Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
NOTEBOOK – Aloha from Honolulu!
12/21/2022 3:00:00 AM | Football
Blue Raiders start bowl festivities off in the Hawaiian Islands
HONOLULU, Hawaii — Aloha! And a hearty welcome from Honolulu to those of y'all back in the Continental 48.
As I write this intro at around noon here in Hawai'i on Tuesday, it's kind of stunning to me think about the time zone difference. When I walked downstairs for breakfast Tuesday morning, for instance, Middle Tennessee women's basketball had already tipped off their first conference game of the season, what would become a 74-68 win over the Owls.
It's a useful anecdote for me to quickly explain how my coverage of the Blue Raiders down in the Aloha State will work during Bowl Week this year. Given the time difference between Honolulu and Murfreesboro, so much of the amazing experiences our student athletes are having will occur while many of y'all are back home for dinner with the family, or perhaps even already asleep for the night.
With that in mind, my daily notebook, starting with this notebook getting published on Wednesday morning at 4 a.m. here in Honolulu, but 8 a.m. for folks in the Central Time Zone, will recap the day that was for MTSU, in case you missed any of the highlights on our social channels.
I'll also be sure to chime in with my observations from the ground, taking you behind the scenes of Bowl Week here in Oahu.
Breaking: It's a long way out to Hawai'i
Briefly, on the Blue Raiders' Monday: it's a long way out here to Hawai'i. On MTSU's direct flight from Nashville to Honolulu, the Blue Raiders were in the air right around 10 hours, leaving at 10:00 a.m. in the Central time zone and landing at 4:00 p.m. Hawaiian time. In more binge worthy terms, you could watch nearly all of Season 2 of 'The Office' or three and half 'Avengers' movies in the time it takes you to fly from Middle Tennessee to Hawai'i.
The Blue Raiders exited the plane in high spirits for the week ahead.
A key point of emphasis for such a long plane ride: hydration (a point your staff writer did not heed on his flight!).
You lose about eight ounces of water an hour on a flight at altitude, in large part due to breathing the air that's cycled in that lacks humidification. Rick Stockstill said his team did a good job with that aspect last time they flew to Hawai'i in 2016, so his team was prepped for that aspect of the travel this year.
Tuesday kicks off with Hawai'i Bowl Press Conference
Tuesday started bright and early for MTSU. With practice scheduled for 9:30 a.m., the Hawaii Bowl Press Conference at 8:30 a.m. brought together Stockstill, quarterback Chase Cunningham and defensive end Jordan Ferguson with the representatives from San Diego State: Head Coach Brady Hoke, Center Alama Uluave and linebacker Seyddrick Lakalala.
I poked some fun at the Bowl Press Conference early in the morning on Twitter, which can be fairly ho-hum affairs of cliches and nice generalities. Y'all know the drill: Everyone is excited to be at such a tremendous location, is wowed away with all of the locals' hospitality so far and is excited to play a really good ball club on the opposing side.
"Thanks to the Hawai'i Bowl and the sponsors and everyone for inviting us here," Rick Stockstill said. "It's something we're very proud of, being here and representing our university and playing in a great, tradition rich Hawai'i Bowl. Proud of our team, looking forward to competing against a really great San Diego State team."
With both teams on the podium at the same time, those generalities were only more highlighted. No one is going to say something interesting game plan wise with the opposing team so close by, after all. But the backdrop of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel's lawn made for a spectacular start to the day.
The local Hawaiian media was most interested in hearing from Uluave and Lakalala about their homecoming back to the islands. Both Aztecs played for Punahou High School in Honolulu as prep athletes. Cunningham and Ferguson, however, were also excited to be ending their collegiate careers on the island.
"There's not a better place to play your last game," Cunningham said. "Super excited to be here and really proud of our team and everything we overcame this year."
"We worked so hard to get to this point," Ferguson said. "A lot of people don't know what it takes to get here. Injuries, different things happening, you've got to persevere all season...We played in the Bahamas last year, we play in Hawai'i this year. The places football can take you is really second to none.
You can check out the Blue Raiders' thoughts on their Hawaiian experience so far here: Hawaii Bowl Press Conference 12 - 20 - 22. With this being my main media availability this week, I'll work some more of my thoughts the (brief) Xs and Os discussion as we get closer to kickoff later in the week.
