This time, the Warriors' helmets were safe. The cops were ready, ringing Aloha Stadium. But no one rushed.

Sanity reigned.

You remember a year ago this time, don't you? The delirium of back-to-back victories against Boise State and Washington, the first giving Hawaii its first outright WAC championship, the second putting it at 12-0 and in position for the Sugar Bowl.

How sweet it was.

Now it's back to the Hawaii Bowl.

A little anticlimactic. As the postgame announcement was being made, one Warrior asked another, “;What are we celebrating?”;

Can you still enjoy Cuervo once you've had a taste of Patron?

Some of us will be spoiled forever. But most of the team and people who followed this edition of UH football closely are gratified. They know it wasn't long ago that this was a program with Molly Hatchet on its iPod—flirtin' with disaster.

Too much transition on offense and too many coaches leaving threatened to ruin what an outstanding senior class deserves, a bowl game.

Make no mistake, Washington State is not a good team. If you need any evidence other than the score and the stats, how about that ridiculous turnover on the field goal it blocked? Bad teams turn gold into garbage.

But it's still a win that will look good later for UH, when the Cougars eventually turn the corner. Washington State is the kind of BCS team you want to schedule.

This victory brought much more than a consolation prize to the Warriors. The winning season and accompanying bowl bid are validation for those who remained.

“;What were we, 1-3?”; You can't blame David Veikune for wanting to forget the beginning. “;It was scary starting out that way. But leaders stepped up and helped turn around the team.”;

You got a sense that they wouldn't implode after the San Jose State loss, at home. Adam Leonard and Solomon Elimimian didn't set up a meeting for the next day, they held one right away. No one panicked then, and UH beat Fresno State. No one panicked after losing at Utah State, and now the Warriors have won three in a row and a week in Waikiki.

“;They could've dispersed at any time,”; said coach Greg McMackin, now three-for-three in bowl appearances at UH (two as defensive coordinator).

The fans could have bagged it, too; they have in the past. But while the Warriors ignored or endured the impatient cyber commandos and call-in kooks, they also appreciated that for the most part the crowds kept coming.

A turnstile gathering of 34,240? Not bad for gloomy skies and a 2-10 opponent.

A little sunshine, and senior night against Cincinnati next week has a chance to fill it up good.

It's not the heady, crazy vibe of a year ago. It's not national news. But the way this team stuck together and earned its way to a winning season and the Hawaii Bowl is remarkable in its own right.