"It's do or die again," UH cornerback Abraham Elimimian said.

Consecutive victories boosted the Warriors (6-5) into position to qualify for a berth in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl.The only requirement is a winning regular season, which the Warriors can achieve if they upset a Big Ten opponent for the second week in a row. The Warriors' 49-41 victory last week ousted Northwestern from bowl consideration.

"We put everything we had into beating Northwestern," Elimimian said. "We were exhausted after that game. We have to pick it up again and be fired up and play hard. We're going to have to put as much fuel as we can into the tank."

This is the last regular-season game for at least 25 seniors, including quarterback Tim Chang, the NCAA's career passing leader, and slotback Chad Owens, UH's career leader in all-purpose yards. A 26th senior, wideout Rene Melson, is seeking an extra season. Another senior, running back Michael Bass, is seeking a medical hardship for a knee injury.

"It's our senior year," wideout Britton Komine said, "and we want to go out with a bowl game, for sure, and a winning record. It could be the last game of my career. You always remember your first and last games. I want to have a good memory. We cannot fail. We've got to win."

The outcome will have special meaning for UH coach June Jones, who has made a practice of trying to give each senior class a memorable sendoff. "I think loyalty, by nature, is probably my biggest fault sometimes," he said. "It's my biggest asset, too."

Michigan State also is trying to honor its seniors. The Spartans (5-6) were eliminated from bowl consideration when they lost to Penn State two weeks ago.

The Spartans had a bye last week. Before they resumed practicing on Sunday, head coach John L. Smith delivered a win-one-for-the-seniors speech.

"Coach has been preaching the importance of sending out the seniors as winners," quarterback Drew Stanton said. "There's a big difference between a losing record and breaking even. That's the message."

Offensive lineman Sean Poole said the loss to Penn State is still fresh.

"I don't know if we're over it completely," he said. "We're trying not to get caught up in that and to look to the future. Right now, we have a one-game season. We're playing to have a season where we break even."

Smith is keenly aware of the difficulty of playing UH at Aloha Stadium. Defensive coordinator Chris Smeland called UH's defensive plays during UH's Western Athletic Conference championship season in 1992. Offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin was head coach of WAC member San Jose State.

"Having been over here before several times, you kind of are able to prepare your guys for the distractions they're going to see," Smith said.

To simulate Hawai'i's conditions while practicing on their East Lansing campus, Smith held workouts at 11 p.m. — 6 p.m. Hawai'i time — and cranked up the thermostat to 80 degrees in the indoor practice facility.

"We tried to do all of the things we could do," Smith said, "and now we'll see if they paid off. The bottom line is, for us, to try and maintain focus. I think that's the biggest thing when people come over here. You have a tendency to get caught up in all of the distractions and lose your focus. If you can maintain your focus and play your game, then you have a chance."

The biggest distraction, of course, is UH. The Warriors are 6-1 at Aloha Stadium, 0-4 on the road. In Jones' six seasons as UH coach, the Warriors are 24-9 when they play consecutive home games.

"Against Hawai'i, 60 points is never enough," Smith said. "June will throw it around. You have to score at least 60 to win. That's scary. When you watch them (play) at home on video, they're a completely different football team than when you watch them play on the Mainland."