While the President called for peace, the presidents of the Western Athletic Conference engaged in an in-house skirmish.

In the end, after three days of negotiations and a 10-minute conference call, the WAC regained calm when it was decided that the football game between Hawaii and Nevada will be rescheduled for Saturday in Reno, Nev.

The seemingly simple change of dates -- which fall under the authority of WAC commissioner Karl Benson -- morphed into a league crisis.

The conflict started last Wednesday, when it became apparent that the Sept. 15 Hawaii-Nevada game would be postponed in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C.

	Coach Fitz Hill wanted San Jose State to play this weekend.

Because Hawaii and Nevada do not have any common open dates through the Dec. 1 end of college football's regular season, Benson felt the WAC schedule needed to be tweaked to ensure "the integrity of the league race."

"You want all (league) games to be played, so there's no possibility that a 6-1 record has to be compared with a 7-1 record," Benson said.

Benson believed the best scenario would be to reschedule Hawaii and Nevada for Saturday, and move Saturday's scheduled game between Nevada and host San Jose State to Nov. 10, when both schools have byes.

At the WAC's urging, Hawaii officials secured charter flights to and from Reno. Last Friday afternoon, Nevada athletic director Chris Ault announced in a news release that Hawaii and Nevada would play this coming Saturday. The trouble was, San Jose State refused to vacate the date.

"We're adamantly opposed to not playing Nevada next Saturday," San Jose State president Robert Caret told the San Jose Mercury News. "We are absolutely opposed to it, and we'll fight tooth and nail."

By not playing this Saturday, Caret argued, the Spartans' first home game would be on Oct. 13. What's more, this Saturday was supposed to feature a battle of the high school bands, an event San Jose State uses in recruiting musicians.

Benson and Caret spoke several times during the weekend, but no agreement could be reached.

On Monday, San Jose State appealed to the WAC Board of Directors, comprised of the presidents of the 10 WAC schools.

During the conference call, Caret argued that shuffling the schedule would have an adverse impact on his football program and its followers.

Hawaii president Evan Dobelle said he rejected the premise of Caret's argument. While expressing sympathy to Caret's situation, Dobelle reminded board members that the Warriors earlier had agreed to switch the dates of two games to Fridays to accommodate the league's agreement with the ESPN cable network.

When Hawaii was "adversely affected twice," Dobelle said, "I certainly didn't go running to the other presidents."

First, Caret requested that Hawaii and Nevada abstain from voting on the matter. That request was rejected.

Then, Caret suggested that Hawaii, Nevada and San Jose State not vote. That suggestion also was rejected.

Finally, when Caret made a motion to allow San Jose State to play on Saturday, it was not seconded, effectively ending the Spartans' appeal.

"It's very disheartening," San Jose State coach Fitz Hill said.

Said Dobelle: "In this situation, there are no winners, therefore there are no losers."

But San Jose State officials probably feel otherwise. The board determined that San Jose State will not suffer a substantial financial hardship from the switch. As a result, they will not receive compensation from the league, Hawaii or Nevada.

"I've been a military guy," said Hill, who served in Desert Storm. "I understand orders coming down. Am I happy about it? No. But I'm not going to sit here and mope."

San Jose State spokesman Lawrence Fan said the Spartans have no other options. They will have a three-week break from their Sept. 8 game against Colorado to their Sept. 29 game at Arizona State. Of the Spartans' 12 regular-season games, eight are on the road.

"I've always been taught when you're handed lemons, make lemonade," Hill said.

Around the WAC

Boise State
Last week's game against Central Michigan has been postponed until Dec. 1. ... The Broncos, members of the Big West the past five years, will play their first WAC game Saturday against Texas-El Paso. The teams met in last year's Humanitarian Bowl, won by the Broncos, 38-23. The Broncos did not join Division I-A until 1996. ... First-year starter Ryan Dinwiddie, a sophomore, completed 17 of 34 passes for 314 yards against Washington State. Jay "First Down" Swillie has caught seven passes for 124 yards. Eight of his 11 catches have resulted in first downs. For his career, 60 of 77 receptions have been for first downs. ... The loss to Washington State two weeks ago ended BSU's streak of 14 consecutive victories in Bronco Stadium.

Fresno State

	QB David Carr is one of Mel Kiper's top QB prospects.

Tight end Jeremy Johnson is scheduled to undergo surgery to repair a small broken bone in his wrist. Johnson, who was named to the Freshman All-America team last year, is expected to miss the rest of the season. This season, Johnson has 11 catches for 97 yards. Against Oregon State, he had seven catches for 73 yards and a touchdown. His likely successor is H-back Alec Greco, who has two catches this season. ... Right guard Victor Taifane is listed as questionable because of a sprained knee. But wideout Charles Smith, who has not played this season because of a knee injury, is set to return. ... In three games, the Bulldogs have committed one turnover (quarterback David Carr's interception). They have a plus-seven turnover margin. ... Bernard Berrian, who entered the 2000 season as a backup, has emerged as the Bulldogs' best receiver. Against Wisconsin two weeks ago, he caught eight passes for 102 yards and scored on a 96-yard kickoff return. ... ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. rated Carr as the sixth-best prospect. Carr, a senior, was coach Pat Hill's first recruit. As a sophomore, Carr played in the second quarter of every game, no matter what the score. As a redshirt in 1999, Carr traveled with the team, watching every road game from the coaches' booth.

