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UH NOTEBOOK

TCU, Rice
games on TV

This Saturday's Western Athletic Conference football game between the University of Hawaii and 14th-ranked Texas Christian will be shown live on Oceanic Cable starting at 6 a.m (HST).

Oceanic had to work out details with KFVE-TV, the Fox Network and the UH athletic department officials, before being cleared to broadcast the game on several different dable channels throughout the island chain, including Fox Sports West 1 (Channel 21 on Oahu, Lanai, Molokai and parts of the Big Island and Maui) and Channel 52 (Kauai).

The game is being shown regionally on Fox Sports Southwest that serves primarily Oklahoma and Texas. A satellite feed from Fox will be necessary for Oceanic to show the WAC game.

A similar situation exists on Oct. 21 when Fox will broadcast Hawaii's road game with Rice. Oceanic has worked out a deal to televise that game as well.

These are the only two scheduled network appearances for the Warriors.

Penalties frustrate Jones

University of Hawaii head coach June Jones is tired of being the most penalized team in the league and said as much at yesterday's weekly press conference.

Hawaii was penalized several times for false starts, twice for excessive celebration and one key call on offensive lineman Kynan Forney that nullified a touchdown pass from Timmy Chang to Ashley Lelie.

"That definitely was one," Jones said of the personal foul. "And that was a legitimate call. On the punt return for a touchdown Tulsa flagrantly clipped two players. And it doesn't get called and yet on ours it gets called. That's just the way football is. I don't think any of our penalties led to scores. We made both extra points from 40 yards or whatever it was. That could have been devastating if we lose by one on something stupid like that.

"The penalties were very frustrating. It was stupid and undisciplined, and that's a reflection on me. We'll get it corrected."

Jones said during his weekly show on KFVE-TV (Channel 5) that he was reprimanded last year by the WAC for making comments on the officiating.

As head coach, he can make a film clip and point out the questionable calls with the league office. He said he usually doesn't take the time because it only makes him feel worse.

Hawaii drops in polls

The Warriors fell to No. 158 in the Scripps-Howard computer poll that ranks the 240 Division I and I-AA teams with a power rating of 67.72.

By comparison, Texas Christian is No. 5 nationally in this poll with a rating of 109.21. Add four points to this number for being the home team, and the Horned Frogs should win by 45 1/2 points.

The actual Stardust Hotel line in Las Vegas opened at 38 early Monday morning. The spread has since dropped to 34. That indicates people are betting on Hawaii.

The Warriors also dropped one notch in the CBS Sportsline poll that rates the 115 Division I teams. The Warriors are No. 103.

TCU is No. 17 in this poll. The tag line that goes with that rating reads, "If LaDainian Tomlinson is going to rush for, say, 300 yards...this could be it."

"I heard we were 40-point underdogs," Jones said, then smiled. "I don't think those things fire your team up. You just play as hard as you can play and that's it."

Injury update

The entire starting defensive line has some kind of an injury entering Saturday's game at TCU.

Jones expects Chris Brown (shoulder), Laanui Correa (ankle), Joe Correia (foot), Miles Garner (foot), Mike Iosua (broken hand) and Lui Fuga (shoulder) to play.

"The only person who is iffy is (strong safety) Dee Miller (hamstring)," Jones said. "Lui played his best game of the year, so we expect to have him the rest of the way. But the injuries are definitely starting to pile up."

Jones expects wideout Craig Stutzmann (hamstring) to return at slotback in place of freshman Gerald Welch. Welch did not go in for Stutzmann against Tulsa just because because former teammate Timmy Chang was under center. Jones made that clear yesterday.

Welch still managed eight catches for 75 yards. Welch also had three drops and one fumble that led to a Tulsa touchdown in the 24-14 loss.

Jones praises Chang

Jones praised Chang's performance and said the media won't have to ask who the starting quarterback will be -- at least for a while.

In his first collegiate start, Chang completed 31 of 48 passes for 313 yards and one touchdown. He also threw two interceptions and was sacked twice, but overall, it was a solid outing.

"He's got a little something about him, there's no question about that," Jones said of Chang's huddle mystique. "We all sensed that since the guy came on campus.

"He knows the game and he likes to play it. Hopefully, four years from now, we'll be talking about how Timmy is one of those special kind of guys."

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By Paul Arnett, Star-Bulletin