Northern Colorado / Graunke Update / IAF

Well, it looks like we really are playing Northern Colorado. Matt Schuman of the Greeley Tribune has some interesting details.

If the University of Hawaii is looking for a way out of its football game with the University of Northern Colorado on Sept. 1, the Warriors would pay a heavy price to do so.

While neither school has officially announced the deal, and officials from both schools continue to decline comment, a source within the University of Northern Colorado athletic department confirms the two schools have a deal in place that would pay UNC $250,000 if the game were canceled.

I don't get why Herman won't announce the Northern Colorado game if this clause is actually in the contract, or ummmm, that there actually is a contract. The only reason for not announcing the game is that Herman is "keeping his options open." And if he really is trying to get out of it... talk about setting yourself up for an ironic pratfall from the corner you painted yourself into. Sheesh.

Not that I would complain if we dropped UNC and got a D1-A team... but what a way to go about it.

And in spite of all this, Dave Reardon writes that season ticket sales are expected to rise.

Figures received from UH yesterday indicate 16,251 renewals to date coupled with deposits for a conservatively estimated 2,551 new packages adds up to 18,802 season tickets. A total of 18,215 season tickets were sold last year.

...

But the schedule has only six home games and 11 total -- causing heavy criticism of athletic director Herman Frazier. Frazier has said UH has had talks with Northern Arizona for a Sept. 1 home game, although no announcement has been made by UH.

Northern Arizona?!? Really? *Cough!* $250,000 *Cough!* Excuse me. *Cough!* for another I-AA team! *Cough!* I'm sure it's just a misprint, ahem.

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Stephen Tsai writes that Tyler Graunke is likely done for the spring.

"I'm probably done," said Graunke, who was injured when his throwing hand was struck by defensive tackle Siave Seti during team drills on Monday. Defenders are prohibited from hitting the quarterback during drills.

X-rays Monday night were inconclusive. Graunke underwent a magnetic resonance imaging last night. The MRI results will not be known until today.

Dave Reardon has a great quote regarding Graunke from QB coach Dan Morrison.

"He's been through his share of things," Morrison said of Graunke. "It makes him stronger out the other end. Some handle that well, some give up. That's not his nature. He gets stronger because of it. Critical element is maturity. How they handle leadership and intangibles. The learning process. His maturity has really grown."

Graunke is like tempered steel, who shall rise in 08, red hot, forged in the fires of hell!

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Expanding upon yesterday's blog entry, Stephen Tsai writes a great profile of Ikaika Alama-Francis, who is nervous about the upcoming NFL draft.

In the spring of 2003, he auditioned for the football team. At the time, he weighed 210 pounds and managed to bench press 225 pounds one time. In his first one-on-one drill, he was floored by Isa'ako Sopoaga, now a San Francisco 49er defensive tackle.

After watching all of that, head coach June Jones predicted that Alama-Francis would develop into an NFL player. Jones' vision is close to materializing.

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Many scouts believe Alama-Francis will be selected in the first three rounds, concurring with Jones' original prediction.

"I owe June so much for saying that," Alama-Francis said. "He saw that potential. He had that eye. You may think he's crazy with some of his decisions, but they come true. I'm glad he had that eye for me."

If you haven't already, check out Ikaika's blog. His story is really inspring. In fact, I'm hoping it'll be included in this book.

Author J. David Miller was scheduled to arrive in Hawaii today for research on a book about University of Hawaii football, due out around the start of the coming season.

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Miller said the book -- tentatively planned as a 200-page, hardcover, coffee-table work -- will cover a lot of ground.

"It's a combination of everything," he said. "All the best things that Hawaii, football and redemption have to offer. Redemption is a major theme. Redemption comes up again, again and again. From Pisa to Davone, Colt, June's car crash. Mouse Davis taking another lap around the track, Jerry Glanville coming back."

I'll definitely be putting my pre-order in. Right on.