HONOLULU ? Alabama-Birmingham is making its first postseason appearance. Hawaii is playing in its third straight hometown bowl game. The Blazers say that gives them an edge in today’s Hawaii Bowl.

“I think it’s an advantage for us because our kids are so excited,” UAB coach Watson Brown said. “It’s history to us. It’s our first bowl.”

Brown said reaching the postseason was a milestone for the program that joined Division I-A in 1996 after competing in Divisions III and I-AA. UAB was bowl-eligible twice before, in 2000 and 2001, but didn’t get an invitation.

“The wait was definitely worth it,” said Blazers senior linebacker Zac Woodfin. “This is a dream come true. I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

The Blazers (7-4) have a fast-attack offense that averages 30.2 points per game and should have success against the Warriors, the third-worst defense in the nation, allowing a whopping 479.2 yards and 38.2 points per game.

On the other hand, Hawaii scores an average of 42.8 points (on 472.6 yards per game) at home.

“We have got to score some points because nobody holds these guys down for the whole game,” Brown said. “They’ll get their points sooner or later, so we know we have to score points.”

UAB is led by beefy quarterback Darrell Hackney and receiver Roddy White, who has 65 catches for a Conference USA-record 1,339 yards and 13 TDs this season. White is second in the nation with 121.7 yards receiving per game.

“Whatever they give us, we’ll take. We’re not going to force the ball,” said Hackney, who has thrown for 2,653 yards and 24 TDs. It’s a game of checkers. You move here, I move there.”

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The Warriors (7-5) reached the postseason by closing out the regular season with wins against Idaho, Northwestern and Michigan State. It is the fourth bowl game under sixth-year coach June Jones. In last year’s Hawaii Bowl, the Warriors were involved in a nasty postgame brawl after defeating Houston, 54-48, in triple overtime.

“We are very pleased to be here because it wasn’t looking very good with three games to go,” Jones said.

The game closes the storied career of Hawaii quarterback Timmy Chang, the most prolific passer in college history. He owns career NCAA marks for passing yardage (16,667), attempts (2,390), completions (1,357), interceptions (80) and total offense (16,508). He is eight touchdowns away from matching Ty Detmer’s record of 121.

Chang has thrown for 3,853 yards this season, with a career-best 34 TDs.

“Timmy has learned through experience you don’t have to make every play. Just stay cool, and once he gets into his rhythm, he’s tough to stop,” Brown said.

Hawaii’s biggest scoring threat is former walk-on Chad Owens, a senior who has 94 receptions for 1,176 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also scored four times this season on punt returns.

“This is my last game as a Warrior, so I want to make it one to remember,” said the 5-foot-7 Owens, who was virtually unstoppable the last two games, scoring nine times and making 22 receptions for 438 yards.

In watching game film, Brown noticed visiting teams often run out of gas at Aloha Stadium because of the balmy climate and Hawaii’s high-flying offense

“About the middle of the third quarter, (the defensive linemen) are not around Chang near as much as they were, and look out, things start happening,” he said.

Hawaii has won seven straight at home after dropping its season opener to Florida Atlantic on Sept. 4.

UAB will rotate its players in and out of the game to keep them fresh. The Blazers, who did not play west of the Central time zone this season, arrived in Honolulu early to adjust to time difference, climate change and enjoy the holidays.