Hawaii
This will mark the second time in the program's history that the Warriors will charter a flight to the continental United States. In 1997, San Diego State paid for UH's charter when a game was moved to a Friday night to accommodate the major league baseball playoffs. ... More than 600 fans from Hawaii and 3,000 from California and Nevada had planned to attend the game, staged by the Northern California Chapter of the UH Alumni Association. But while the game was postponed, the parties were canceled. ... Two weeks ago, Mike Bass became the fourth true freshman to start at running back for Hawaii in the past 25 years. Two of the other three, Nuu Faaola (best known as the boyfriend of former Miss America Carolyn Sapp) and Gary Allen, played in the NFL.

Louisiana Tech
It has not been decided when last week's game against Kansas State will be rescheduled. The Bulldogs have a bye this week. ... Last season, the Bulldogs lost 13 fumbles; this year, they have lost one (on a broken punt attempt). ... The Bulldogs' defense has scored three touchdowns -- Curtis Randall's 65-yard fumble return, Jason Olford's 40-yard interception return and Carlin Thomas' 32-yard fumble return. ... The Bulldogs have relinquished three second-half points this year. ... For the first time in the program's 100-year history, the Bulldogs will not play a Louisiana school. ... Wide receivers Allen Starks, who missed a game because of a team suspension, and D.J. Curry, who is recovering from a broken collarbone, have been cleared to play.

Nevada
Senior quarterback David Neill, who was suspended for an undisclosed reason two weeks ago, will start against Hawaii this week. Zack Threadgill, who threw for 265 yards and a touchdown against Colorado State, will play in the second quarter, coach Chris Tormey said. ... Redshirt freshman Chance Kretschmer was awarded a football scholarship last week. Kretschmer, who has rushed for 212 yards in two games, grew up in Tonopah, Nev., which is halfway between Reno and Las Vegas. There were fewer than 20 players on his high school team.

Rice
The Owls, who are 2-0 for the first time since 1991, meet Nebraska Thursday night in a rescheduled game. The Owls originally had two weeks to prepare for the Sept. 29 game against Hawaii. Nebraska uses a run-option offense; Hawaii uses the run-and-shoot scheme. ... This year, the Owls, who use a triple-option attack, have opened up the passing lanes. Against Duke, Kyle Herm threw for 116 yards, completing passes to seven different receivers. Coach Ken Hatfield said he adjusted the offense to fit Herm, who replaced injured Jeremy Hurd in training camp, and wideout Gavin Boothe, the team's best deep threat in the past decade. The Owls signed six quarterbacks in February, including Thomas Lott, the son of the former standout Oklahoma option quarterback.

San Jose State
Before learning that their home opener will be postponed, the Spartans had planned a ceremony to honor the victims of the terrorist attacks in the U.S. ... The postponed game against Stanford is rescheduled for Dec. 1. The Spartans have won the last three meetings. ... Running back Deonce Whitaker owns 16 school records, including all-purpose yards in a career (5,206).

SMU
The postponed game against North Carolina has been rescheduled for Dec. 1. This week, the Mustangs play host to North Carolina State. ... Opponents have scored four defensive touchdowns in the Mustangs' first two games. ... SMU is ranked 26th nationally in total defense, but 107th in points allowed.

UTEP
No new date has been set for the postponed game against Texas Tech, although it is unlikely it still will be televised on ESPN. ... UTEP coach Gary Nord is preparing his team for the relatively long trip to Boise State. The Miners will stop over in Los Angeles and Reno before completing the 6 1/2-hour trip. Nord said his team also is working on silent counts to offset the crowd noise in Bronco Stadium. But the weather shouldn't be a factor as it was in last year's Humanitarian Bowl between the teams. "I scraped ice off my face the entire time," Nord said.

Tulsa
The Golden Hurricane's only game was Aug. 30, meaning it will go 23 days before Saturday's game against Fresno State. "We had 23 days before we played Indiana State" in the opener, coach Keith Burns said. "It's something I've never been a part of in my years as an athlete and player." Burns said he declined to play a simulated game because of the risk of injury. ... The game between Tulsa and Oklahoma has been rescheduled for Nov. 3. . "We're obviously going to play the game," Burns said. "It's a good deal for our state, and a great way to measure and grade our program." ... The opening shutout still has Tulsa leading the country in total defense (69 yards) and, of course, scoring defense. ... Since 1936, Tulsa has a 6-10 record against teams ranked in the top 20.

Stephen Tsai covers the WAC for the Honolulu Advertiser.