View of the ‘Shoe

COLUMBUS, OHIO >> At the end of a 40-minute excursion in Ohio Stadium, the University of Hawaii football team gathered in a tight mass, then turned to face outward.

"What do you see when you do that?" UH coach Norm Chow told reporters. "You see each other’s back. This shows you have the other guy’s back."

Chow evoked the Warriors-against-the-world reminder after their arrival in Columbus ahead of Saturday’s game against top-ranked Ohio State.

The Rainbow Warriors departed Honolulu on Wednesday afternoon and spent overnight in Los Angeles. They made the 41/2-hour charter flight to Columbus, arriving at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The three buses carrying the Warriors stopped at Ohio Stadium.

Chow said the intent was to allow the players to get some exercise on the FieldTurf before going to the hotel for dinner and meetings. The unspoken goal was to get used to the stadium background and exhaust the need to take pictures.

Several players used a football to play rugby. Others formed a circle to use the football as a Hacky Sack. Most of the players posed for pictures using cell phones.

"It’s good to be back," said running back Paul Harris, who was raised in Columbus. He said he played in an all-star game in Ohio Stadium a few years ago.

Kicker Mauro Bondi returned to the stadium for the first time since Oct. 16, 2012. At the time, he was a member of Nebraska’s team.

"Ohio State beat us," Bondi said of the 63-38 outcome. Bondi earned a bachelor’s degree in July, and transferred to UH for his final season.

Linebacker Julian Gener, with his back to the south goal post, gazed around the 104,944-seat stadium.

"It’s nice right now," Gener said. "It’s going to be different when there are 105,000 people yelling at you."

Slotback Dylan Collie was at Brigham Young for a year before going on a two-year church mission. Collie, who transferred to UH in January, said he made one trip as a BYU redshirt.

"Just to San Jose State," Collie said. "The environment will be the same (for Saturday’s game), except for 105,000."

But Collie emphasized that Ohio Stadium still has "a 100-yard field. Nothing different. There will be a few more people, but it’s still a 100-yard field."

"And 53 yards wide," offensive coordinator Don Bailey said.

Bailey said it was impressive to see the tributes to Ohio State greats Paul Brown and Woody Hayes. "They were legendary in the coaching industry," Bailey said. "It’s pretty cool. Other than that, it’s still a stadium."

Bailey said the outing was refreshing. "With traveling, it’s good to move around a little bit," Bailey said.

The Warriors are scheduled to have a light practice at a high school field on Friday afternoon.