The University of Hawai'i has sold more than 60 percent of its tickets for the Sept. 15 football game at Nevada-Las Vegas and hopes a large turnout demonstrates its attractiveness for a Mainland bowl game, athletic director Herman Frazier said yesterday.

Frazier said the school has sold "over 6,000" of the 10,000 tickets it requested in 36,800-seat Sam Boyd Stadium. An estimated 8,000 UH fans attended the Warriors' 2003 game at UNLV.

"That more than 6,000 tickets are already spoken for is pretty darn good," Frazier said. "I thought we could do it, that's why I asked for 10,000. We probably could have gone as high as 12,000, 13,000.

"The other thing down the road is it shows people that the University of Hawai'i and its fans will buy tickets to an away game," Frazier added. "One of these days we will be playing in a bowl game off the island and it (Mainland turnout) is going to make a difference."

UH has played in seven NCAA bowl games, but only one, the 1992 Holiday Bowl in San Diego, away from Aloha Stadium. UH sold an estimated 6,000 tickets to that game when it beat Illinois.

"There is no question that being able to show that you can travel to Las Vegas or San Jose or Fresno — any place on the West Coast — bodes well for this university," Frazier said. "I think it is a statement.

"Obviously, we love the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl first, but there is always a chance (of another bowl), depending on where you are ranked and what kind of payouts," Frazier added. "I think whenever the time comes, we need to be ready."

ESPN Regional Television, which owns and operates the Hawai'i Bowl, also includes the Las Vegas Bowl among its five bowls. Frazier said he believes, under the right circumstances, UH could be a candidate "for any bowl in Northern or Southern California," as well as the Insight Bowl in Phoenix. "And that's what we are trying to prove."

Meanwhile, Frazier said UH and UNLV officials have been working to avoid a repeat of 2003, when fans from both schools became involved in several skirmishes in the stands. "From a security point of view, UNLV has a very good plan in place that I'm sure will work if need be," he said.

Frazier said separating the seating sections — something that wasn't done for the 2003 game — was part of the negotiations when the current contract was signed in 2005.

SCHEDULING UPDATE

Frazier said there are a couple of possibilities — including both Division I-A and I-AA teams — to fill the final remaining date on the Warriors' 2008 football schedule.

The opening would be for Sept. 6, 2008 at Aloha Stadium, sandwiched between road games at Florida (Aug. 30) and Oregon State (Sept. 13).

He reiterated a vow to complete the 2008 schedule "before the end of the summer."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com and Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com.