The University of Hawaii football team is in a win-or-else situation when it plays host to Air Force today at Aloha Stadium.

Or as UH offensive coordinator Don Bailey calls it: "Another game."

The Rainbow Warriors have lost five in a row to fall to 2-6 overall and 0-4 in the Mountain West Conference. Their next loss would ensure a sub-.500 season for the fifth year in a row. There are five games remaining in UH’s regular season.

Bailey has remained upbeat, leading what have been spirited practices this week.

"You have to be," Bailey said. "There’s no other way to approach it. We can only control what we can, and have a good attitude about it, and let’s get it done. That’s how it has to be every week, no matter what happens. You have to have the same mental toughness to say, ‘No, I choose to be this way, and let’s go forward and not worry about all the other stuff.’ You waste energy worrying about all the other stuff because you can’t control it."

Quarterback Max Wittek, who has endured injuries to both knees and a foot, practiced every day this week. Offensive lineman Ben Clarke, who usually does not practice, also participated in drills.

"If I’m able to walk onto the field, I’ll play," Wittek said. "That just the way I look at it. You’ve got to keep going forward, (and) get treatment every day. I’m in (the training room) a couple hours every day. It’s all about staying healthy enough."

The Warriors worked this week on eliminating penalties and self-inflicted mistakes. They spent an entire period working on one offensive play.

"When we watch on film, we generally beat ourselves," Wittek said. "That’s not taking anything away from our opponents. They’ve got to make plays, too. We think we beat ourselves. It has to be a point of emphasis for ourselves. We’ve got to pay attention to the smallest things, and we’ve got to go on a run here."

The Warriors have played four of the past five games on the road.

"We’re looking to the challenge, and we get to play at home," said Bailey, noting the Warriors have traveled 34,600 miles for the first five road games. "We’ve traveled around the world a time and a half. It’s good to be in our home stadium playing for our home fans."

Air Force is ranked third nationally in rushing, averaging 333.0 yards per game. The Falcons average 5.40 yards per rush, including 6.07 on first down.

Wittek said the Warriors are poised to make a run.

"You want to do it for everyone, really — for the university, for this organization, for this community, for this state," Wittek said. "It’s tough to lose a game. If you look at it at the most fundamental level, it’s tough to lose a game personally. And when you look at the whole everything coming all together, it makes it tough. … We can win these (final five) games. we have to go 1-0 each week."