Kevin Clune has seen first-hand the rare victory and a more common loss for the University of Hawaii football team when playing far from home at altitude. The Rainbow Warriors’ first-year defensive coordinator was the linebackers coach at Utah State when UH arrived at 8,050-feet-above-sea-level Logan, Utah, in 2010. The eventual WAC co-champions returned to the islands celebrating a 45-7 domination.

Hard to believe that was a mere four years ago.

Clune also helped coach the Aggies to last year’s 47-10 victory over UH, the most lopsided loss of Hawaii’s

1-11 season. That one had as much or more to do with USU’s talent and the Rainbow Warriors’ travel problems as it did with thin air.

So, as his new team prepares for new heights Saturday at Colorado’s Folsom Field — which sits at 5,360 feet, almost exactly a mile high — Clune wants his charges to acknowledge the elevation without obsessing over it.

"You’ve got to play that down the middle," he said after Tuesday’s practice. "You have to talk about it but you don’t want to overemphasize it."

As usual, the defense will rotate a lot of players. But the non-starters can expect more action in the middle of the game to keep the front-liners fresh for the finish. Other than that, there’s really not much to do.

"There’s football shape and there’s game shape and at this point we’re basically there," Clune said. "You feel it. At four to five thousand feet you will feel it when you’re walking up stairs."

Plus, there’s more to think — and forget — about than thin air. UH’s wins since the start of the 2012 season have come against Lamar, South Alabama, UNLV, Army and Northern Iowa. Not quite what you’d call a power five … and all at the sometimes-friendly confines of Aloha Stadium.

A few of the current Rainbow Warriors seniors retain muscle memory of the program’s last win against what was then called a BCS conference team — over Colorado, 34-17, to start the 2011 season. Since then, it’s 0-6, all against other Pac-12 teams.

There are even a few UH seniors who recall the last win on the road — at Idaho, 16-14, later in that 2011 season. It was a victory that went largely unappreciated by a vocal segment of the fan base; it had higher expectations of the defending conference co-champs.

To some, a win wasn’t a win, even on the road.

Bachi? Jinx? Since that squeaker at the Kibbie Dome, Hawaii is 0-13 in games away from the islands.

Also, consider the 10-win 2010 team that manhandled the Aggies in the Wasatch Mountains had its problems at Colorado, falling 31-13 with even some of its best-conditioned players admitting to running on close to empty.

As it often is for Hawaii on the road, Saturday will be a case of mostly forgetting about history and trying to make some — with the additional factor of attitude over altitude.

The Rainbow Warriors have already lost several key players due to injury … and that means more young guys must perform for UH to compete against a team defending its high ground.

"All 64 who travel have to find a way to help the team," Clune said. "We’re not bringing anyone to be on vacation."

Reach Star-Advertiser sports columnist Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com, his “Quick Reads” blog at staradvertiser.com and twitter.com/davereardon.