A good thrill ride tends to keep the rider guessing.

The anticipation builds with each click up the first hill, then comes the drop, all of a sudden a loop, then a twist leading into another climb ... and so on until you pull back into the station a little wobbly in the knees but eager for another turn.

Welcome to the Hawaii football team's 2008 season.

The Warriors buckled up for a late-August trip to The Swamp and finally disembarked on Christmas Eve. In between, they rode out a series of highs and lows that included a second-place finish in the Western Athletic Conference and a third straight bowl appearance following a 1-3 start.

There were some dramatic dips in the track and the finish proved to be something of a letdown for the Warriors, who closed the season with losses to Cincinnati and Notre Dame and ended at 7-7.

But it didn't take Greg McMackin long to start thinking about jumping back into line after his first go-around as head coach.

“;I'm already thinking about '09,”; McMackin said. “;I've already started working on it.”;

McMackin planned to take some time off during the dead period in recruiting season to reflect and recharge after his first season as a Division I head coach.

“;I'm going to take about a week to evaluate the season and make some decisions and go from there,”; McMackin said before departing yesterday for Las Vegas, where he and his wife, Heather, own a home.

Two days after the season-ending loss to Notre Dame in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, McMackin had already identified two areas of emphasis for next season—sacks and penalties.

Hawaii quarterbacks were dropped for losses an NCAA-record 59 times. The Warriors also tied a school record with 122 penalties and broke the UH mark with 1,097 yards in infractions.

Then there's the task of filling the holes left by the departure of a 35-member senior class, particularly on defense, and the vacancy left by running backs/offensive line coach Alex Gerke's move to Utah State.

After having to replace most of their offensive weapons from 2007, the Warriors lose nine starters on defense next season, including All-WAC first-team picks in linebackers Solomon Elimimian and Adam Leonard and cornerback Ryan Mouton and second-team defensive end David Veikune.

Elimimian finished his four-year career as Hawaii's all-time leading tackler with 434 stops, nine short of the WAC record.

The offense will have to replace both starting slotbacks in Aaron Bain and Mike Washington and three starting offensive linemen.

The process of filling some of the holes is already under way with five junior-college players signing to enroll in school for the spring semester. The rest of the incoming class will be finalized on National Letter of Intent signing day in February.

“;Recruiting is a real key because we can't go year from year and lose one or the other group,”; McMackin said. “;We've got to stabilize our recruiting.”;

The 2009 Warriors will have an incumbent quarterback in Greg Alexander, who passed for 14 touchdowns against five interceptions after emerging from a four-player scramble that defined the first half of the season. Backups Brent Rausch and Shane Austin also return.

“;We won't have to teach the quarterbacks the package,”; McMackin said. “;Greg understands it, Brent understands it. We shouldn't ever be in that situation again.”;

Inoke Funaki started six games at quarterback and is expected to compete at running back next season. He operated a modified package to take advantage of his athletic ability and led the Warriors to a pivotal win at Fresno State.

Sophomore Kealoha Pilares proved to be one of the Warriors' most dynamic weapons whether at running back or slotback until being slowed by injuries late in the season. Wide receivers Greg Salas and Malcolm Lane, also one of the nation's top kick returners, return, as do several promising redshirts who will contend for playing time.

The Warriors will have to replace all of their specialists in kicker Dan Kelly, punter Tim Grasso and long snapper Jake Ingram.

Kelly had an uneven senior season, the highlight coming when he hit the game-winner in overtime at Fresno State. Ingram was close to flawless this season, and his proficiency could lead to a professional career. Grasso nearly doubled his work load with 68 punts compared to 35 in 2007, and averaged 40.4 yards per kick.

The growing pains expected for the Warriors were exacerbated by a schedule that began with a cross-country journey to face Florida, which will close the season in the BCS Championship game.

The Warriors covered more than 33,000 miles in travel—making stops in Gainesville and Corvallis, Ore., in the first three weeks—and went 3-4 against teams that reached the postseason.

Next season's slate doesn't appear quite as daunting, but still presents its share of challenges.

Hawaii opens with Central Arkansas on Sept. 4, then embarks on a two-game road trip to face Washington State (in Seattle) and UNLV. The nonconference schedule concludes with late-season home games against Navy, coached by UH alum Ken Niumatalolo, and Wisconsin.

“;The players were supportive and loyal and we were all in it together,”; McMackin said in summing up his first season at the controls. “;We had some good things happen and things that weren't so good. This last game wasn't so good, so we have to learn from that, recruit some good players and go from there.”;