Warriors expect The University of Hawaii football team is home for the holidays -- sort of -- as it hosts Tulane at Aloha Stadium in the inaugural ConAgra Foods Hawaii Bowl today.
tough game
from Tulane
Catch the Wave
By Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comKickoff of the ESPN-televised game is at 3:05 p.m. The parking lot opens at 11:30 a.m. and the turnstiles at noon.
Although the Warriors are playing in their home stadium, they are designated the visiting team and will wear white jerseys in their first bowl game since beating Oregon State 23-17 in the 1999 Oahu Bowl.
More than 34,000 tickets have been distributed. While 10,000 of those tickets were purchased by Tulane, only a few hundred Green Wave fans made the trip from New Orleans, prompting this quip from Tulane coach Chris Scelfo at yesterday's news conference:
"I do want to send a message to the fans of Hawaii. If you get a chance, please drink a lot of mai tais before you come so you can't tell that we're wearing green and you're cheering for us."
On paper, it looks like Tulane will need all the help it can get. The Green Wave was barely eligible for postseason play with a 7-5 record. The Warriors were 10-3, and UH's only loss at Aloha Stadium this year was against Alabama last month.
Hawaii is a 12-point favorite, but Warriors senior linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa said it might be a close game.
"To be quite honest, we didn't know much about them. But after reviewing the film and seeing the quality of the teams they beat, this is going to be a game to watch. People might be surprised at the talent and competition," Tinoisamoa said. "It's going to be a fun one. All that watch, they're going to get a big present. A very big present ... from Tulane and Hawaii, collaboration."
UH coach June Jones said everyone involved with both universities and the state of Hawaii will benefit by the game being one of the few nationally televised sports events today.
"I think the time slot will make it one of the most viewed games of the college bowl system," Jones said. "That's exciting, not just for the school, but for the state and all these individual players. They get a chance to showcase themselves, we get a chance to showcase our state and our schools."
UH Athletics
