Weary Warriors head back to the drawing board after blowout loss

There are two plane truths about this coming Saturday’s football opponents.

Following Saturday’s 55-0 loss to Boise State that ended just before midnight, the University of Hawaii football team traveled on a charter flight to Los Angeles, ate breakfast and napped in a hotel ballroom, then departed on a commercial flight to Honolulu on Sunday morning.

That morning, an airplane with San Diego State’s name and logo on the fuselage and rudder was on the tarmac at Boise International Airport. The plane, which will carry the Aztecs to this weekend’s game at Aloha Stadium, also is used for Alaska Airlines’ commercial flights.

By whatever means, the Aztecs are prepared to play this Saturday whether the Rainbow Warriors emerge from the weekend blues.

"Ready or not," UH quarterback Ikaika Woolsey said after the blowout loss on Boise’s blue field, "they’re coming to town. They don’t really care what happened to us (in Boise)."

The UH coaches analyzed the game’s video, the first step in crafting a game plan against the Aztecs.

"You gotta regroup, evaluate what you’re doing, and then we’ll see," offensive coordinator Don Bailey said. "There could be changes. There could not be. You’ve got to evaluate, and really watch the tape, and make sure what’s going on."

Head coach Norm Chow expressed concerned about the health of several key players. He announced that quarterback Max Wittek, running back Paul Harris, wideout Quinton Pedroza, free safety Marrell Jackson and linebacker Benetton Fonua exited during the game under doctors’ orders. Middle linebacker Julian Gener did not make the trip because of health issues.

Chow said he expects Wittek, whose heavily wrapped knee was shown on television shots, to play against the Aztecs.

"He’s a tough guy," co-captain Ben Clarke said of Wittek.

The Warriors were shut out in their three road losses to heralded Ohio State, Wisconsin and Boise State.

"We’ve played the three toughest teams on our schedule now in the last five weeks," Bailey said. "No offense to anybody else we’re playing next. I’m not saying that at all."

Bailey said the Warriors are playing "hard, but it takes more than that. You’ve got to play smart. You’ve got to play ahead every play. You’ve got to be thinking. It’s the game within the game, and we’re not playing that individually."

Bailey also said the work in practice has to transcend to the game. Of the self-inflicted mistakes, Bailey said, "You can’t have that. We don’t practice that way. We need to do what the coach says needs to be done. You’ve got to perform it on game day. Practice is one thing, but (a game is) the time to shine, and that’s not what we’re doing."