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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, September 10, 2008

OSU seeks annual UH game

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser
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Oregon State football coach Mike Riley yesterday proposed an annual series of alternating home games with the University of Hawai'i.

If the schools will go for it, "I'd be happy to play them home-and-home every year," Riley said in a conference call with reporters.

UH athletic director Jim Donovan said "it would be great for us and them, I think."

UH officials are expected to talk with Oregon State at Saturday's nonconference game in Corvallis.

The contest is the final meeting of the current two-game contract. OSU played at Aloha Stadium in 2006. Despite several long-time ties, the schools have met just six times before this season.

Riley said he favors extending the series, "because we obviously recruit there. We also have a number of alums and boosters and friends over there."

The Beavers list 16 players with Hawai'i hometowns on their roster and have five coaches who are from here or have coached at UH.

Prior to Saturday's game, Rockne Freitas, an NFL veteran and OSU Hall of Famer from Honolulu, will honored. Freitas is the Hawai'i Community College Chancellor.

"So, I think for a nonleague game it makes a lot of sense to me," Riley said. "They are a good program, good team and I think because of our relationship with the State of Hawai'i and the ties that we have there it makes for always a big, emotional game. I think the atmosphere over there in Hawai'i a couple of years ago was awesome and it was the result of two pretty good teams playing at the end of the year."

The Beavers beat UH, 35-32, before a sellout in the final regular-season game of the 11-3 2006 season.

An OSU spokesman said the Beavers' most immediate scheduling openings are one each in 2010 and 2011. UH has two openings in 2010. "We would look at that (2010) and other opportunities in 2012 and beyond," Donovan said.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com.