This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
June Jones is interested in returning to Hawaii as the Rainbow Warriors' next football coach.
The job opened last Sunday, when Norm Chow was fired following a 58-7 loss to Air Force. He was replaced on an interim basis by assistant coach Chris Naeole.
This week, Jones told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser he will apply to replace Chow.
"I don't want to comment further at this time because the attention should stay on the team now," Jones said. "Hopefully Chris can lead them to some wins down the stretch."
Jones, 62, is the winningest coach in Hawaii history. From 1999-2007, he guided the Rainbow Warriors to a record of 76-41. In 2007, they went 12-0 and reached the Sugar Bowl, where they lost to Georgia, 41-10.
Afterward, Jones resigned to become the head coach at SMU. He coached the Mustangs until 2014, when he resigned two games into season for personal reasons.
Chow?
He will be paid almost $300,000 to go away. Contractually, the school owes him for the remainder of this year as well as a $200,000 buyout for next season.
The Rainbow Warriors are 2-7 so far. They have lost six straight games and are already doomed to their fifth straight losing season.
Around the Mountain
• UNLV plays Hawaii on Saturday. The Rebels are using last season's controversial 37-35 loss for motivation. "Our seniors know what happened," coach Tony Sanchez said. "They haven't forgotten. … It looked like the clock might've been mismanaged a little bit. That's a victory a lot of our guys feel like they should've had and earned." Trailing 35-31 with five seconds left, Hawaii quarterback Ikaika Woolsey scrambled and threw an incomplete pass. Game over? Nope. Somehow, there was still one second remaining. Hawaii won on Woolsey's 20-yard touchdown pass on the final play.
• Nevada defensive tackle Rykeem Yates attended Edison High in Fresno. When deciding on which college to attend, however, he never considered the hometown Bulldogs. "I don't like those guys at all," Yates said. "I just never did." Yates and the Wolf Pack have lost three straight to Fresno, heading into Thursday night's game. Last season, the Bulldogs' 42-20 win propelled them to the West Division title. "We had our chance to get to the championship [game] and we didn't get it done," said Yates, who added, "… All games are important, but there is something a little special with this one."
• Before its crucial Mountain West game against Utah State on Nov. 14, Air Force plays rival Army on Saturday. The Falcons can become bowl-eligible with a victory. Said tailback Timothy McVey, "We try to stay as professional as possible, but we also get really excited for games like this." Asked about the emotional aspect of playing Army, linebacker Ryan Watson said, "For me at least, I'm a little more antsy going into the game. Foaming at the mouth a little bit more."
Twitter: @sluhm —
Tribune Power Rankings: MWC
1. Boise State (7-2) • Needs a loss by Utah State
2. San Diego State (6-3) • Only unbeaten in MWC play
3. Utah State (5-3) • Three of last four: 52-plus points offensively
4. Air Force (5-3) • Seeks bowl eligibility vs. Army
5. San Jose State (4-4) • Has struggled to stop the run
6. Nevada (4-4) • Slim title hopes are still alive
7. Colorado State (3-5) • Bowling? It's now or never
8. New Mexico (4-4) • Should be fresh after a bye
9. UNLV (2-6) • Competitive, but still losing
10. Fresno State (2-6) • 11th in total offense/defense
11. Wyoming (1-8) • QB Coffman is questionable
12. Hawaii (2-7) • Winless in five road games