HONOLULU, HI — USF head coach Alex Golesh said what usually happens at a bowl game is that one team is happy to be there while the other team is there to win. After a 4,700-mile trip, he wants his team to come back from Honolulu with a Hawaii Bowl victory over San Jose St.
"Super grateful to our operations team. Super grateful to our administration for allowing us to do it first class- so our guys could be comfortable getting out here," Golesh said in this weekend's press conference. "I think the adjustment now is over. Now we’ve gotta go to work and prepare as we would for a normal game."
Tonight won't be a "normal" game for USF receiver Sean Atkins. It'll be his last game in a Bulls uniform. The former walk-on worked his way into one of the best players in program history. His 189 career receptions are the most all-time at USF.
"I can’t believe that this place is real. You kinda realize where you are in the world," Atkins joked when talking about taking in the experience of going to Hawaii. "You look on your [Snapchat map] or your location, and you’re literally in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I’m just grateful to be here, grateful for the teammates, and really excited to be here. When you start from where I started, you can just appreciate everything."
The Bulls game week activities included a guided tour of Pearl Harbor and spreading holiday cheer at a local Shriners Children's Hospital. Lineback Mac Harris said those things add to the formula that will elevate the entire program.
"We’re building a culture here, building a culture within the locker room. Things around the program that’s essentially going to build us up to where we want to be. To be in those playoff games that coach was talking about," Harris, who led the team in tackles (74) and sacks (4), said. "Being able to play another game, bringing us together even more, it’s amazing."
"We’ll get a chance to continue to grow as a football team," Golesh added. "Really excited, again, grateful to be here, and I know our guys are as well."
USF (6-6) and San Jose St. (7-5) kick off at 8 p.m. on Dec. 24 on ESPN. The Bulls won the only other meeting between the two schools. It was a 42-22 win in San Jose back in 2017.
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