FRESNO, Calif. — When University of Hawai'i running back Nate Ilaoa bowled over Nevada defenders like a new Brunswick Radical Inferno scattering pins at Waialae Bowl, the collisions reverberated beyond the Wolf Pack secondary.

When the Warriors' offensive line punished Nevada-Las Vegas as if the Rebels had reneged on a loan, the pain wasn't confined to the black-and-blue UNLV sideline.

Around the Western Athletic Conference, in general, and here in Fresno, in particular, teams have taken note of just how physical these Warriors have become.

Once given the sometimes-back-handed compliment of being a "finesse" team in a muscle sport, the Warriors are rapidly gaining respect for their ability to punish opponents, too. Pass it over you or run it through you, these Warriors have shown an appetite and ability for both.

Perhaps nowhere in the nine-member WAC is that being taken more seriously than in Fresno this week where the Bulldogs, who have long prided themselves on a reputation for physical play, see that tag, not to mention the game, as being on the line when they face the Warriors Saturday.

"I think they are real physical now," FSU coach Pat Hill noted. "Their offensive line is outstanding. I like their team. They've got a big, physical (defensive) front and a big safety (Leonard Peters) that can really lay the wood on you. They have a physical team."

Clearly, that wasn't the case in UH's last visit two years ago when the Bulldogs ran roughshod over the Warriors for a school-record 503 rushing yards in a 70-14 victory. One FSU back ran for 220 yards and three touchdowns and another 176 yards and three touchdowns in the most embarrassing loss of head coach June Jones' tenure.

One that underlined just how far the Warriors had wandered from the physical teams of the Larry Price, Dick Tomey and Bob Wagner eras at UH.

"My mindset and June's are as far off, our philosophies are two extremes, but they've gotten a lot tougher," Hill said. "I think (defensive coordinator Jerry) Glanville has a lot to do with that. It is his team and they play with his personality."

It is particularly reflected at defensive ends, where Ikaika Alama-Francis and Melila Purcell have beefed up, and in the secondary where, along with Peters' return from a season missed due to injury, cornerback Kenny Patton is playing more aggressively. They are helping set a tone for the 3-2 team.

Hill's personality — "just shut up and hit somebody" has been a mantra — has served the Bulldogs well not only in the WAC but against Bowl Championship Series opponents over the long haul of 10 years. But now, mired in the worst stretch of Hill's tenure — a 1-4 start this year and 1-8 overall — the Bulldogs are seen as vulnerable. Their physical edge of the past is being challenged as rarely before.

"When you build a reputation and you build something you want to hang your hat on, you'd better be ready because everybody else is going to want to match that," Hill acknowledges. Perhaps as a reminder, a banner on top of the football offices reinforces the "play hard!" dictum that Hill long ago scratched in the cement sidewalk outside his office.

"Everybody knows that's our style of play so when people get ready to play Fresno they are gonna boost up their physical awareness for the week," Hill said. " Hawai'i is going to challenge us and we'd better be ready for it."

And, how long has it been since a Bulldog coach said that about the Warriors?

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