Greg McMackin trudged toward the stage set up in the Aloha Stadium hospitality room, the angst clearly evidenced on his brow.

Moments earlier he had watched San Jose State celebrate a 20-17 victory over Hawaii, the result of a mistake-riddled performance that dropped the Warriors to 1-3 a month into his first season as head coach.

He then made a vow before the assembled media, and those still tuned in to the pay-per-view telecast, that the Warriors would end the season in a bowl game.

“;I remember ... saying that I believe in my players, I believe in my coaches and we're going to end up being in a bowl game,”; McMackin recalled. “;I really believed that.”;

And somewhere in the frustration of that evening, the Warriors came together.

“;Even though we lost on the scoreboard we actually won in the sense of our commitment to each other and the sense of love we had for each other,”; senior linebacker Solomon Elimimian said. “;Being 1-3 was tough, but that's what brought our team together that really solidified us as a team.”;

The Warriors set about validating McMackin's conviction a week later in central California with an upset of then-22nd-ranked Fresno State to start a stretch of six wins over the next eight games.

“;The players made a stand, and the coaches, and I think that's when it turned,”; McMackin said.

The run pushed the Warriors (7-6) into a tie for second in the Western Athletic Conference and ultimately into the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl and today's matchup with Notre Dame.

Even with the Fighting Irish (6-6) coming to Honolulu on a relatively down year, the Notre Dame mystique remains as the Warriors seek to put a finishing flourish on a year in which they dealt with uncertainty and adversity from the start.

“;The team and the coaches kept this whole thing together so we could all be here with this great opportunity,”; McMackin said.

The new year began with a blowout loss to Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and June Jones' sudden departure to SMU.

“;For a second, the team was in disarray,”; Elimimian said.

McMackin was promoted from defensive coordinator to steady the program with most of the Warriors' offensive weapons having moved on and one of the toughest schedules in the program's history awaiting.

Once the season opened at The Swamp on Aug. 30, the growing pains were pronounced.

The Warriors were the first victim in Florida's march to the BCS Championship game, and a win over Weber State was followed by losses to Oregon State and San Jose State.

The upset of Fresno State began the turnaround, and although there would be more jarring bumps along the way, the Warriors made good on McMackin's promise of a third straight bowl appearance with a win over Washington State on Nov. 29.

“;We had to come together closer than we ever have,”; Elimimian said. “;Every game we won was because of the team.”;

After closing the regular season with a disheartening loss to Big East champion Cincinnati, having a team with the marquee appeal of Notre Dame on the other sideline presents a shot at redemption along with the opportunity to secure a third straight winning season.

A win would also serve as a springboard toward 2009 and carry possible ramifications on recruiting.

But Hawaii is approaching the game with the more immediate impact in mind.

“;We want to send (the seniors) out right and get them a win for their last game here,”; junior quarterback Greg Alexander said. “;Next year we can see what we can do to build on it, but right now nobody's really looking at that.”;