The Hawai'i football team will be the Road Warriors this season.

UH yesterday announced a 2009 schedule in which it will play three road games in a row and a stretch of five of seven away games in September and October.

There also will be a 36-day gap between home games Sept. 4 against Central Arkansas and Oct. 10 against Fresno State.

"That's crazy," defensive tackle Rocky Savaiigaea said. "I've never seen anything like that. But it's football. You have to play no matter what."

UH head coach Greg McMackin said: "You gotta play what you gotta play. It'll all work out."

After the season opener against Central Arkansas, the Warriors play back-to-back road games Sept. 12 against Washington State and Sept. 19 against Nevada-Las Vegas.

Then they will play a nationally televised road game Wednesday, Sept. 30, against Louisiana Tech.

McMackin said the Warriors will stay in Las Vegas between the Washington State and UNLV games. But they will return to Honolulu before the Louisiana Tech game.

"We'll come home and do our laundry," McMackin said, laughing, "and we'll get back on the road."

McMackin acknowledged that it will be a hardship for fans not to see a home game for more than seven weeks.

But he said the second half of the season will be favorable for UH supporters. The Warriors will play home games against four schools that played in bowls in 2008 — Fresno State, Boise State, Navy and Wisconsin.

"They are good teams, championship teams," McMackin said. "It's important that we win at home. That's why we need to fill the stadium for these home games."