HOUSTON » A thunderstorm’s loud claps gripped South Houston on Thursday evening.

Inside the University of Houston’s athletic center, former pro football running back Alonzo Highsmith’s booming voice was equally captivating during an address to the Hawaii football team.

"He knows what he’s talking about," Hawaii linebacker Aaron Brown said. "When somebody like that is talking, you have to listen."

The Warriors were practicing in Houston in preparation for Saturday’s game against Louisiana Tech. After a walk-through today, the Warriors will travel to Louisiana.

The Warriors arrived in Houston on Thursday morning. At the hotel, several players and coaches watched the ESPN "30 For 30" documentary on the rise of the University of Miami football program. One of the featured players was Highsmith, who went on to play for three NFL teams. He has been a regional scout for the Green Bay Packers the past 14 years.

Later, at Thursday’s practice, UH head coach Greg McMackin announced a friend would be delivering a pep talk.

"We said, ‘Hey, that’s the dude from the ’30-30’ show,’" UH quarterback Bryant Moniz said. "We couldn’t believe it."

Highsmith, who lives in Houston, said he wanted to visit McMackin and assistant coaches Rich Miano and Mouse Davis. During an animated 5-minute speech, Highsmith spoke of working hard and embracing a team-first mentality.

"My whole life, I’ve always been a brawler," Highsmith said. "When they said to run sprints, I wanted to be first. I wanted to work hard, and push others around me to work hard."

Moniz said: "It was a great speech."

Slotback Scott Harding, who was raised in Australia, said he "never heard of the University of Miami before. But that was a great speech. He reminded us about hard work, and if we wanted to be the best, don’t drop to another person’s level."

The Warriors responded with what McMackin described as "one of the best practices of the year."

While it stormed outside, the Houston indoor complex was kept at the usual 74 degrees. The field goal posts are painted on to the wall at one end. The other end of the facility is the 700-seat volleyball area.

A firm AstroTurf surface was placed over the indoor track.

Several players brought cleats, mistakenly believing they would be practicing on a softer artificial surface. The coaches, managers and trainers gave their sneakers to the players, and spent the practice in socks or bare feet.

Safety Leroy Lutu, who got to fill Miano’s shoes, said: "The speech was about being a team and looking out for each other, and we did that (by sharing shoes). I was surprised when (Miano) offered me his shoes. He said: ‘You remind me of a young Miano.’"