Through the first three games, the receivers have caught only 20 passes for 253 yards for an average of 12.7 yards a reception.

An even more revealing statistic is a wide receiver hasn't caught a touchdown pass, even though UH has attempted 94 passes in the first three games.

"It's definitely a problem we have to address," UH head coach Fred vonAppen said. "Wyoming and Minnesota both took the same defensive approach.

"They put eight men on the line of scrimmage and used an effective bump-and-run coverage against us. Our receivers have to do a better job of separating themselves from the defensive backs at the line of scrimmage."

Hawaii's tight ends and running backs have tried to make up the difference. Lonn Kalama leads the way with 11 receptions for 102 yards, while freshman tailback Charles Tharp is second on the team with eight catches for 98 yards, including the only touchdown grab this season.

"We've tried a little bit of everything to shake our receivers free," UH offensive coordinator Wally English said. "It's up to them to break free of the tight coverages of the cornerbacks.

"If they do, then they should come open because a lot of times there's no help deep from the safeties in an eight-man front. We have to be able to take advantage of that. The good thing is, we can highlight the tight ends and the backs in this offense if we need to."

RUSHING WOES: For those statistical nuts wondering when the Rainbows last gained only four yards on the ground, as they did on Saturday against the Cowboys of Wyoming, UH assistant sports information director Markus Owens dug back into the record books just for you.

It was the 1990 season opener at Aloha Stadium against Texas A&M University, a team that had future All-Pro linebackers William Thomas of the Philadelphia Eagles and Quentin Coryatt of the Indianapolis Colts, and Dallas Cowboys cornerback Kevin Smith.

In that game, the Rainbows carried the ball 25 times for four yards. They wound up losing the nonconference affair televised nationally on ESPN-TV, 28-13.

UNLV ATTENDANCE WOES: If you think Hawaii athletic director Hugh Yoshida stays up nights hoping for big crowds at Aloha Stadium, imagine what UNLV athletic director Charles Cavagnaro is going through these days.

For their home opener, the Rebels are expecting a crowd of only 15,000 at Sam Boyd Stadium this Saturday night, with as many as 10,000 of those being Hawaii backers from the Las Vegas area and the island chain.

This past spring, UNLV officials put together a big season-ticket drive where they hoped to get 10,000 people to pledge their support. Some 4,000 people said they would buy packages priced as low as $36 for the season, but only 720 actually signed on the dotted line. According to Las Vegas Sun figures, the Rebels only have about 3,500 season-ticket holders.

DROP IN RANKINGS: Hawaii dropped to No. 92 in the nation among the 232 Division I and Division I-AA programs.

The Scripps-Howard computer rankings had Hawaii all the way up to No. 77 last week, before Wyoming came to town and rode away with a 35-6 victory.

In the preseason poll, the Rainbows were ranked No. 148. Their current power rating is 81.7. UNLV is ranked No. 103 with a power rating of 79.9. That means on a neutral site, Hawaii would be about a two-point favorite.

INJURY UPDATE: Linebacker Rufus Ayeni (knee), cornerback Robbie Robinson (ankle) and running back Anthony Diieso (turf toe) are listed as probable for the second league game of the season.

Ayeni and wider receiver Jason Mane, who probably won't make the trip because of a sprained knee, have yet to play because of knee injuries suffered in fall camp. Diieso has seen limited playing time. He has two carries for seven yards.

Tight end Armando Morlos (hernia) is listed as questionable by the UH training staff, but he said last Friday that he would be making the trip to Las Vegas. He has yet to play this season since undergoing surgery for a hernia.

Nose tackle Tony Tuioti (knee) was upgraded to questionable, but vonAppen said it would be another two weeks before he can return. Linebacker Stephen Gonzales (shoulder) is out.