Sugar Bowl Links, Vid, Blogs, UGA Articles, UH Fans

A little late in the game, but I've posted some Sugar Bowl info links on the top right of the blog. It includes the UH Sugar Bowl web page, Superdome seating chart, some restaurant recommendations from the Georgia Sports Blog, etc. Let me know if there's anything I could add to it.

In this Leila Wai video, UH football players and coaches count down the 12 days of Christmas. Hehe.

Dave Reardon has a blog post with all kinds of stuff - he has additional info on the Star-Bulletin's Dream Season magazine, some news that Victor Clore did not fall off a bull, and info on a new contest that might be of some interest to UH fans:

KGMB9 and HMSA are giving away tickets to the Sugar Bowl, and not just any tickets; luxury box tickets. Five winners will each receive two VIP tickets.

It’s one of those tell them why you deserve it deals. The winners will be announced Friday morning, during Sunrise on KGMB9.

The deadline to enter is Thursday night, a minute before midnight.

E-mail suitetickets@kgmb9.com to enter. Provide your name, phone number, address, e-mail address and why you and your guest should go to the game. You must be a current Hawaii resident.

Sweet.

Stephen Tsai's blog has links to more videos, an addressing of the bull situation, a cool letter, and info about the Advertiser's upcoming magazine about the 2007 season:

Did I mention our newspaper is coming out with a book on the UH football season?
It's due out in mid-January, and will include stories/photos on the Sugar Bowl.

Marc Weizer of the Athens Banner-Herald writes about Hawaii, the WAC, and non-BCS schools playing in BCS games.

The success of Boise State and Hawaii has brought pride to other WAC programs, who hope to be the next program to break through on the big stage against the major conferences.

"It's great," said Fresno State coach Pat Hill, whose team rose to as high as No. 8 in the nation in 2001. "We're always competing against the Pac-10 out here in recruiting. It's very difficult for us to recruit, but if you look at the last six years, there's only one school (Southern California) from that league that's gone to a BCS game and we've had two from our league go. ... people are starting to see there's a lot of good football teams in this country. If you take the name off the helmet or off the jersey and just let them play football, I think a lot of people would understand that."

Carter Strickland of AJC writes about bowl games providing opportunities for teams to run trick plays.

"Now [that] we have 25 to 30 days, we can run every play that you can ever think of," said wide receiver Mikey Henderson. "There is always something you are going to run and something you can dedicate 10 or 15 minutes (of practice) to."

However, I don't get this:

Hawaii's entire offense is tricked up, so it might be a stretch to see the Warriors put in a trick play. But Georgia may have to figure out a way to keep up with the Warriors. Against an over-pursuing defense like Hawaii's, a trick play can come in handy.

Because passing the ball is so tricky? What? Anyway:

"You will look for something that will become an easy score," said Georgia coach Mark Richt. "You hope sometimes it looks like a true razzle-dazzle double-reverse pass. But sometimes it is just showing one look over and over and then showing that look and doing something else that might be a little more subtle."

It could also be a simple switch in tendencies. During a normal week, players can watch film for, well, a week. Georgia has 30 days to figure out Hawaii. And Hawaii has the same amount of time to figure out Georgia.

"They can go back and look at every game you have played and every breakdown because there is so much film and so much more time," Henderson said. "There are not as many (committed) hours because they don't have school. Then you can look at yourself and see what you have done."

And finally, The New Orleans Times-Picayune has an article about the impact the bowl games are having on New Orleans' economy. And guess what fan base is supplying a lot of tourist dollars to the city?

In fact, the interest from Hawaii fans has been the surprise highlight for hoteliers, who initially worried that the distant school's fans would not travel in large numbers. But the college sold out of its initial allotment of 13,500 tickets and requested 1,000 more.

"I will tell you that it has been quite a nice surprise that Sugar Bowl demand has been high," Sawyers said. "We all know Georgia travels well, but Hawaii has been a surprise."

John McNamara, Hawaii's associate athletic director, said the excitement stems from several factors: the team's undefeated season, a Heisman Trophy-nominated player and the fact that the Sugar Bowl will be the school's first appearance in a BCS game.

Hawaii's excitement about the game may turn into a financial windfall for local businesses, because Hawaii fans are making a long vacation of their jaunt to the mainland, booking five- to seven-night stays in New Orleans.

"We were shocked that the market from Hawaii came on so strong," said Bob Bourg, general manager of Destination Management Inc., the official travel company of the Sugar Bowl. "We didn't anticipate that because it was so far away and there was no history. It's such a long distance, but these people, they're so excited."

That's great to hear. There's been a lot of people underestimating the UH fan base lately...