University of Hawaii football to face San Jose State at Aloha Stadium

UPDATE 11:19 a.m.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Saturday for the football game between the University of Hawaii and San Jose State at Aloha Stadium.

It will be the earliest start for a Rainbow Warrior home game since the 11:05 a.m. start against Brigham Young on Dec. 8, 2001.

Spectrum Sports will produce the pay-per-view telecast.

The game initially was to played at San Jose’s CEFCU Stadium. But Santa Clara County’s newly implemented coronavirus-related restrictions forced the game to relocate. Several other sites were considering, including the two stadiums in Las Vegas, before an agreement was reached to move the game to Aloha Stadium.

The change of venue will not impact next year’s schedule rotation, meaning San Jose State also will travel to Hawaii in 2021.

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After a three-day search for a new site, the University of Hawaii football team announced its next game will be played 12 miles away at Aloha Stadium on Saturday.

The Mountain West Conference meeting between Hawaii and San Jose State was supposed to be played at CEFCU Stadium in Northern California. But Santa Clara County’s newly implemented coronavirus-related restrictions forced San Jose State to seek another location. The order prohibits contact-sport activities, such as practices and games, for the next three weeks.

On Monday, SJSU athletic director Marie Tuite indicated moving the Mountain West Conference game to Hawaii was not an immediate possibility. “As for whether or not we would play the game in Hawaii, at this point, we are not looking at that option,” she said.

Tuite did not elaborate, but it was believed there were concerns because the restrictions required incoming travelers from outside the Bay Area county’s 150-mile radius to quarantine for 14 days. An SJSU spokesman said the team has not yet decided where it will set up headquarters following their postgame return to the mainland.

After several discussions on Tuesday, the Warriors announced on their Twitter account the game would be moved to Aloha Stadium.

“We explored many venue and date options for this game over the last 48 hours,” Tuite said in a news release. “Moving the game from San Jose to Honolulu became the best option based on our county and the state’s current public health directives. We want to thank the many people who were involved in the decision-making process, and there were many — our university administration, the Mountain West office, and the conference schools that offered their support.”

A return to action is important for the Spartans, whose previous two games were canceled because of coronavirus-related circumstances involving Fresno State and then Boise State. At 4-0, the Spartans are in contention for a berth in the Mountain West’s title game on Dec. 19. The top two winning percentages in league play determine the participants. It is believed the Spartans would need to play at least five league games in the eight-week regular season to meet the threshold for title-game eligibility.

For the 3-3 Warriors, it is a chance to extend their strong performances of the past six quarters.

“We want this game,” UH quarterback Chevan Cordeiro said on Tuesday morning. “We need to win out.”

The Warriors’ regular-season finale is against UNLV on Dec. 12.

The Warriors had opened with three of their first four games on the road. With the relocation, the Warriors will close the season with four consecutive home games.

The Warriors were prepared to travel to the mainland. The initial itinerary had the Warriors departing this afternoon on a non-stop flight to San Jose International Airport. The new agreement keeps the Warriors from scrambling for new travel arrangements.

The Spartans were working to finalize travel arrangements. As of late Tuesday afternoon, a kick-off time had not been announced.