Hawai’i pulls out on eve of today’s scheduled game

The Hawaii Bowl was canceled Thursday on the eve of the game after Hawai’i withdrew because of COVID-19, season-ending injuries and transfers.

“We are disappointed our season has to end this way,” Hawaii coach Todd Graham said in a statement. “As competitive as we are and as much as we want to play the game, we cannot put the health and safety of our student-athletes at risk.”

The game was scheduled for today at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex in Honolulu.

Hawai’i athletic department spokesperson Derek Inouchi said about 30 players and staff recently tested positive for COVID-19. Cases have been surging in Honolulu for the past two weeks. Oahu’s seven-day average of new cases was 11 times higher on Thursday compared to Dec. 8.

“The health and safety of our student-athletes is the most important part of this decision,” Hawai’i athletic director David Matlin said in a statement. “The recent surge in COVID-19 cases has forced us to not participate in the game. We are disappointed for our players, coaches, and fans. ESPN and the Easypost Hawaii Bowl staff did everything they could for us and we appreciate their valiant effort throughout the week. We want to thank the Memphis Tigers for making the long trip to Hawaii. We are disappointed we can’t compete on the football field.”

Hawai’i finished the season 6-7, getting into the bowl because there were no available 6-6 teams. Memphis finished 6-6. UCF 29, FLORIDA 17 » Isaiah Bowser ran for 155 yards and two touchdowns, Ryan O’keefe had 85 yards on seven receptions, and the Knights earned Sunshine State bragging rights by beating the Gators in the Gasparilla Bowl on Thursday night in Tampa, Florida.

UCF (9-4) took a 26-17 lead late in the third when Daniel Obarski made a 21yard field goal and Mikey Keene threw a 54-yard scoring strike to O’keefe in the span of about two minutes. Obarski then made it 29-17 on a 33-yarder with 2:41 to play.

Florida quarterback Emory Jones, playing in his final game with the Gators before entering the transfer portal, completed 14 of 36 passes for 171 yards. He also ran for 62 yards on 10 carries.

Florida was led by interim coach Greg Knox, who took over when Dan Mullen was fired before the regular-season finale against Florida State. Former Louisiana coach Billy Napier will take over for the 2022 season. Florida (6-7) finished with its first losing record since 2017.

UCF outgained Florida 436-376. O’keefe also put up 110 rushing yards, including a 74-yard run in the third quarter after which Bowser put UCF up 16-10 with a TD run from 4 yards out.

Florida regained the lead, 17-16, on its next possession when Malik Davis had a 19-yard rushing TD.

It was the first time the time the two teams played since Florida won 42-0 during its 2006 national championship season. The Gators also won 58-27 in 1999.

The announced crowd at Raymond James Stadium, the home of the NFL’S Buccaneers, was a Gasparilla Bowl record of 63,669. MIAMI (OHIO) 27, NORTH TEXAS 14 » Brett Gabbert completed 22 of 31 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns, Kenny Tracy scored on an 8-yard run and Graham Nicholson kicked two field goals as the Redhawks beat the Mean Green in the first — and possibly last — Frisco Football Classic in Frisco, Texas.

Gabbert, the brother of former NFL quarterback Blaine Gabbert, threw a 5-yard scoring pass to Kenny Davis late in the second quarter and an 11-yarder to Nate Muersch early in the third quarter for Miami (7-6), which won a bowl game for the first time since the 2010 season.

Austin Aune and Isaiah Johnson scored on runs of 2 yards and 1 yard for the Mean Green (6-7).

North Texas played without two senior starters, running back Deandre Torrey and safety Makyle Sanders, for unstated reasons. Torrey had averaged 101.3 rushing yards per game, 41% of the 245.5yard team average that ranked fourth in the FBS.

The bowl game, played at Toyota Stadium, which had hosted the Frisco Bowl on Tuesday night, was hastily created a few weeks ago when 83 NCAA Division I teams were eligible to fill the slots of the 41 Ncaa-approved postseason games.

RUTGERS SET FOR GATOR BOWL » Rutgers will replace Texas A&M in the Gator Bowl against Wake Forest after an NCAA committee decided to adhere to an existing policy for making teams with 5-7 records bowl eligible.

The NCAA football oversight committee also announced that any bowl can be moved to as late as Jan. 10 if the schools involved need additional time to prepare for the game.

The Gator Bowl will keep its scheduled date and 11 a.m. Eastern kickoff time on New Year’s Eve, meaning Rutgers will have less than a week to get ready to play one of the highest-scoring teams in the country.

Rutgers will be making its first bowl appearance since 2014, its first season as a member of the Big Ten Conference.

Texas A&M pulled out of the Jacksonville, Florida game on Wednesday because of a lack of available players. The Aggies were having issues with COVID-19, plus they already had been depleted by injuries, opt-outs and players transferring.

NCAA rules allow teams with 5-7 records, such as Rutgers, to be bowl eligible if there are not enough six-win teams to fill all the spots.

The Scarlet Knights have not played since Thanksgiving weekend and the team has not been practicing or working out together. MISSOURI QB ENTERS PORTAL » Missouri quarterback Connor Bazelak is entering the transfer portal.

Bazelak didn’t appear in Wednesday’s Armed Forces Bowl despite playing in 11 games on the season.

The Tigers announced he’d miss the game with a leg injury.

Bazelak will have two years of eligibility at a new program.

In 2021, Bazelak threw for 2,574 yards with 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. In three seasons with the Tigers, Bazelak threw for 5,084 yards with 23 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

In 2020, he was the Southeastern Conference co-freshman of the Year. TEXAS TECH’S EZUKAMA OPTS OUT OF BOWL » Texas Tech receiver Erik Ezukanma is skipping Tuesday’s Liberty Bowl and his final two seasons of eligibility to pursue a career in the NFL.

Ezukanma is in position to lead the Red Raiders in receiving for a third consecutive season. He has 138 catches for 2,165 yards and 15 TDS in his career.

The best season for Ezukanma came in 2020, when he had 748 yards and six touchdowns. Ezukanma had 705 yards and four scores this season.

Ezukanma is the second Texas Tech player to declare for the 2022 draft. The other is offensive lineman Dawson Deaton.