Ready for the SoFi Hawaii Bowl, football fans? Two familiar rivals are set to clash once more – this time in a postseason bowl game. The University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors take on the BYU Cougars tomorrow at Aloha Stadium. As usual ESPN Honolulu will bring you all the action and festivities, including the “Countdown to Kickoff” pregame show at 1:00 p.m. The game itself will start at 3:00 p.m., and our own Bobby Curran and John Veneri will provide the play-by-play and commentary. To add to the anticipation of tomorrow’s match-up, we’ve come up with a Christmas Eve poem just for Rainbow Warrior Nation.

(With apologies to Clement Clark Moore)

’Twas the day before Christmas, and Saint Nick had one goal:
Beat the BYU Cougars at the SoFi Hawaii Bowl!
The Warriors were pumped, the fans were gung-ho
The pep squad cheered on as the band played “Five-O”
“Mele Kalikimaka!” Bobby Curran was heard to say
“It’s a perfect day for football, in beautiful Hawaii nei!”
The Cougars took the field to an unrelenting chorus of boos
“Hey, Coach Sitake!” yelled a fan, “Brah, you goin’ lose!”
Hawaii won the coin toss and wanted the the ball
What happened next was unbelievable. Here’s Bobby with the call:
“Lincoln Victor fields the kickoff, up the field he goes
He makes a cut toward the sideline…oh, he’s got a hole!”
He’s at the fifty! Now the forty! He sprints past Pili and Wiley!
He’s at the fifteen! The ten! TOUCHDOWN, HAWAII!”
Yes, Lincoln Victor went a hundred yards, he took it to the house
What a way to open the game! Shades of Mighty Mouse!
The crowd stood and cheered. What an amazing score!
But Saint Nick wasn’t satisfied. The head coach wanted more
“Let’s go, Chevan! C’mon, Ilm! C’mon, Froot Train and Kohl!
Come, Kai! Come, Solomon! Come, Pumba and Roe!
No let up! No stopping! Keep your foot on the gas!
Let’s give our fans a present. Let’s kick BYU’s ***!”
And they did. It was no contest. The blowout was on
Any hope for a close game? Well, that was long gone
Cole McDonald threw 7 touchdowns, then called it a day
“Tie my record?” Saint Nick laughed. “Sorry, no way!”
Miles Reed scored four touchdowns, and he ran for a buck twenty
The defense forced turnovers, and boy there were plenty!
The game was so lopsided, to the delight of the fans,

Coach Stutz booted another ball into the stands

When the final gun sounded, everyone was in shock
The team from Provo, Utah, well, they had been rocked!
Hawaii scored 14o – a record-setting attack
And the BYU Cougars? They didn’t score jack!
It was astounding! Unreal! A win so extreme!
Then I woke up. Oh, crap. It was only a dream.
It all seemed so real. So vivid and compelling
Was it a vision, maybe? Perhaps a foretelling?
The holidays are magical, and dreams can come true
Saint Nick and the Warriors, they can beat Team Blue
So enjoy the Hawaii Bowl, whichever way it goes
Merry Christmas to all, and oh yeah: GO BOWS!

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