The Houston ... Warriors?

The University of Hawai'i football team is finalizing plans to set up temporary headquarters in Houston in September sandwiched around back-to-back road games at Louisiana Tech and Nevada-Las Vegas, athletic director Herman Frazier said yesterday.

Frazier said staying on the Mainland instead of returning to Hawai'i between the Sept. 8 Louisiana Tech and Sept. 15 UNLV games will allow UH to save time, money and wear and tear on the team as it opens its Western Athletic Conference season.

"It is a financial savings in the long run and more beneficial for our players," Frazier said.

UH opens the season Sept. 1 with a home game against Northern Colorado.

"I like it," said quarterback Colt Brennan. "It is hard to fly back (to Hawai'i) and then turn around and fly right back."

Frazier said UH will stay in Houston on the way to Ruston, La., and return to Houston following the Louisiana Tech game before going on to UNLV late in the week. UH officials have said they are looking at arrangements to practice at Reliant Stadium, home of the NFL's Houston Texans.

Frazier said he expects to save as much as $40,000 in travel costs. He said the team would travel with tutors and hold study halls to minimize the class time missed in the first month of school.

UH has alternated approaches when facing back-to-back road games in recent years. Last year, the Warriors returned home between the Fresno State and New Mexico State games and won both. In 2003, they stayed on the Mainland between road games at Southern California and UNLV and lost both.