"Wow! What a game!" University of Hawai'i football coach June Jones exclaimed to nobody in particular as he walked toward the Spartan Stadium locker room Saturday evening.

Indeed, Jones had a visible sigh of relief after the Warriors held off San Jose State, 45-38.

And, just think, coach, records tell us that was the "easy" part of the Western Athletic Conference schedule. At least compared to what is coming.

The Warriors' three victories in a 3-4 (3-2 WAC) start have come against Idaho, New Mexico State and San Jose State, the three teams on the bottom of the conference standings and owners of a combined 2-19 record.

Now comes the tougher part of the conference schedule. In this week's opponent, No. 22-ranked Fresno State, and next week's road foe, Nevada, the Warriors confront teams with a combined 9-3 record and thriving postseason aspirations.

Overall, UH's final five opponents, including No. 15-ranked Wisconsin, are a collective 21-13.

If this were the sport of diving, the degree of difficulty would soar considerably. And some people thought UH was out of the woods after playing Michigan State.

If the Warriors are truly beginning to find their stride, this is clearly the time to do it while there are still things to play for. At stake is that the Warriors are still mathematically in the running for a berth in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl. Whether those hopes can be carried through the November gauntlet to the postseason remains to be seen for a team that must win four of its final five games to achieve its bowl-eligible standard of 7-5.

That's where Boise State, the big one that got away, 44-41, on Oct. 1, still hurts in the bowl equation. The Broncos' escape has raised the pot for Saturday's ABC television game with Fresno State, taking away any breathing room the Warriors might have had.

Now come the Bulldogs (5-1), who the Las Vegas oddsmakers have installed as a 13 1/2-point favorite, and who look to be the best, most complete team in head coach Pat Hill's nine seasons.

"I'd be surprised if it is not (Hill's best)," San Jose State coach Dick Tomey said. "You just look at their numbers and (quarterback Paul) Pinegar's playing real well. They run the ball well, play good defense and their special teams game is the best in the league. They find a lot of ways to win."

So far no Bulldog team has found a way to win at Aloha Stadium since 1994, but Tomey maintains, "if they had any team that could do it, it would be this year. They have a much more veteran team than Hawai'i," Tomey said.

Meanwhile, UH has lost its past five games against nationally ranked teams since knocking off Brigham Young, 72-45, in the 2001 season finale.

Where UH has come to look upon nationally ranked teams as opportunities, now, in the midst of the most challenging part of the WAC schedule, the Warriors are in a position where beating the Bulldogs has become a necessity.

NCAA LEADERS

Total Offense
Yds Avg.
Hodges, Texas Tech 2847 406.7
Brennan, Hawai‘i 2546 363.7
Basanez, Northwestern 2449 349.9
Quinn, Notre Dame 2440 348.6
Clemens, Oregon 2634 329.3
Johnson, Utah 2602 325.3
Hackney, UAB 2266 323.7
Smith, Missouri 2266 323.7
Beck, BYU 2188 312.6
Stanton, Michigan St. 2187 312.4
Leinart, Southern Cal 2165 309.3

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