It's been a little more than 11 years and Tony Tuioti still remembers the moment vividly—even if he didn't actually watch the final result.

With a precious few ticks left in Hawaii's 1997 season, Tuioti was among the defensive linemen digging in on the line of scrimmage as Notre Dame kicker Scott Cengia lined up a 20-yard field goal.

“;I didn't even need to look,”; Tuioti recalled. “;I was thinking if I hear the fans scream then I know he didn't make it. If it's quiet, then I know what happened.

“;The next thing you know we see all those guys running on the field.”;

Cengia's kick sailed through with 5 seconds left, lifting the Fighting Irish to a 23-22 comeback win over the then-Rainbow Warriors at Aloha Stadium.

Tuioti, now Hawaii's director of player personnel, is the only member of that team who remains with the program as the Warriors prepare for Wednesday's Sheraton Hawaii Bowl matchup with Notre Dame in the first meeting between the schools since the Fighting Irish thwarted UH's upset bid in 1997.

While the mention of Notre Dame evokes images of college football lore, Tuioti said the impact of playing the Fighting Irish didn't really hit “;until you start hearing that fight song.”;

“;You see the gold domes run out and then the fight song kicks in right before you're ready to run out of the tunnel and it feels like you're getting ready for a big-time game.”;

Both of Hawaii's meetings with Notre Dame were decided in the final minutes, with the Fighting Irish escaping with a 48-42 win in 1991 and again six years later.

Tuioti won't be the only 1997 participant involved in the Christmas Eve rematch. Ron Powlus was the Fighting Irish quarterback back then and now tutors QB Jimmy Clausen as a member of Charlie Weis' coaching staff.

Powlus passed for just 100 yards against Hawaii, but 47 came on a pivotal connection with Raki Nelson on third and 17 that set up Cengia's game-winning kick.

The final period that day was eerily similar to Hawaii's most recent loss, a 29-24 defeat against Cincinnati on Dec. 6 in which the Warriors saw a 14-point lead evaporate in the fourth quarter.

The 1997 UH team—which lost to Northeast Louisiana the previous week on a hook-and-ladder play in overtime—battled Notre Dame throughout and led 22-14 early in the fourth quarter. But the Fighting Irish, who were fighting for a bowl berth, sidestepped the upset.

“;It was emotional—it went up and down for us,”; Tuioti said. “;It felt something like the Cincinnati game. It was a game you knew you should have won, but it just slipped out of your hands and got away from you.”;

The afternoon didn't start well for Hawaii as Josh Skinner's first pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Allen Rossum.

But quarterback Tim Carey and freshman running back Charles Tharp, who ran for 114 yards, steadied the offense and Hawaii appeared to take control when Eddie Klaneski returned a punt 52 yards to the Notre Dame 8 to set up Tharp's second touchdown.

But Notre Dame answered with a touchdown run by Autry Denson and capitalized when the Hawaii offense couldn't run out the clock.

“;Being a defensive guy you kind of kick yourself a little bit because your mind-set is always to finish the game and we didn't make the plays at the end,”; Tuioti said.

While Notre Dame closed 1997 with a loss to LSU in the Independence Bowl, the Rainbows ended the 3-9 campaign with six straight defeats.

That streak would eventually grow to 19 before June Jones and then-defensive coordinator Greg McMackin led UH to its turnaround season in 1999, Tuioti's senior year.

“;Coach Mack and Coach Jones came in and completely changed the culture of the program,”; Tuioti said. “;Coach Mack is continuing that success this year. The culture and the attitude is still here and our kids are excited for this game.”;

Last hurrah

The Warriors ended yesterday's practice with the season's third scrimmage for scout-team members.

For the younger players and redshirts, it was another chance to impress as they look toward spring practice. For the seniors involved in the scrimmage, it may have marked their last chance to hit at full speed.

“;It's my last week here, last week in school, just trying to have fun before I leave,”; said running back Alonzo Chopp, who served in the Marine Corps before enrolling at Hawaii and will graduate on Saturday.

“;It's just one more week to be with my brothers. I'm going to miss them when I leave, but it's time to move on to something else.”;

Freshman defensive back Kawika Ornellas returned an interception for a touchdown. Senior quarterback Jake Santos led the offense on a lengthy scoring drive to end the scrimmage and completed a 5-yard touchdown pass to junior Ryan Henry on the morning's final play.

“;It was a lot of fun,”; Santos said. “;It was probably the last drive I'll have.”;

Today, the redshirts and reserves return to their roles in helping the starters prepare for Notre Dame.

“;That's my role on the team this year and I take pride in it,”; Henry said.