HONOLULU — A pair of former college teammates will face off when Hawaii takes on California in the Hawaii Bowl on Wednesday.
Hawaii coach Timmy Chang and Cal interim coach Nick Rolovich were quarterbacks at Hawaii and teammates for two seasons in 2000-01.
Chang made 50 career starts in four years, while Rolovich started 12 games over two seasons.
“I’m grateful to be here with Timmy, so much great history with us,” Rolovich said on Monday.
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He pointed out that the 15,000-seat Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex where they’ll play on Christmas Eve sits on what previously served as the Rainbow Warriors’ practice facility, Cooke Field, where Rolovich was first introduced to Chang.
“I think that makes it even more special, that the game’s not only played in Hawaii, but played kind of right there in that spot,” Rolovich said.
Chang, in his fourth year leading Hawaii (8-4), said he and Rolovich were roommates on the road in their playing days.
Hawaii head coach Timmy Chang in the first half during an NCAA football game against Arizona on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Tucson, Ariz. Credit: AP/Rick Scuteri
“We ended up building a close bond,” he said. “I got to learn so much from this guy here, just watching him go through everything that a college student-athlete goes through, the ups, the downs. There’s so many things that I learned from Rolo. … (We were) just kids at 18 to 20, 21 years old, coming together and now look at us here. It’s special, it really is.”
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Bowl-ing season
Hawaii will be making its 15th bowl appearance and its 10th in the Hawaii Bowl. The last postseason appearance for the Rainbow Warriors came in 2019, when they beat BYU in the Hawaii Bowl. They earned a bid to their hometown bowl in 2021, but were forced to withdraw due to COVID issues within the program.
Cal (7-5) will be playing its 27th bowl game. It earned bids to the LA Bowl in each of the past two seasons, but lost to Texas Tech in 2023 and UNLV a year ago. The Golden Bears are seeking their first eight-win season since 2019.
Inside the numbers
Both teams have found success passing the ball this season. Hawaii ranks ninth in the FBS in passing offense at 289.7 yards per game, while Cal’s average of 270.8 yards ranks 21st. Opponents have averaged 197.1 passing yards against the Golden Bears, the 37th best mark in the country, while Hawaii has surrendered an average of 218 yards through the air (62nd in FBS).
Cal ranks last (134th) in rushing offense at a mere 76.5 yards per game. Hawaii’s 104 rushing yards per game ranks 125th nationally.
Southpaw slingers
Both starting quarterbacks are left-handed and hail from neighboring towns on the west side of the island of Oahu. Cal’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who has passed for 3,117 yards with 20 total touchdowns, is a true freshman from Ewa Beach, while Hawaii’s Micah Alejado calls Kapolei his hometown. The redshirt freshman has logged 2,832 yards through the air and tallied 22 total TDs.
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All-Americans
Cal defensive back Hezekiah Masses and Hawaii placekicker Kansei Matsuzawa each received All-America recognition for their respective senior campaigns. Masses recorded five interceptions, 18 passes defended and 43 tackles en route to an AP second-team selection, while Matsuzawa converted 25 of 26 field goals and all 37 of his extra-point attempts to earn AP first-team honors.
Change at the top
Rolovich was named interim coach after Justin Wilcox was fired on Nov. 23. Just six days after the coaching change, Cal upset then-No. 21 SMU 38-35 with Rolovich at the helm. On Dec. 4, the school announced the hiring of Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi as the program’s coach. Rolovich will remain on staff for the Golden Bears as quarterbacks coach and assistant head coach.
July 10, 2026, 6:19 PM HST * Updated July 10, 6:20 PM
This story was updated at 6:19 p.m. July 10, 2026.
Hawai‘i Fire Department issued a wildfire warning and is responding to a brush fire in the Waikōloa area of South Kohala, with evacuations ordered for Buildings 4 and 5 of the Lofts in Waikōloa Village.
An evacuation shelter is open at Waikōloa Elementary School cafeteria, located at 68-1730 Hoʻokō St.
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Waikōloa Road from Paniolo Avenue to Highway 190 is closed. Hawai’i Police Department advises motorists to avoid the area for at least the next 4 hours.
Only local traffic will be allowed on Waikōloa Road from Paniolo Avenue to Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway.
More information will be provided as it becomes available. Hawai’i County Civil Defense is providing updates as conditions change.
This U.S. Geological Survey map shows the location of a magnitude 4.5 earthquake that struck off Hawaii island’s southwest coast Friday night.
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A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck off the southwest coast of Hawaii island Thursday night, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The epicenter of the quake, which hit at 8:17 p.m., was about 34 miles west-southwest of Captain Cook at a depth of about 24 miles below sea level, USGS officials said. It did not generate a tsunami threat to the islands, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
USGS said in a statement that the earthquake “was related to bending of the ocean crust and upper brittle mantle (the lithosphere) by the weight of the islands.” No impact to the Mauna Loa volcano nor the ongoing Kilauea eruption was expected.
The USGS self-reported “Did you feel it?” online survey for the earthquake generated well over 200 responses, mostly on the Big Island but including several from Oahu and Maui.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Democratic Party of Hawaii selected three nominees to fill the vacant Senate District 18 seat, serving Central Oahu, Mililani, Waipio and Waipahu, after Sen. Michelle Kidani’s retirement.
Kidani’s retirement took effect on June 30.
The party announced Thursday that Sechyi Laiu, Beth K Fukumoto, and Danielle Bass were submitted for selection to fill the seat.
Laiu is a senior Hawaii civil service administrator with more than 15 years of experience in commercial, family, immigration and legislative law. He is the litigation coordinator for the Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and was a staff attorney for the city on transportation, public safety, legal affairs and salary compensation.
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Fukumoto is a political columnist, longtime Miliani resident and former state representative. She served as vice chair of the House committees on Tourism and Veterans, Military and International Affairs and Culture and the Arts.
Bass is a fourth-generation, lifelong Miliani resident, with more than 20 years of experience serving Central Oahu and Hawaii. She served as Legislative and Committee Manager in the House and advanced sustainability and resilience initiatives and policies as the state’s sustainability coordinator.
The governor will choose one of the three to serve as the next state senator for Central Oahu.
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