The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors have pulled out of the EasyPost Hawaii Bowl, forcing a cancelation of the game. Hawaii was scheduled to face the Memphis Tigers Friday night in Honolulu. The school announced on Thursday that they are pulling out of the game.

The university cited covid-19 problems within the program as the key reason for pulling out, according to ESPN senior writer Andrea Adelson.

“The health and safety of our student-athletes is the most important part of this decision,” Hawaii athletics director David Matlin said in a statement. “The recent surge in COVID-19 cases has forced us to not participate in the game… We are disappointed for our players, coaches, and fans… We want to thank the Memphis Tigers for making the long trip to Hawai'i. We are disappointed we can't compete on the football field.”

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The school also cited injuries and transfers as other reasons why they were forced to pull out of the game. The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors were looking to climb back to .500 on the season. They will finish the year 6-7. Hawaii is not the first team to pull out of a bowl game. Texas A&M also pulled out of the Gator Bowl and was replaced by Rutgers.

Meanwhile, the Memphis Tigers were looking to improve upon their .500 record. They will finish the season 6-6 as they look to next year. Memphis' head coach Ryan Silverfield was equally disappointed the game was canceled.

“We hope that Hawai'i players and staff get healthy soon,” he said in a statement. “I'm upset for our seniors and the rest of the team that battled this season to earn this opportunity. We've had [a] terrific time here in Hawai'i as a program and we are sad our trip ended this way.”