Practice brings amazing views
The trip out to Hawai'i is a business trip first, after all, and the Blue Raiders got down to business after the presser. Farrington High School, home of the Governors during the high school season, is the practice home for the Blue Raiders this week.
Located in the Kalihi district, Edward "Skippa" Diaz Stadium at Kusunoki Field offers some amazing views of the surrounding mountains to the north, which are an omnipresent part of life out here on the island. Nearly everywhere you turn in Honolulu, you have a clear sightline to a volcanic mountain.
MTSU visits Pearl Harbor
Heading down to Hawai'i, the trip to Pearl Harbor was the part of MTSU's schedule I personally was most looking forward to. I'm a big fan of the National Park Service in general, but particularly their Museums, National Monuments and National Memorials, the latter of which is Pearl Harbor's designation.
As usual, the visitor's center for the harbor is fantastic, featuring two great museum exhibits, one of the pre-war status quo of Pearl Harbor and the Pacific in general, the other on the Day That Will Live In Infamy. Outside exhibits, including the Waterfront Memorial for submariners lost on eternal patrol as part of the USS Bowfin's Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum and the anchor of the USS Arizona were excellent as well.
Our Hawaiian guide for the week, Bobo, was amazing at providing context for so many things on our travels around Oahu, from Hawaiian history to discussing local real estate to local cuisine. His recounting of Pearl Harbor, likewise, was suburb. But the work he did with the National Park Rangers to get MTSU on the boat to the USS Arizona Memorial after our initial tour was cancelled due to weather, deserves extra appreciation.
The Blue Raiders hopped on the U.S. Navy boat to head over to the memorial, which stands directly over the sunken ship and her over 900 soldiers that perished with her on December 7, 1941.
I had heard how moving the exhibit was before leaving Tennessee. Words do not do justice to just how moving it is to be out there, to see the gun turrets still sticking out of the water, to see the names of those lost on the remembrance wall in the back of the memorial.
So many of the things you've learned over the course of your visit overwhelm you when you're out there. How the Arizona still leaks about a gallon of oil a day, even 81 years later, how divers attempting to rescue folks trapped in the hulls of other ships capsized in the harbor had to call off their rescue efforts when the welding torches caught fire in the fuel-soaked waters, and those still in port heard taps from the hulls from the trapped sailors for another two or three weeks.
All this to say, Pearl Harbor is well worth the trip if you're ever in Hawai'i, and I'm excited San Diego State will get to experience that same feeling Wednesday we all did Tuesday.
On a much lighter note, it was great to see our players befriend the two U.S. Navy sailors who drove the ferry to the USS Arizona Memorial, particularly Yusuf Ali. The team took a picture with the two sailors before leaving.
Photo Gallery
If you want to check out even more of our Tuesday, make sure to check out the photo gallery on our site, compiled by the talented Matt Posey (who also edits my notebook!). Matt did such a great job capturing the beauty of the island, along with the players who are making memories to last a lifetime.
Gallery: (12-20-2022) @MT_FB Hawai'i Bowl Day 1
On Deck Wednesday
The Blue Raiders will practice early this morning in Hawai'i, before leaving for a trip to the local Wet N Wild Water Park in the middle of the day, essentially swapping schedules with San Diego State from Tuesday.
The two teams will come together that night, however, for the Royal Hawaiian Luau, which is considered to be one of the best bowl events in the country, giving players, coaches and their families a chance to experience Hawaiian food and culture.
As I write this intro at around noon here in Hawai'i on Tuesday, it's kind of stunning to me think about the time zone difference. When I walked downstairs for breakfast Tuesday morning, for instance, Middle Tennessee women's basketball had already tipped off their first conference game of the season, what would become a 74-68 win over the Owls.
It's a useful anecdote for me to quickly explain how my coverage of the Blue Raiders down in the Aloha State will work during Bowl Week this year. Given the time difference between Honolulu and Murfreesboro, so much of the amazing experiences our student athletes are having will occur while many of y'all are back home for dinner with the family, or perhaps even already asleep for the night.
With that in mind, my daily notebook, starting with this notebook getting published on Wednesday morning at 4 a.m. here in Honolulu, but 8 a.m. for folks in the Central Time Zone, will recap the day that was for MTSU, in case you missed any of the highlights on our social channels.
