No SMU, Warrior Fever, RGM Blogs

While SMU may have an interest in June Jones, June Jones has no interest in SMU.

"I have not heard from them, I'm not gonna hear from them," Jones said Tuesday just before boarding the University of Hawai'i's charter flight to New Orleans, site of the Jan. 1 Sugar Bowl against Georgia.

Asked if he had talked to SMU or was interested, Jones said, "No."

Jones said: "I'm just interested in the University of Georgia."

Stewart Yerton of NOLA.com has an interesting article taking a look at the epidemic of Warrior fever. It also has bits of information about the UH players, fans, culture, etc.

Hawaii fans are so excited about the game that they are willing to endure what can amount to nearly a full day in crowded airports and cramped airplane and rental car seats to get to New Orleans. Direct nonstop flights between Honolulu and New Orleans don't exist, except for a few charter flights. And one-stop flights quickly filled. That has forced people to take tortuous routes.

Regan Onikama is typical. A Honolulu mortgage broker, Onikama plans to leave Honolulu on Saturday at 9 a.m. on a four-hour flight to Los Angeles. In L.A. he will switch planes for a two-hour flight to Phoenix, where he has another connection to Houston. After arriving in Houston at 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, Onikama plans to rent a car and drive to New Orleans, where he hopes to arrive by 9:30 a.m. Sunday.

Also in the article, our athletic director has this to say about the schedule and Hawaii's success this year:

"We just had a one-year mishap that we were able to fix," he said. But Frazier added: "Would you be sitting here talking to me if we had played USC the first game of the season and Michigan State the last game? I don't know."

As always, finding just the right thing to say. Gee, thanks.

Ryan Grice-Mullen-Mullins will be keeping a Sugar Bowl blog, writing about his experiences on the trip. An excerpt from his first entry:

What a send off we had. There was a motorcade for our team buses that blocked all the freeway on-ramps and we had the freeway all to ourselves. At the airport, fans greeted us and there was even a band.

Our fans are truly the best in the country. We're just about to take-off. See you all in Nawlins.

And finally, the few remaining tickets will go on sale tomorrow (Wednesday).

The University of Hawai`i has put its remaining Allstate Sugar Bowl tickets on sale to the general public and will make the tickets available until Wednesday, Dec. 26, at 4:00 p.m. (the office is closed on Christmas Day).

Tickets are being sold at the Stan Sheriff Center Box Office on a first-come, first-served basis and there is a maximum of six tickets per person, while supplies last. No orders are being taken by phone or online and fans must show a Hawai`i driver's license when purchasing tickets.