Bulldogs await UH

Louisiana Tech stands in the way of another Warriors victory

MONROE, La. » The Holiday Inn here isn't exactly the Four Seasons. It's functional, however -- especially this weekend for the 20th-ranked Hawaii football team.

This is the same hotel the Warriors shared with Hurricane Katrina refugees in 2005 the night before UH played down the road at Ruston and limped out of Joe Aillet Stadium on the wrong end of a 46-14 score. You know how they like to say it was closer or not as close as the score indicated? This one was just about right.

Patrick Jackson, the Bulldogs' current star running back, was one of three primary ballcarriers who trampled the Warriors that night. A sophomore named Colt Brennan ran around the field trying to make plays for Hawaii, mostly failing.

"Basically, we got our butts kicked," said Brennan, who started at quarterback as UH fell to 1-4 with that loss.

UH and Brennan have come a long way since, winning 16 of 22 games, including a 61-17 blowout of the Bulldogs at Aloha Stadium last year.

Now they are 27 1/2-point favorites. Brennan is a legit Heisman Trophy candidate with a standing-room-only bandwagon. And some think UH can win all its games.

But the 2007 WAC competition starts here today, five time zones and more than 4,000 miles away from Hawaii.

Last week's 63-6 win over Division I-AA Northern Colorado is a distant memory, albeit a pleasant one for the Warriors.

"If we got all high and mighty off of -- and all due respect to Northern Colorado -- I mean, that's a game that we were expected to win," junior running back David Farmer said.

Brennan, Farmer, receivers Ryan Grice-Mullins and Davone Bess, defensive linemen Mike Lafaele and Karl Noa, linebacker Solomon Elimimian and kicker Dan Kelly are among the Warriors who suffered the humiliation of 2005 and the redemption of 2006 when it comes to LaTech.

"This isn't really about revenge, but we know they're tough and aggressive on the offensive line, and we have to be ready to play," Noa said.