Hawaii's gaudy national numbers -- including a No. 9 ranking in rushing defense -- dipped considerably after the 35-6 thrashing by the University of Wyoming.

Defensive coordinator Don Lindsey spent yesterday afternoon picking out six key defensive plays that led to the Rainbows' demise in their Western Athletic Conference opener.

As a result, Hawaii yielded 439 yards and shot up to No. 46 in total defense -- yielding 327.3 yards a game -- No. 45 in scoring defense (19.7 points a game), No. 47 in rushing defense (108.3 yards) and No. 45 in pass defense with a 116.03 rating.

"I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to handle all the publicity we got last week and I was right," Lindsey said. "Some teams can handle that kind of thing, some pay too much attention to it. After what happened Saturday night, I don't think we have to worry about that sort of thing for now."

Punter Chad Shrout was the best individual Rainbow on the national scene. He is now ranked first in the WAC and third in the nation, averaging 48.2 yards a punt.

Eric Hannum is tied for 13th nationally in field goals with 1.67 a game. Hawaii also is No. 13 in net punting, averaging 42.8 yards and tied for 23rd in turnover margin, averaging plus one a game.

BAY AREA BUDDIES: Hawaii running back Charles Tharp and Wyoming counterpart Mike Jenkins left the field together talking about their Bay Area connections.

"He told me to keep representing the Bay Area well," Tharp said. "I didn't know he played high school ball in the Bay Area, but he knew about me. He said he saw me play in an all-star game. So it was pretty nice to talk to him."

Jenkins and Tharp entered the game ranked No. 20 and No. 21 nationally, respectively, in all-purpose yards, but Jenkins broke away over the weekend. After generating 290 all-purpose yards, Jenkins jumped to No. 9 nationally, averaging 213 yards a game. Tharp fell to No. 45, averaging 129.3 a game.

GROUND GAME GONE: Hawaii's four rushing yards against Wyoming are the lowest total since UH head coach Fred vonAppen took over last year.

The previous low total was 41 yards in the 21-10 loss to Ohio University 53 weeks ago.

Hawaii had five players with negative yards rushing. Quarterback Tim Carey, who was sacked eight times, led the way with minus-43 yards on the ground.

"I can't imagine too many teams winning after gaining only four yards on the ground," vonAppen said. "Obviously, we have to do a better job of blocking and executing. Wyoming put eight men on the line of scrimmage and dared us to throw. When we couldn't, then our ground game was negated and Tim spent a good deal of the evening trying to get away from the pass rush."

INJURY UPDATE: It doesn't appear the Rainbows sustained any major injuries in Saturday night's loss to the Cowboys.

Several players also have a chance to return to the field this week, including tight end Armando Morlos (hernia), wide receiver Jason Mane (knee) and linebacker Rufus Ayeni (knee).

Cornerback Robbie Robinson continues to miss games with a sore ankle he sprained the first week of the season. Nose tackle Tony Tuioti (knee) could be back in three weeks for the Colorado State game as will linebacker Stephen Gonzales (shoulder).

BACK IN THE HOUSE: VonAppen was appreciative of the large Aloha Stadium crowd of 40,429, he just wished the Rainbows had put on a better show.

"We finally get people in there and then we play like we did last year," vonAppen said. "I hope the fans will continue to stay with us the rest of the way.

"It felt good for the players to come out of that tunnel and see most of the seats filled. We can play better and we will play better in the coming weeks."

Hawaii doesn't return home until an Oct. 11 date with Fresno State. The Rainbows are on the road at Nevada-Las Vegas this week followed by a bye. They then head to Colorado State the first weekend in October.