Posted on: Saturday, October 16, 2004
UTEP interested in adding UH to future schedules
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By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer
EL PASO, Texas — Today's game marks the 31st and last scheduled meeting between the University of Hawai'i and Texas-El Paso in football, but UTEP athletic director Bob Stull said he'd like to find a way to continue the series.
"We'd like to continue playing them in both (football and men's basketball)," Stull said. "It has been a good relationship."
He said he plans to talk to UH athletic director Herman Frazier about opportunities to continue the series after UTEP, the senior member of the Western Athletic Conference with 36 years of membership, joins Conference USA July 1, 2005.
Because several non-conference openings are already filled in football, Stull said it is more likely basketball could be scheduled first.
Stull said the series would be attractive to UTEP because of the so-called "Hawai'i Exemption" that allows teams traveling to Hawai'i for a game to add an additional home game.
UH coach June Jones said he "would definitely be in favor" of scheduling UTEP in the future.
For UH, the UTEP series is its second longest, trailing only Fresno State, whom the Warriors play for a 37th time this season next month.
Although the UH-UTEP game will be shown in Hawai'i on K5, it is being produced by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), which is providing the announcers and crew.
The game also will be shown in Detroit, Oklahoma City, Austin, Tulsa, and parts of Iowa and Louisiana.
ERT also owns and operates the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl.
In addition to Hawai'i, the game is available on ESPN's Game Plan on a subscription basis nationally.
ESPN had interest in showing the game on its main network or ESPN2, but UTEP officials early on refused to move the game to Friday to accommodate the network fearing it would hurt the crowd for its homecoming game and planned 90th anniversary celebration.
Starting right cornerback Kenny Patton, who pulled his left hamstring in the first half against Nevada, did not make the trip and will be replaced by Cameron Hollingsworth, who finished the game against the Wolf Pack.
UH is an underdog on the Las Vegas betting lines for the first time this season. The Warriors are from three- to four-point underdogs after having been favored against Florida Atlantic, Rice, Tulsa and Nevada. It is the first time since 2000 UH has been an underdog against UTEP, home or away.
This will be UH's last Saturday night road game of the season. The two remaining road games, Oct. 29 at Boise State and Nov. 12 at Fresno State, will both be Friday night games to accommodate ESPN.
Temperatures are forecast to be in the mid to low 50s for the 7:05 p.m. Mountain Time (3:05 p.m. Hawai'i Time) kickoff.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.
Game will be shown beyond Hawai'i
Cornerback Patton stays home with injury
Warriors underdogs for first time this year
Only Friday night lights left on schedule
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