The Nick Rolovich era will kick off Down Under.
The Nick Rolovich era will kick off Down Under.
The Rainbow Warriors are set to play in a foreign country for the first time when they open the season against Cal on Aug. 27 in the Sydney College Football Cup, the school announced Saturday.
“Our football program has tremendous pride in not only representing the state of Hawaii, but all of the Pacific region,” UH athletics director David Matlin said in a statement.
Hawaii also will have a chance to rack up plenty of frequent flier mileage.
Sponsors TEG and TLA Worldwide will make the trip profitable for Hawaii, but after making the 5,000-mile trek to Australia, UH will turn around and travel more than 4,000 miles in the other direction from Honolulu when it plays Michigan in Ann Arbor on Sept. 3, the first full weekend of the season.
The fifth meeting between the Rainbow Warriors and Golden Bears will be the first college football game held in Sydney and the third in the country. ANZ Stadium has a capacity of 83,500 spectators and was built for the Sydney Summer Olympics in 2000.
“From a cultural perspective, this game will afford our student-athletes an experience they will always remember and give most of them the chance to travel outside the United States for the first time in their lives,” Matlin said. “Traditionally, the University of Hawaii has been fortunate to welcome many student-athletes from Australia and we hope this game opens doors for many more.”
Scott Harding, Hawaii’s punter last season and a Ray Guy Award semifinalist, is among the school’s alumni from Australia.
Hawaii’s other nonconference games in 2016 are home contests against Tennessee-Martin on Sept. 10 and Massachusetts on Nov. 26, and an away game Sept. 17 against Arizona in Tuscon.
Previously, two college football games have been played in Melbourne – Wyoming took on UTEP in 1985 and BYU played Colorado State in 1987.
Cal coach Sonny Dykes called it a “once in a lifetime experience.” The Bears wrapped up a 6-6 regular season Saturday night in a loss to Arizona State.
The game will replace a previously scheduled home contest on Sept. 3 for Cal against South Dakota. After returning from Australia, the Bears will visit San Diego State on Sept. 10.