Friday, June 22, 2001
The dates are set for the first two games of a three-game football series between the University of Hawaii and Southern California. Warrior football
firms up dates with USCSouthern California coming
to town in 2005 and 2007By Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comThe Warriors will visit the Trojans, Sept. 13, 2003, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The teams will meet at Aloha Stadium on Sept. 3, 2005.
Hawaii will also host Southern Cal at Aloha Stadium to open the 2007 season.
"This will be a positive thing for everybody," Hawaii head coach June Jones said. "Any time you play a team like SC it gives you credibility."
Southern Cal pounded Hawaii, 62-7, when the teams played at Aloha Stadium in 1999, Jones' first game as Hawaii head coach. Hawaii is 0-4 against the Trojans.
The years for two of the games reported elsewhere yesterday were incorrect, Paul Goldberg of the Southern Cal sports information department and UH athletic department officials said.
In another matter, Jones said he doesn't see "any added benefit" to playing Fresno State on national television on a Friday afternoon rather than on Saturday night as originally planned. The game, previously scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 27, is being moved to Friday, Oct. 26 at 4 p.m., to accommodate ESPN.
"For us there's no added exposure. People (on the mainland) can get all our home games anyway," Jones said. "I guess the league benefits, but I can't comment on that."
A much smaller crowd is expected because of the change in day and time, which could cost the program around $250,000 in lost revenue, UH athletic director Hugh Yoshida said. ESPN and the Western Athletic Conference have agreed to make up some of that deficit, Yoshida added.
Jones said there's one way to draw a big crowd, regardless of traffic and work-commitment issues.
"The best thing we can do is win a whole bunch of games before the Fresno State game," he said.
http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu
