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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, September 10, 2005

Frequent flying Warriors travel to great lengths

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer

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EAST LANSING, Mich. — When it comes to airing it out this season, Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts have little on the University of Hawai'i football team.

When they talk about going long, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots don't go nearly as long as the Warriors.

By the time UH returns home after today's game at Michigan State, the Warriors' first road appearance, UH will have already traveled more miles (9,044) than the Cincinnati Bengals (7,263) will rack up all season.

Such is life in the airlines and security screening lines for college football's most traveled team, one that will log 32,852 miles and outdistance 29 of 32 NFL teams before it calls it a season.

Head coach June Jones calls it, "very much an NFL-like schedule."

Tyler Graunke, a redshirt freshman quarterback, said the three-movie, 10-hour trip, "was the longest one I've ever been on. But it is exciting for me."

But the importance is more than frequent flier miles deep for the Warriors, who the NCAA permits to bank those miles. And this, their farthest venture since 1975, will be, by far, their most challenging of the five trips.

Limit to alcohol ban?

Michigan State has had a total alcohol ban on its stadium, but officials said the policy is under review after the completion of 24 new suites in the press box tower.

A university spokesman said in the future the school might consider permitting alcohol consumption only in those and club seat areas.

The suites sell for $35,000 to $80,000 per season and club seats go for $4,500 to $6,000.

In the Big Ten, Indiana, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin allow alcohol only in premium seating areas.

SPARTAN FROM HAWAI'I

Hawai'i native Bob Apisa, a two-time All-American (1965-'66) for the Spartans, will be honored in festivities today.

He is one of 11 players from Hawai'i to letter for Michigan State. The last was Carter Kamana in 1984.

Head coach John L. Smith said the Spartans, who made a brief recruiting foray into Hawai'i last year, will be looking at the state again because of their scheduled 2007 game at Aloha Stadium.

"If there is a good athlete and there is a connection, we'll go after them," Smith said. "It is such a long way for those guys to come we need a special reason to go there."

KIRK GIBSON ON SIDELINE

MSU alum and former major leaguer Kirk Gibson will be among the notables on the sideline for the Spartans today.

He is taking part in an alumni tailgate before the game.

WALKING INTO BATTLE

Instead of busing to the stadium, the Spartans, as has been their tradition since the 1960s, will walk the 300 or so yards from their on-campus hotel.

The practice, which began under Duffy Daugherty, calls for the players to walk through a tunnel formed by students and fans.

FAIR WEATHER

The weather forecast is for temperatures in the low 80s at the 3:30 p.m. (eastern time) kickoff.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com.