Officially, Hawaii's homecoming came and went a few weeks ago.

The title might be better suited for the Warriors' return this week.

After closing the Western Athletic Conference season and their road schedule with an overtime victory at San Jose State on Saturday, the Warriors' final homestand of the season represents a last stand in their quest for a postseason berth.

Hawaii's home stretch begins this week against Navy, which brings former Hawaii quarterback and assistant coach Ken Niumatalolo back to Aloha Stadium as head coach of the Midshipmen.

“;Now we have a big challenge with Navy,”; UH head coach Greg McMackin said. “;They're a well-coached, excellent football team. We're anxious to come home. Any time you can win on the road it's great.”;

While Hawaii (5-6) continues to strive to become bowl eligible, Navy (8-3) cleared that hurdle a few weeks ago with a win over Notre Dame and will close the season in the Texas Bowl on New Year's Eve.

While the Warriors were busy grinding out a 17-10 win in chilly Silicon Valley last weekend, the Midshipmen had a bye week to prepare for the cross-country trek and study Hawaii's schemes.

Along with poring over game tapes, Navy has some familiarity playing against a run-and-shoot offense, having pulled out a 38-35 overtime win over June Jones' SMU team on Oct. 17.

Last weekend, quarterback Shane Austin managed the Warriors' offense in his first career start, while the defense came up with the pivotal plays in a win that was more gritty than pretty but kept UH in the bowl hunt.

The Warriors forced four San Jose State turnovers and have allowed one offensive touchdown in the last two games.

“;We're growing tighter as a unit, everyone's trusting each other, that's the way it's supposed to be,”; defensive tackle Tuika Tufaga said.

Austin started in place of Bryant Moniz, who was limited by sore ribs, and McMackin indicated that Moniz will retain the starting spot if he's physically ready.

“;We tried to see if Mo could come back (for the San Jose State game),”; McMackin said. “;He could throw a little bit, but he couldn't throw deep, so we didn't want to take a chance.”;

Two players who came back from injuries against the Spartans played key roles in the Warriors' third straight win. Greg Salas missed most of the week while dealing with a sprained foot and made several tough catches.

Cornerback Jeramy Bryant had missed the previous three games with an arm injury and factored into two pivotal plays late in the game. He recovered a fumble forced by Tufaga with less than a minute left in regulation to thwart San Jose State's drive toward a winning score. In overtime, Bryant knocked down a fourth-down pass to end the game.

The Warriors' flew home yesterday, and will match wits with a coach facing his former school for the second straight week.

Niumatalolo, a Radford graduate, revisits his playing and coaching roots a week after the Warriors scored yet another tight win over former UH head coach Dick Tomey's Spartans.

“;(The Warriors) knew their record wasn't going to be indicative of how they played because it's San Jose State and our games are always competitive and it's because of Dick Tomey,”; McMackin said.

Stat watch

Salas fell out of the national lead in receiving after tallying 52 yards on eight receptions on Saturday.

Salas enters the week averaging 128.4 yards per game, trailing Bowling Green's Freddie Barnes' 134.7. Salas is also second in receptions per game with 8.5. He had been bothered by a sprained foot and missed a start for the first time in the past two seasons.

Safety Mana Silva moved into a tie for sixth nationally with his sixth interception of the season. He's three behind leader Rahim Moore of UCLA. The junior has a pick in each of the last three games.

Golden memories

Seems when the Warriors visit California, high drama ensues.

Hawaii's last three visits to the Golden State have resulted in overtime wins. There was the 42-35 win at San Jose State in 2007, a 32-29 victory over Fresno State last year, and last weekend's win over the Spartans.

Four of UH's last five meetings with SJSU have been decided by a touchdown or less.

Short yardage

Kickoff for Saturday's game is set for 5:35 p.m., a half-hour later than the Warriors' previous four home games. The game will be televised on ESPNU. ... UH won a 48-41 shootout with Navy in 1999, Jones' first season at UH, in the lone previous meeting between the programs.