Jones would prefer fewer road games
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By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer
With a school-record six road games and just a 2-4 record to show for it, University of Hawai'i football coach June Jones said the Warriors, "would hope we wouldn't have a (schedule) like this again, but you never know."
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Next year, UH is tentatively scheduled for four road games — conference matchups at Boise State, Fresno State, Rice and Texas-El Paso.
"You do what you gotta do and you have to do that this year," June Jones said.
In 2005, UH is tentatively scheduled for five road games, including a non-conference stop at Michigan State.
The game with the Spartans is the middle of a two-for-one deal in which Michigan State plays at Aloha Stadium in 2004 and 2006.
As for the 2003 schedule that took the Warriors to USC, Nevada-Las Vegas, Tulsa, Louisiana Tech, San Jose State and Nevada, a 33,000-mile journey, "You do what you gotta do and you have to do that this year," Jones said.
UH could have had seven road games this year had athletic director Herman Frazier taken up Washington on its offer for the Warriors to play a big payday game in Seattle. But Frazier turned it down last year.
Meanwhile, officials of the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl, who were represented at Saturday's Nevada game, say they will be back for Army this week at Aloha Stadium.
G.W. Mix of ESPN, which operates the game, was in Reno but left with invitation still in hand after the 24-14 loss kept UH (6-4) from reaching bowl eligibility with a seventh victory.
Mix said Jim Donovan, the bowl's executive director, and Ernest Nishizaki, of Kyo-ya and Sheraton, will attend Saturday's game against Army (0-11) and extend the invitation should the Warriors win.
The Hawai Bowl will be played Christmas Day and match a WAC representative against a team from Conference USA.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.
