
The Spartans are 7-6 in previous bowls, and this is their second consecutive Hawaii Bowl appearance, losing 24-14 to Coastal Carolina last year.
This will be the second meeting between the teams. The Bulls won at San Jose State 42-22 to open the 2017 season.
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