HONOLULU (Ticker) -- In what should be a Christmas Day treat for fans who like offense, Hawaii takes on Houston in the second Hawaii Bowl.
While both teams feature wide-open offenses, averaging 33 points per game, their defenses leave a lot to be desired. Hawaii is 79th in scoring defense, yielding 29.4 points per game, and Houston 101st, surrendering 34.5 points per outing.
The Warriors (8-5) are making their second straight appearance in the Hawaii Bowl, losing to Tulane, 36-28, last season.
Hawaii will be without Travis LaBoy, the defensive player of the year in the Western Athletic Conference who recorded a league-high 13 sacks. Laboy told the Honolulu Advertiser that will be academically ineligible and Hawaii coach June Jones said he has not seen LaBoy since Saturday.
First-year coach Art Briles has revived a moribund Houston program, leading the Cougars (7-5) to their first bowl game since 1996. Briles spent the past three seasons as the quarterbacks coach at Texas Tech, where his prized pupil was Kliff Kingsbury.
Jones created a stir when he threatened to pull his team out of the game if the university could not ensure all the players were academically eligible. Jones said he would take that action rather than risk academic suspensions.
Jones later softened his stance, saying that he believed the university got his message. Quarterback Timmy Chang was suspended for this season's opener after it was determined he was ineligible for last year's Hawaii Bowl.
Chang was Hawaii's starter for most of the season, completing 327-of-559 yards for 3,724 yards and 34 touchdowns. Chang is third in the nation in passing average (326.4 yards per game), but Jason Whieldon replaced him against Alabama and led the Warriors to a 37-29 victory.
Whieldon got the start in Hawaii's regular-season finale against Boise State, but threw three interceptions in the Warriors' 45-28 loss. Chang came on in the fourth quarter and tossed a TD pass.
The Warriors will be without Western Athletic Conference defensive player of the year Travis LaBoy, who has not been attending practices. The defensive end told a Hawaii newspaper that he would be academically ineligible to play.
Houston's offense is led by Kevin Kolb, the Conference USA Freshman of the Year, who passed for 2,799 yards and 23 touchdowns. He led all freshmen in attempts (326), completions (201), passing yards and touchdowns.
His seven wins as a starter are one more than Florida's Chris Leak and Georgia Tech's Reggie Ball.
Just two years removed from an 0-11 campaign, the Cougars (7-5) matched their highest win total since 1996, when they lost to Syracuse, 30-17, in the Liberty Bowl.