I'll also be sure to chime in with my observations from the ground, taking you behind the scenes of Bowl Week here in Oahu.
Breaking: It's a long way out to Hawai'i
Briefly, on the Blue Raiders' Monday: it's a long way out here to Hawai'i. On MTSU's direct flight from Nashville to Honolulu, the Blue Raiders were in the air right around 10 hours, leaving at 10:00 a.m. in the Central time zone and landing at 4:00 p.m. Hawaiian time. In more binge worthy terms, you could watch nearly all of Season 2 of 'The Office' or three and half 'Avengers' movies in the time it takes you to fly from Middle Tennessee to Hawai'i.
The Blue Raiders exited the plane in high spirits for the week ahead.
𝘼𝙡𝙤𝙝𝙖 😎#BLUEnited | #EATT pic.twitter.com/TW8VzTuoza
— Middle Tennessee FB (@MT_FB) December 20, 2022
𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐢'𝐢 🔵🏈🏝
— Middle Tennessee FB (@MT_FB) December 20, 2022
Fun week ahead at the @HawaiiBowl! pic.twitter.com/DzTvWmyvBm
A key point of emphasis for such a long plane ride: hydration (a point your staff writer did not heed on his flight!).
You lose about eight ounces of water an hour on a flight at altitude, in large part due to breathing the air that's cycled in that lacks humidification. Rick Stockstill said his team did a good job with that aspect last time they flew to Hawai'i in 2016, so his team was prepped for that aspect of the travel this year.
Tuesday kicks off with Hawai'i Bowl Press Conference
Tuesday started bright and early for MTSU. With practice scheduled for 9:30 a.m., the Hawaii Bowl Press Conference at 8:30 a.m. brought together Stockstill, quarterback Chase Cunningham and defensive end Jordan Ferguson with the representatives from San Diego State: Head Coach Brady Hoke, Center Alama Uluave and linebacker Seyddrick Lakalala.
I poked some fun at the Bowl Press Conference early in the morning on Twitter, which can be fairly ho-hum affairs of cliches and nice generalities. Y'all know the drill: Everyone is excited to be at such a tremendous location, is wowed away with all of the locals' hospitality so far and is excited to play a really good ball club on the opposing side.
"Thanks to the Hawai'i Bowl and the sponsors and everyone for inviting us here," Rick Stockstill said. "It's something we're very proud of, being here and representing our university and playing in a great, tradition rich Hawai'i Bowl. Proud of our team, looking forward to competing against a really great San Diego State team."
With both teams on the podium at the same time, those generalities were only more highlighted. No one is going to say something interesting game plan wise with the opposing team so close by, after all. But the backdrop of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel's lawn made for a spectacular start to the day.
Hawaii Bowl Press Conference is getting underway in a few minutes here at the Royal Hawaiian. Quite a backdrop for a bowl presser! pic.twitter.com/G5zDA5qz1Z
— Sam Doughton (@sjdoughton) December 20, 2022
Happy to report everyone is excited to be here in Hawaii and ready to play a really good football team on the opposing side. pic.twitter.com/NYzmyIRW3j
— Sam Doughton (@sjdoughton) December 20, 2022
The local Hawaiian media was most interested in hearing from Uluave and Lakalala about their homecoming back to the islands. Both Aztecs played for Punahou High School in Honolulu as prep athletes. Cunningham and Ferguson, however, were also excited to be ending their collegiate careers on the island.
"There's not a better place to play your last game," Cunningham said. "Super excited to be here and really proud of our team and everything we overcame this year."
"We worked so hard to get to this point," Ferguson said. "A lot of people don't know what it takes to get here. Injuries, different things happening, you've got to persevere all season...We played in the Bahamas last year, we play in Hawai'i this year. The places football can take you is really second to none.
You can check out the Blue Raiders' thoughts on their Hawaiian experience so far here: Hawaii Bowl Press Conference 12 - 20 - 22. With this being my main media availability this week, I'll work some more of my thoughts the (brief) Xs and Os discussion as we get closer to kickoff later in the week.
