Hawai'i, Alabama make game official

Advertiser Staff

The University of Hawai'i and University of Alabama made it official yesterday, announcing they will play a football game on Nov. 30 at Aloha Stadium.

The game will be at 3:05 p.m. and shown nationally on ESPN.

"It took us some time to get the details ironed out, but it is done, and I think our team, staff and fans are excited about the game," Alabama athletic director Mal Moore said in a news release.

UH athletic director Hugh Yoshida said the TV game "is a plus for our team in terms of national exposure."

Alabama, which is adding a 13th game to its schedule, is expected to bring more than 5,000 fans.

"This will certainly stretch our season, but the team voted unanimously to participate in the game," Crimson Tide coach Dennis Franchione said.

It will be the first football game between Alabama and Hawai'i.

Alabama replaces Washington State, which requested a release from its contract to play UH, citing a scheduling conflict. Washington State has agreed to play UH in 2003 and 2007.

"We're disappointed that Washington State is not coming," UH coach June Jones said. "I think (WSU's) Jason Gesser and (UH's) Timmy Chang may be two of the top quarterbacks in the nation and being that they're from the same high school (St. Louis), that would've been neat. But we've got the next best thing with Alabama."

Alabama is banned from competing in postseason games for the next two years. Crimson Tide officials had wanted to wait until they received a ruling on their appeal before deciding on the UH offer. But because the NCAA will delay a ruling until August, and the chances of a favorable verdict are slim, Alabama decided to commit to playing UH regardless of the outcome of the appeal.

Earlier this week, it was announced The Honolulu Advertiser would be the title sponsor for the game.