WARRIORS NOTEBOOK
Opening foe for '04 unsettled
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
The University of Hawai'i football team might have to look for another opponent to open the 2004 season.
At the end of coach June Jones' weekly news conference yesterday, it was learned that Sacramento State is requesting a release from the Sept. 11 game at Aloha Stadium.
In the past few years, Texas, Kansas State, Washington State and Akron have canceled games against UH.
The Hornets compete in Division I-AA football, and replacing them would not be as difficult as past cancellations.
UH's 2004 nonconference schedule also includes home games against Idaho (Nov. 20), Northwestern (Nov. 27) and Michigan State (Dec. 4).
Yesterday, Jones said he would like to play nonconference games against teams from the Big Ten and Pac-10, either at home or on the road. He was responding to questions about the future of the Western Athletic Conference, of which UH is a member, in the aftermath of last week's announcement that Rice, Southern Methodist and Tulsa would join Conference USA at the end of the 2004-05 academic year.
In various news reports, UH has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the Mountain West Conference.
"As long as we continue to schedule the Oklahomas, the Texases, the USCs, the Alabamas for our nonconference, it really doesn't matter who we play in between," Jones said. "To me, whatever the conference is — the WAC or the Mountain West — it really doesn't matter.
"We're going to have the same crowd. We're going to have the same crowd if it's Utah (of the Mountain West) or Utah State (a potential WAC member). It doesn't matter. For us to get the national recognition, we've got to schedule Big Ten, Pac-10, you know, the bigger schools ... which we can do. We're willing to go there and they'll come here."
The Warriors are completely booked through 2005, and Purdue is on the 2006 schedule. "By that time, all this conference stuff will sort itself out," Jones said.
Jones said he would like to play the military academies each year. The Warriors, who played Air Force in 2001, are scheduled to play Army this year. Navy coach Paul Johnson, a former UH offensive coordinator, said he would like to play the Warriors.
"The bottom line is you show up Saturday and play whoever," Jones said. "You can't worry about things you can't control. What we can control is who we schedule as our nonconference opponent. We'll go deal with that."
Jones also said losing three WAC members would not change his recruiting strategy. Rice is in Houston, SMU in Dallas.
"We're attractive because we're on national TV, because we play big schools and because we put people in the National Football League," Jones said. "I think that's why (recruits) are going to come. We're doing that. ... Whether we play Rice or not, if we're recruiting a kid from Houston, it doesn't matter."
June would go: Faced with the same choices as Louisiana Tech coach Jack Bicknell Saturday — go for the 53-yard field goal or the first down on fourth-and-2 — Jones indicated he probably would not summon his kicker.
"My deal is I don't like to put the game in the kicker's hand," Jones said. "That's kind of my philosophy about it, unless it's the last resort. ... I believe in throwing for the touchdown and then if you can't (because time is about to expire), you kick it. That's kind of my deal."
UH came away with the 44-41 victory when Louisiana Tech's Josh Scobee's field-goal attempt was wide left. "I'm glad I didn't have that decision to make," Jones said.
Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8051.