Started the day off with a @HawaiiBowl press conference!#BLUEnited | #EATT pic.twitter.com/2HmpjRFlZ6
— Middle Tennessee FB (@MT_FB) December 20, 2022
Practice brings amazing views
The trip out to Hawai'i is a business trip first, after all, and the Blue Raiders got down to business after the presser. Farrington High School, home of the Governors during the high school season, is the practice home for the Blue Raiders this week.
Located in the Kalihi district, Edward "Skippa" Diaz Stadium at Kusunoki Field offers some amazing views of the surrounding mountains to the north, which are an omnipresent part of life out here on the island. Nearly everywhere you turn in Honolulu, you have a clear sightline to a volcanic mountain.
First practice at the @HawaiiBowl is complete!#BLUEnited | #EATT pic.twitter.com/zrv2EfTbWU
— Middle Tennessee FB (@MT_FB) December 20, 2022
MTSU visits Pearl Harbor
Heading down to Hawai'i, the trip to Pearl Harbor was the part of MTSU's schedule I personally was most looking forward to. I'm a big fan of the National Park Service in general, but particularly their Museums, National Monuments and National Memorials, the latter of which is Pearl Harbor's designation.
As usual, the visitor's center for the harbor is fantastic, featuring two great museum exhibits, one of the pre-war status quo of Pearl Harbor and the Pacific in general, the other on the Day That Will Live In Infamy. Outside exhibits, including the Waterfront Memorial for submariners lost on eternal patrol as part of the USS Bowfin's Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum and the anchor of the USS Arizona were excellent as well.
Our Hawaiian guide for the week, Bobo, was amazing at providing context for so many things on our travels around Oahu, from Hawaiian history to discussing local real estate to local cuisine. His recounting of Pearl Harbor, likewise, was suburb. But the work he did with the National Park Rangers to get MTSU on the boat to the USS Arizona Memorial after our initial tour was cancelled due to weather, deserves extra appreciation.
The Blue Raiders hopped on the U.S. Navy boat to head over to the memorial, which stands directly over the sunken ship and her over 900 soldiers that perished with her on December 7, 1941.
Humbling experience for the #BlueRaiders this afternoon as they visited Pearl Harbor. pic.twitter.com/AOCMYKQgFp
— Middle Tennessee FB (@MT_FB) December 21, 2022
I had heard how moving the exhibit was before leaving Tennessee. Words do not do justice to just how moving it is to be out there, to see the gun turrets still sticking out of the water, to see the names of those lost on the remembrance wall in the back of the memorial.
So many of the things you've learned over the course of your visit overwhelm you when you're out there. How the Arizona still leaks about a gallon of oil a day, even 81 years later, how divers attempting to rescue folks trapped in the hulls of other ships capsized in the harbor had to call off their rescue efforts when the welding torches caught fire in the fuel-soaked waters, and those still in port heard taps from the hulls from the trapped sailors for another two or three weeks.
All this to say, Pearl Harbor is well worth the trip if you're ever in Hawai'i, and I'm excited San Diego State will get to experience that same feeling Wednesday we all did Tuesday.
On a much lighter note, it was great to see our players befriend the two U.S. Navy sailors who drove the ferry to the USS Arizona Memorial, particularly Yusuf Ali. The team took a picture with the two sailors before leaving.
Photo Gallery
If you want to check out even more of our Tuesday, make sure to check out the photo gallery on our site, compiled by the talented Matt Posey (who also edits my notebook!). Matt did such a great job capturing the beauty of the island, along with the players who are making memories to last a lifetime.
On Deck Wednesday
The Blue Raiders will practice early this morning in Hawai'i, before leaving for a trip to the local Wet N Wild Water Park in the middle of the day, essentially swapping schedules with San Diego State from Tuesday.
The two teams will come together that night, however, for the Royal Hawaiian Luau, which is considered to be one of the best bowl events in the country, giving players, coaches and their families a chance to experience Hawaiian food and culture.
Players Mentioned
MTSU Football Signing Day Press Conference 12/3/25
Wednesday, December 03
MTSU Football at New Mexico State post-game press conference – 11/29/25
Sunday, November 30
MTSU Football at New Mexico State post-game press conference – 11/29/25
Saturday, November 29
Raider Report Game 12 - MTSU vs. New Mexico State University
Friday, November 28
