Channon Harris has fond memories of the last time Fresno State visited Aloha Stadium. Harris hopes
UH, Fresno have pieces missing
fans turn outBy Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comHe caught four passes for 89 yards in Hawaii's 31-24 double-overtime victory on Nov. 13, 1999, that clinched the Rainbows a share of the Western Athletic Conference championship. Fellow current senior Craig Stutzmann caught a 9-yard TD pass from Dan Robinson to win it.
Only 37,283 saw one of the program's most exciting wins.
"That was one of the best games we had," Harris said. "I don't know if we can match it tomorrow, but it's going to be showtime in Aloha Stadium."
He said he hopes the game can draw a large crowd despite the 4:06 p.m. start time to accommodate ESPN.
"We need y'all, everybody. We need everybody to get off work at 12, the bosses, too," Harris said. "Shut the system down for about five hours and it'll be all good."
Last year, FSU's David Carr passed for two TDs and rushed for two more in the Bulldogs' 45-27 victory over Hawaii at Fresno.
National television? Who cares?: While being televised by ESPN is good exposure, UH associate head coach George Lumpkin said it doesn't affect the players.
"When the lights come on, I don't think you worry about whether you're on TV or whether you're not on TV," Lumpkin said.
Short week? Who cares?: Hawaii coach June Jones said a short week of practice doesn't make a difference at this point of the season. He noted that Fresno State lost a day, too, because of travel.
"It turns out to be a short week for both of us. It doesn't really mean anything. They do what they do and we do what we do," Jones said. "It ain't gonna change, just line up and play. We probably could have played on Monday.
Bouncing back: Fresno State coach Pat Hill said the biggest challenge is for his team to regain the sharp edge it had before the deflating loss to Boise State last week.
"I just think we're tired," he said Tuesday. "These guys are probably feeling like I feel. That loss was heavy on everyone. Physically, we'll be ready to play. We've got to the point where we're ready to play mentally."
Rolovich on hot list: UH quarterback Nick Rolovich was cited on the College Football news.com Web site's "Who's Hot" list this week.
Rolovich, the only individual on the list of five, was ranked No. 4 for leading Hawaii to three consecutive victories.
Gates open early: The Aloha Stadium parking gates open at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow.
"That gives us 312 hours, one hour more than we usually have before a game," stadium spokesman Les Keiter said.
The turnstiles will open at 1 p.m., Keiter said.
Keiter said new security measures will remain in effect, and no umbrellas, bags, purses or backpacks will be allowed. Fanny packs are allowed.
Also, alternate parking sites are available at Kam Drive-In ($3, free shuttle), Radford High School ($2, no shuttle), Leeward Community College (free parking, $2 round-trip shuttle).
Short yardage: As of yesterday afternoon, about 33,000 tickets had been issued for tomorrow's game.