Hawaii Bowl, Notre Dame News

Jason Kaneshiro profiles Sheraton Hawaii Bowl director David Matlin, who was instrumental in getting Notre Dame to the Hawaii Bowl.

In his first year as head of the bowl game, Matlin helped attract the Fighting Irish to the islands when the Pac-10 wasn't able to fill its commitment -- a move that has accelerated ticket sales over the last week and heightened the game's national profile.

He's now drawing on experience that extends well beyond his six years as the Hawaii Bowl's director of operations in overseeing the myriad minutiae inherent in running a bowl game.

"It's like you're running a sprint, but you're running a sprint for 20 days," Matlin said.

Rivals has video of Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen talking about UH and the Hawaii Bowl.

Christian McCollum of Irish Eyes writes that Notre Dame will use just 10 out of the 15 practices they're allowed leading up to the Hawaii Bowl.

The NCAA allows teams to hold 15 practice sessions in preparation for bowl games. But with recruiting, final exams and the timing of the Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl, Notre Dame will get in just 10 practices before its game on Christmas Eve.

There are pros and cons of missing out on five available practices, but it is clear that Weis and the players see more pros than cons in their schedule.

“I think it’s actually been pretty helpful. We get to focus on academics because obviously it’s not easy around here. There’s a lot of people who it’s crunch time for around here and we’ve got to get our work done,” senior defensive lineman Patrick Kuntz said.

“Secondly, it lets us get away from football and kind of be regular students and let our bodies heal up a little bit and get some recovery time. Sure, there’s negatives where you can get rusty, lose a step, but I think overall it’s better for us.”

Notre Dame linebacker Brian Smith, who's been out with a knee sprain since November, may be back to play in the Hawaii Bowl. He also likes UH's ha‘a.

Nope, the most intriguing aspect of Notre Dame's Sheraton Hawaii Bowl opponent in Smith's eyes came courtesy of YouTube — the haka or ha'a pregame ritual dance the Warriors perform regularly and that once cost them a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in Ruston, La., last season.

"When I first saw it, I was like, 'Man, that's tight, I want to be part of that,'" the Notre Dame sophomore linebacker said. "'Teach me the moves. I'll do it before the game.'"