Posted on: Saturday, September 27, 2003
UH, Rice look for fresh start
| • | Different approach, same goal |
| • | FERD LEWIS: Time to test your Warrior knowledge |
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
Rice, which arrived in Ho-nolulu on Wednesday following a seven-hour flight from Houston, hopes to leave behind the scars of an 0-3 start in which it was outscored 127-45.
"It's the WAC, so it all starts counting here," Rice linebacker Jeff Vanover said.
"We had our chance to win," UH cornerback Abraham Elimimian said of last week's 33-22 loss to Nevada-Las Vegas, "and we didn't do it. We can't dwell on the past."
UH offensive lineman Uriah Moenoa said: "This isn't the record we expected, but things don't always work out your way. Now we have a big hump to get over."
• Win at least six more games to clinch a winning regular season and earn the accompanying berth in the Hawai'i Bowl.
• Win their first outright WAC title. UH shared the conference championship in 1992 and 1999.
Rice coach Ken Hatfield said: "Our goal is to win the WAC and go to a bowl game."
According to WAC rules, the league champion and runner-up are assured berths in the Hawai'i Bowl, Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose or Humanitarian Bowl in Boise. The league is an investor in all three bowls.
"The only way we can guarantee going to a bowl is to win the WAC," said Hatfield, noting Rice's last bowl appearance was in 1961. "Hawai'i can (earn a bowl berth) by having a good season. Other teams can have it by having a good season. We're not one where we have a bowl that we're tied into locally the way Hawai'i is (with the Hawai'i Bowl). It's up to us to win the championship."
The Owls stayed up late Tuesday night to get used to the five-hour time difference between Houston and Hawai'i. Kickoff is at 11 p.m. Central time.
The Owls plan to rotate players "to have fresh legs in the game," quarterback Greg Henderson said.
Hatfield also is sequestering the team at the Turtle Bay Resort, as he did in 1999 and 2001. The Owls won both of the games.
Even though the Owls practiced on the property's vacant golf course in 1999 and near a stable in 2001, "we avoided the other distractions Hawai'i has," Hatfield said. "The teams have been ready to play, and that's the main reason we're here, anyway."
Vanover said: "Hopefully, it will stay that way. We wanted to get away from the distractions, get out of town a little bit, to stay focused on what we're here for. It can seem like a vacation when you come out here, but you have to come out here and keep your mind on the game. It's something that a lot of teams have a hard time doing. I think the teams that do well here are the teams that focus on what they need to accomplish."
Taking a mulligan for a combined 1-5 false start, the Rice and Hawai'i football teams get a second chance with tonight's Western Athletic Conference opener at Aloha Stadium.
Hawai'i, 1-2 after losing consecutive road games, is playing at home for the first time since the Aug. 30 opener against Division I-AA Appalachian State.
The Warriors have set two long-term goals:
GAME FACTS
• What: Western Athletic Conference football
• Who: Hawai'i (1-2, 0-0 WAC) vs. Rice (0-3, 0-0)
• When / Where: 6:05 tonight at Aloha Stadium
• Tickets: $23 (sidelines), $18 (South end zone), $10 (North end zone), $9 (senior citizens, ages 4-18), $3 (UH students)
• Parking: $5
• Television: Live on Oceanic Cable pay-per-view; delayed at 10 p.m. on K5 (channel 5)
• Radio: Live on KKEA (1420 AM)
