America's bloodiest day
UH-Nevada game postponed
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
The Western Athletic Conference football game between Hawai'i and Nevada has been postponed because the Warriors are unable to secure travel arrangements to Reno, Nev.
The game is expected to be rescheduled for Sept. 22, although the WAC will have to shuffle the schedule.
On Sept. 22, UH has a bye and Nevada is scheduled to play at San Jose State. Because UH and Nevada don't have any common open dates, it is likely the Nevada-San Jose State game will be moved, according to people familiar with the situation. Nevada and San Jose State have byes on Nov. 10.
The Warriors want to play on Sept. 22 because they do not want a three-week break between last Saturday's game against Montana and the Sept. 29 game against Rice.
WAC commissioner Karl Benson said there is no possibility the UH-Nevada game will be played on Dec. 8, as suggested by UH officials.
"The college football (regular) season is over on Dec. 1," Benson said, noting a deadline is needed to arrange postseason bowl pairings and accommodations.
In the aftermath of Tuesday's attacks in New York and Washington D.C., the WAC was prepared to postpone all of this week's football games. But after the commissioners of the 10 NCAA Division I-A leagues met in a conference call with White House officials, it was agreed that business should proceed normally.
UH athletic director Hugh Yoshida and UH associate athletic director Jim Donovan then notified reporters that the UH-Nevada game would be played as scheduled, except if Saturday is declared a national day of mourning.
Yoshida contacted state Department of Transportation officials, but "they weren't encouraging. There are a whole lot of security issues to be able to fly out of Honolulu."
Even if the football team could leave today, as scheduled, security checks could delay departure for hours.
"We could get (to Reno, Nev.), but it might be at 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning," Yoshida said. "Then we have another problem to worry about."
When it became apparent that the Warriors could not secure flights for their 98-member travel party, Yoshida notified Benson, who decided to postpone the game.
"The game will not be played Saturday," Benson said. "We've been informed that travel cannot be guaranteed. We certainly understand that dilemma."
Yoshida said Nevada's Mackay Stadium is reserved for a hot-air balloon contest Sunday.
About 600 UH supporters here and 3,000 who live on the Mainland had planned to attend the festivities surrounding Saturday's game. The event was co-sponsored by the Northern California Chapter of the UH Alumni Association.
It has not been determined if the alumni activities also will be rescheduled for Sept. 22.
"We're having people look at all of the options out there," Yoshida said. "Decisions will be made and changed along the way. It's a moving target. I'm not sure if this high-level security will impact flights in the next week, too."
Fans may receive a refund for Saturday's game by bringing their tickets to the Stan Sheriff Center Box Office or mailing them to: UH Ticket Office, 1337 Lower Campus Road, Honolulu HI 96822-2370. The deadline is Sept. 28.
