These Hawaii-less Sheraton Hawaii Bowls are pretty interesting. The matchups normally lack a certain wow factor, especially since they’re missing the team most of the state cares about. But they usually end in dramatic fashion.

For University of Hawaii fans, it’s like the in-laws holiday party that you really dread but at which your attendance is required to maintain domestic tranquility — and if you manage to hang in there to dessert, you end up admitting that you had a pretty good time.

Or not.

But you do your duty and show up.

Saturday’s 24-17 win for Southern Miss over Nevada went down to the final minutes, like two of the other Hawaii Bowls that did not include UH. The third featured June Jones’ SMU team clobbering the Wolf Pack in 2009, so the lack of drama was made up for by a homecoming for the Warriors’ winningest coach.

When it’s a tussle between two teams we don’t really care much about, it’s easy for the mind to wander early and often. It leads to questions like, "Why does a guy named Fedora wear a visor?" And a colleague’s rejoinder, "Who’s he talking to on that headset, anyway, North Carolina recruits?"

But USM’s as-of-today-former coach hadn’t checked out yet, and his team played with just enough more focused passion overall than the Wolf Pack (one notable exception, Nevada’s Lampford Mark, who rushed for 183 yards).

The 10-year history of the Hawaii Bowl shows the game can be lost on the streets of Waikiki in the week leading up to it. But it can also be won on the practice field, and we heard reports of crisp prep sessions for USM at Aloha Stadium.

And although the Golden Eagles are not named for my favorite Moiliili-area Chinese restaurant, they were the home team, if you go by fan support in the stadium. Reports earlier in the week that Nevada sold only 10 tickets were misleading, but USM definitely traveled better.

"Are we far from Mississippi? … We had some Black and Gold making some noise," Fedora said.

Some Green and Black also did the same for USM, since Nevada and coach Chris Ault generally aren’t on the Christmas card lists of the Warrior World citizenry. Nevada has now lost four games in four years at Aloha Stadium, including two bowls and one against UH in 2010 that prevented an undefeated regular season and possible BCS bowl for the Wolf Pack.

You might say the place is cursed for the Pack. But Nevada still gets my pick for second-most thrilling Hawaii Bowl win (right behind UH’s triple-overtime win over Houston, 54-48, in 2003). That was in 2005, the first UH-less Hawaii Bowl: Nevada 49, Central Florida 48, despite some receiver named Brandon Marshall going nuts for the Golden Knights. Maybe fellas named Brandon Marshall aren’t allowed to win this game, since Nevada had one this time.

No, this was Southern Miss’ day, and those of the 19,411 who endured the 17 punts and the rain of the lowest scoring but loudest snoring in a decade of Hawaii Bowls were rewarded with a nifty finish and an overall decent product in retrospect.

"The bottom line is that 10 years is a milestone," said the Hawaii Bowl’s affable executive director Dave Matlin, who today switches back to roundball as he ushers the Diamond Head Classic to its conclusion. "It’s something to celebrate. It’s still an opportunity for UH and a showcase for Hawaii."

Bowl games require a three-year rolling attendance total of 75,000 to retain NCAA credentialing. Since Jones’ SMU appearance and UH’s in 2009 and 2010 drew big crowds, there’s no reason to raise alarm yet. No need to worry, unless UH doesn’t make it back within the next two years and there’s no other intriguing attraction for local fans — something like New Year’s Eve’s Sun Bowl, which matches incoming UH coach Norm Chow in his last game as Utah offensive coordinator against Georgia Tech, coached by former UH offensive coordinator Paul Johnson.

That one’s in El Paso, Texas. But it’s got plenty of wow factor for UH fans.

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783.