It will be a homecoming without fans when the Hawaii football team plays host to 18th-ranked Fresno State this evening at the Ching Complex.

In their first five games, the 4-1 Bulldogs have played before an average crowd of 37,046. But with state-government-imposed restrictions on large gatherings, it appears only the UH Rainbow Warrior Marching Band will be allowed to sit in the retrofitted 9,000-seat facility.

“It’s probably going to be eerie going to the same feelings we had a year ago,” Fresno coach Kalen DeBoer told reporters this week, referencing Division I’s nationwide restrictions on spectator-attended sporting events in 2020. “We’ve had such electric atmospheres, really, at every game, so this is going to be considerably different.”

This week’s Fresno practices focused on preparation.

“Over many, many years of coaching,” DeBoer said he learned, “preparation breeds confidence, and confidence brings on the energy that is deep. It can’t be fake energy that all of a sudden comes to life Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. It’s got to be something that’s built up through the week because you put in a lot of work and it was good, solid practices and preparation you’ve had.”

DeBoer said the Bulldogs had to navigate the COVID-19 screening to travel to Hawaii, and then enter the Ching Complex. It was decided most of the prep work would be done in Fresno. The Bulldogs arrived in Honolulu on Friday.

“We’re back to eating meals out of box lunches, and things like that, when we get over there,” DeBoer said of adjusting to Hawaii’s protocols. “We’re not going to spend a lot of time (in Hawaii), because the preparation we can do in our facilities is much more efficient, much better. There is going to be a time change, there’s going to be those things. But we’ll adjust, and I think our team will be ready to go.”

The Warriors, who are 11-point underdogs, are respectful of the school’s longtime rival. In advance of the season opener, coach Todd Graham said UCLA would be the toughest team on UH’s schedule — and the Bulldogs rallied to beat the Pac-12 Bruins.

A year ago, the Warriors rolled up 323 rushing yards in 34-19 victory over the Bulldogs. But that was Fresno quarterback Jake Haener’s first start after transferring from Washington in 2019. This year, the 6-foot-1 Haener, whose style has drawn comparisons to Drew Brees’, entered the week as the national leader in passing yards (1,842) on 73.1% accuracy.

“He’s, for sure, the best quarterback I’ve been around or played with,” left tackle Dontae Bull said. “He’s very consistent. He’s determined to be great. That’s one thing we all strive for him. He determines us to be great, as well. He’s a tough, tough son of a gun, as well. We’ve all seen that. That’s another thing we respect him for. He’s a tough guy.”

The Bulldogs have quick-strike potential, with six sub-minute touchdown drives. Wideout Jalen Cropper is dangerous in the passing lanes and on jet sweeps. Running back Ronnie Rivers — a triple threat as a rusher, receiver and blocker — is the Bulldogs’ career leader in touchdowns.

The Bulldogs’ defense has amassed eight or more tackles for loss in four of five games. They are second nationally with 41.0 backfield tackles.

UH running back/receiver Calvin Turner said it would be a “big thing” for the Warriors to defeat a nationally ranked opponent for the first time since 2010. The Warriors, 2-3 overall and 0-1 in the Mountain West, are seeking to get even.

“We know how important this game is for the conference,” Turner said.