By Staff
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – For just the second time in school history, Notre Dame will be playing a bowl game in Hawaii.
The Fighting Irish (6-6) will face Hawaii (7-6) in the seventh annual Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24, the NCAA announced Sunday evening.
"We're very excited about heading out west to play in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl," head coach Charlie Weis said. "This is a great opportunity for our team to face a quality opponent in their backyard and we'll need to be ready.
"I know the extra practices this month will really benefit our team and we look forward to ending this season on a good note."
This will be the fourth trip to Hawaii in the football program's history.
The Irish lost to SMU in the 1984 Aloha Bowl, 27-20, and played at Hawaii in the regular season finales in 1991 and 1997. Notre Dame won both previous meetings with the Warriors, 48-42 in 1991 and 23-22 in 1997.
Site of the game is 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii.
ESPN will nationally televise the game at 8 p.m.
Notre Dame will be making its 29th bowl appearance overall and its fourth in the past five seasons.
The Irish played in the 2007 Allstate Sugar Bowl, the 2006 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and the 2004 Insight Bowl. Notre Dame is 13-15 in postseason play.
Hawaii will be making its ninth bowl appearance since becoming a Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I) member in 1974.
The Warriors are 5-3 all-time in bowl games and have received seven bowl berths in the last 10 years.
Hawaii played in last year's Sugar Bowl and has also played in the Aloha Bowl (1989), Holiday Bowl (1992), Oahu Bowl (1999) and the Hawaii Bowl (2002, 2003, 2004, 2006).
The Warriors are 3-1 in previous Hawaii Bowls, losing in 2002 (36-28 to Tulane) but winning the last three (54-48 in three overtimes vs. Houston in 2003, 59-40 vs. UAB in 2004, and 41-24 vs. Arizona State in 2006).
Tickets went on sale this morning at the Notre Dame Ticket Office and are also available by calling the Notre Dame Ticket Office at (574) 631-7356 or online at und.com/tickets.