HAWAI’I BOWL
SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS vs. CINCINNATI BEARCATS

Thursday, Dec. 24
8 p.m. ET
Aloha Stadium (50,000/UBU Sports Speed)
Honolulu, Hawaii
#HawaiiBowl



Television
ESPN - WATCH LIVE
Adam Amin, Greg McElroy and Holly Rowe

National Radio
ESPN Radio
TBD, Mike Golic Sr., and Mike Golic Jr.
Sirius 80; XM 80

Cincinnati Radio
WLW-AM 700 (flagship)

THE GAME
The Hawai’i Bowl is part of the American Athletic Conference’s bowl lineup in 2015, 2017 and 2019 and will pair the conference against a team from the Mountain West … While this season marks The American’s first participation in the Hawai’i Bowl, current members of the conference have made seven previous appearances in the game, amassing a combined 5-3 record … The 2015 matchup will be the first Hawai’i Bowl appearance for both Cincinnati and San Diego State … The game is one of 13 postseason bowls that are owned and operated by ESPN Events … The only previous meeting between Cincinnati and San Diego State was Sept. 29, 2007, when Bearcat QB Ben Mauk threw for 257 yards and four touchdowns in a 52-23 win in San Diego.


HAWAI’I BOWL HISTORY (0-0)
12-25-02               Tulane 36, Hawaii 28
12-25-03               Hawaii 54, Houston 48
12-24-04               Hawaii 59, UAB 40
12-24-05               Nevada 49, UCF 48 (ot)
12-24-06               Hawaii 41, Arizona State 24
12-23-07               East Carolina 41, Boise State 38
12-24-08               Notre Dame 49, Hawaii 21
12-24-09               SMU 45, Nevada 10
12-24-10               Tulsa 62, Hawaii 35
12-24-11               Southern Mississippi 24, Nevada 17
12-24-12               SMU 43, Fresno State 10
12-24-13               Oregon State 38, Boise State 23
12-24-14               Rice 30, Fresno State 6


rv/rv SAN DIEGO STATE
10-3, 8-0 Mountain West

Head Coach
Rocky Long (New Mexico ’74)
42-23, fifth season at San Diego State
107-92, 16th season as collegiate head coach

NOTES
San Diego State started the 2015 season at 1-3, but the Aztecs rallied to with their last eight regular-season games and capped the run with a 27-24 win against Air Force in the Mountain West Championship … San Diego State’s current nine-game winning streak is the third-longest active streak in the nation … The Aztecs are making their 14th appearance in a bowl game and bring a 6-7 bowl record into this year’s matchup … San Diego State fell 17-16 to Navy last year in the Poinsettia Bowl and was a 49-24 winner against Buffalo in the 2013 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl for its last bowl victory … San Diego State has won 10 games for the first time since the 1977 season and would match its school record of 11 wins (1966, 1969) with a victory against Cincinnati … The Aztecs are playing in a bowl game for the sixth straight year … San Diego State leads the nation in turnover margin (+1.46 per game) … The Aztecs have not thrown an interception in 11 consecutive games … QB Maxwell Smith has completed 110 of 200 passes for 1,529 yards and 13 touchdowns with two interceptions … RB Donnel Pumphrey, the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, has rushed for 1,554 yards and 16 touchdowns and is averaging 119.5 yards per carry … Pumphrey is the top receiver as well, with 27 catches for 397 yards and three touchdowns …WR Mikah Holder has a team-high five touchdown receptions … The defense is led by CB Damontae Kazee, the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, who has seven interceptions on the season … LB Calvin Munson, who has 92 tackles, 9.0 sacks, 14.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries … Rashaad Penny earned Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year honors after he averaged 30.6 yards on kickoff returns with two TDs.

2015 RESULTS
September
                5              San Diego            W            37-7
                12           at California        L              7-35
                19           South Alabama L              27-34
                26           at Penn State     L              21-37
October
                3              Fresno State *   W            21-7
                10           at Hawaii *          W            28-14
                17           at San Jose State *          W            30-7
                23           Utah State *       W            48-14
                31           at Colorado State *         W            41-17
November
                14           Wyoming *         W            38-3
                21           at UNLV *            W            52-14
                28           Nevada *             W            31-14
December
                5              Air Force ^          W            27-24
                24           vs. Cincinnati                      8 p.m.

* Mountain West game
^ Mountain West Championship



CINCINNATI
7-5, 4-4 American

Head Coach
Tommy Tuberville (Southern Arkansas ’76)
24-13, third season at Cincinnati
154-90, 19th season as collegiate head coach

NOTES
Cincinnati is making its 17th appearance in a bowl game as the Bearcats play in the postseason for a school-record fifth straight season … The Bearcats are playing in a bowl game for the ninth time in 10 seasons … Cincinnati is 8-8 in its previous bowl appearances, but has dropped its last two postseason games …The last bowl win for the Bearcats was a 48-34 victory against Duke in the Belk Bowl … The Bearcats rank fifth nationally in total offense (559.4 ypg) and passing offense (373.1 ypg) … QB Gunner Kiel has completed 206 of 316 passes for 2,777 yards and 19 touchdowns with 11 interceptions, while QB Hayden Moore has thrown for 1,683 yards and nine TDs with eight interceptions … The Bearcats have three running backs within 30 yards of each other … RB Hosey Williams leads the team with 727 yards and four touchdowns, while RB Mike Boone has 717 yards and eight TDs and is averaging a team-high 7.5 yards per carry … RB Tion Green has 697 yards and eight TDs as well … WR Shaq Washington has 88 receptions for 971 yards and six touchdowns, leading a group of six receivers with at least 400 receiving yards … Washington holds Cincinnati’s career receptions record (238) … WR Chris Moore has a school-record 26 touchdown receptions, including seven this season … Three of the five starting offensive linemen earned all-conference honors … OT Parker Ehinger was a  first-team choice, while OG Ryan Leahy and C Deyshawn Bond earned second-team honors …  LB Eric Wilson leads the defense with 103 tackles, while DE Silverberry Mouhon had team highs with 4.5 sacks and 7.0 tackles for loss … S Zach Edwards has three interceptions, eight pass breakups and is second on the team with 86 tackles … K Andrew Gantz has made 21 of 27 field goal attempts and was a second-team all-conference selection.

2015 RESULTS
September
                5              Alabama A&M   W            52-10
                12           Temple *             L              26-34
                19           at Miami (Ohio)                W            37-33
                24           at Memphis *    L              46-53
October
                1              Miami (Fla.)        W            34-23
                16           at Brigham Young             L              24-38
                24           UConn *              W            37-13
                31           UCF *    W            52-7
November
                7              at Houston *      L              30-33
                14           Tulsa *  W            49-38
                20           at USF *               L              27-65
                28           at East Carolina *              W            19-16
December
                24           vs. San Diego State                          8 p.m.

* American Athletic Conference game