LAS VEGAS » Even after 10 days, thoughts of home can wait a bit longer.

The Hawaii football team's longest road trip of the season concludes tomorrow with the Warriors scheduled to leave Las Vegas on an early-morning flight to Honolulu after tonight's game against UNLV.

Sitting in coach for the 6-plus hours would likely be considerably more comfortable for the Warriors if they can complete the trip with a win over the host Rebels.

“;I'll go home after the game; until then it's just focusing on UNLV,”; defensive tackle Vaughn Meatoga said. “;Before that it's just doing your job.”;

The Warriors (2-0) will try to complete a sweep of their two-game stay in the Pacific time zone when they face UNLV (1-1) tonight at Sam Boyd Stadium. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. Hawaii time.

After opening the trip with a win over Washington State in Seattle, the Warriors have been holed up in the Suncoast Hotel in Summerlin since Sunday, spending much of their time in practice, meetings and study halls in preparing for the Rebels while trying to keep up with their school work.

“;They're put in a tough situation, but they have been outstanding,”; UH head coach Greg McMackin said.

“;It's been real business-like,”; Meatoga said. “;Coach Mack is real intent on making us work. But it's been good, because we've been practicing real fast and high paced, so we've been getting a lot of things done.”;

Although they've been living above a casino for a week, the Warriors are confident the potential distractions haven't turned their attention from the game plan.

“;I think being here keeps us focused,”; receiver Greg Salas said. “;We're all kept real tight together, and we get closer to one another and it makes us play harder for each other.”;

Along with acclimating to the environment, the Warriors could feel more at home tonight with a sizable green-clad contingent in a crowd expected to range between 30,000 and 32,000 at Sam Boyd Stadium (capacity 39,100).

As the Warriors look to build on last week's 38-20 win over Washington State, UNLV has held as a seven-point favorite throughout the week after coming within seconds of upsetting Oregon State.

So have the Rebels shaken the hangover of the loss?

“;We've put it in the past now,”; said receiver Ryan Wolfe, the top target in UNLV's spread offense. “;We've got enough to worry about with Hawaii coming in this week.”;

Both teams entered the week concerned about injuries and turnovers.

The seven takeaways the Warriors forced last week caught UNLV coach Mike Sanford's attention as much as the offense's 626 yards, the Warriors' highest total since 2006. Hawaii, meanwhile, was looking to tighten its grip on the ball after losing seven fumbles in two games.

As for the injuries, UH defensive ends John Fonoti (knee) and Paipai Falemalu (ankle) are expected to miss the game. UNLV quarterback Omar Clayton is coming back from a sprained knee ligament suffered against Oregon State. Mike Clausen proved more than capable as a backup, throwing two touchdowns in relief.

While both teams enter the game seeking momentum as their conference schedules loom, the ramifications extend beyond the final score for both programs.

Just as the Warriors count the Las Vegas area among their recruiting targets, the Rebels have five players from Hawaii on the roster and want to keep the pipeline flowing to the desert.

“;I think it's very important to (the Rebels from Hawaii), but it's also important to us for recruiting,”; Sanford said. “;We have five from Hawaii, and we had two from American Samoa. That's significant and we're going to continue to recruit Polynesian players and continue to recruit Hawaii.”;

Series notes

When they were last in Las Vegas, the Warriors were 2-0 and entering the back end of a two-game road trip. That was in 2007, when UH left town with a 49-14 win. Prior to that night, UH hadn't started 3-0 since 1992.

UH leads the series 12-6 and has won the last two meetings. The teams are scheduled to meet each of the next three years, alternating between Honolulu and Las Vegas.

Short yardage

Reserve defensive end Tua Mahaley joined the team to fill Falemalu's special teams responsibilities. ... The Warriors got their first look at Sam Boyd Stadium with a walk-through practice yesterday afternoon.