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Hawai'i Warriors Hosting Fresno State Football For The Last Time As MW Rivals

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Football

The University of Hawai'i football team will host rival Fresno State for the final time as Mountain West members in a match-up between 3-1 teams, Saturday, Sept. 20 at Clarence T.C. Ching Complex. Kickoff is 6:00 p.m. The Rainbow Warriors are 2-0 in their current three-game homestand and have won their last four at Ching Complex. The Bulldogs who have won three straight after a season-opening loss to Kansas, will move to the Pac-12 Conference next season.

Series vs Fresno State

Series Information: FS leads 30-25-1
            In Honolulu: UH leads 15-14
            In Fresno: FS leads 16-10-1
Last Meeting: UH, 21-20, Nov. 2, 2024

Game Storylines

  • Saturday's match-up is the 57th all-time meeting between the schools. Fresno State is UH's longest-standing rival in a series that began in 1938.
  • The Bulldogs lead the series 30-25-1 however the Warriors have won three of the last four.
  • UH's 25 wins in the series are the most against a single-opponent in school history. The 22 wins over San Josè State is second-most.
  • The September 20 date marks the earliest meeting between the schools since 1966 (Sept. 17, 1966).
  • The game marks the final meeting as conference members. The teams met for 31 consecutive seasons from 1992-2022 — all as conference members dating back to the Western Athletic Conference — before the streak was snapped in 2023.
  • Since both teams joined the Mountain West in 2012, Fresno State has won eight of the 12 match-ups including four of five in Honolulu. UH won the last meeting in Honolulu, a 27-24 victory over the then-No. 18 Bulldogs.
  • As a player, Timmy Chang was 2-1 as the starting quarterback against Fresno State. As a coach, Chang is 1-1 versus the Bulldogs.
  • UH is 5-8 in Mountain West openers since joining the league in 2012, including a 2-2 mark at home. Under Timmy Chang, UH is 0-3 in MW openers, all three of which occurred on the road.
  • UH's 3-1 start is its best start under Timmy Chang and the best since the 2019 squad that started the year 4-1. Hawai'i is coming off a 23-3 victory over Portland State last week at Ching Complex, extending its home win streak to four, the longest at the five-year old facility.
  • Fresno State won its third straight game following a 56-7 victory over Southern last week in Fresno. The Bulldogs have averaged 44.7 points per game in the three wins.
  • UH concludes a three-game homestand, its longest since a four-game homestand during the 2020 season.
  • PK Kansei Matsuzawa has made his last 12 field goal attempts dating back to his last season and is a perfect 11-for-11 this year. If he makes his next two FG attempts, he will tie Rigoberto Sanchez's school mark for consecutive field goals to start a season (13).