One of the things you soon learn to appreciate about hard-hitting University of Hawai'i linebacker Adam Leonard is that he leads by example.

All-out, full-speed-ahead illustration.

Sort of like the way he lassoed and took down Florida quarterback Tim Tebow for a sack Saturday in The Swamp.

So many players who want to be leaders try to do it with words. Leonard, a senior, does it with action, which is why he commands respect and was made a captain.

So when Leonard stood before his teammates in the locker room beneath Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in the aftermath of the 56-10 loss to the Gators with some heartfelt words, people paid attention.

When he pointedly told them "this (Florida) game does not define us," you figure there was a pretty good chance the message was received loud and clear. We know this because of the number of other players who dutifully — and, hopefully, sincerely — repeated them afterward.

Of course, as Leonard later explained, sometimes you can "talk until you are all out of breath" and not reach some people.

For all the talk about this being a 13-game season with 12 games to go, there is an urgency to Saturday's home opener with Weber State. Not so much the loss but the depth of it and the way it unfolded make it imperative that the Warriors rebound this week against the Football Championship Series (formerly Division I-AA).

Leonard's point was the Warriors aren't as bad as they looked at times against the Gators, but they will be if they wallow in it instead of learning from it.

"The game is over," Leonard said. "We can't go back in time. It is not a video game, you can't reset it. We gotta look to tomorrow."

The fifth-ranked Gators are gone. And, hopefully, opponents of that sound barrier-breaking speed, too. If the Warriors want to accomplish things this season, real, meaningful goals, they have to start with Weber State, not afterward.

Head coach Greg McMackin was still saying "I want to win the Western Athletic Conference and I want to go to a bowl game." Goals shared by his players and their fans, to be sure.

One way of reaching them is by the Warriors' leaders embracing them.

With Leonard doing his part, the Warriors have a good chance of getting there.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.