Saturday's 51-20 loss to Texas-El Paso dropped the Warriors to 2-3 overall and 2-2 in the Western Athletic Conference. The Warriors need to win five of their remaining seven regular-season games — including two on the road (at Boise State and Fresno State) and two against Big Ten opponents — to earn a berth in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl on Christmas Eve.

Quarterback Tim Chang is expected to play against San Jose State on Saturday, although a partially separated left shoulder likely will keep him from practicing until Thursday.

The defensive secondary is ailing. Cornerbacks Abraham Elimimian and Kenny Patton are suffering hamstring injuries, and right safety Lono Manners is out for the season because of a fractured ankle. Lamar Broadway and Landon Kafentzis are the likely replacements for Manners. Jones said backup cornerback Keao Monteilh also might practice there.

Most troubling, Jones said, is the Warriors are not making plays on offense, such as securing passes or running the correct routes.

He cited two dropped passes in the end zone and the defense's inability to stop the Miners from using four running plays to move into field-goal range in the final minute of the first half.

"Did you see how it energized the whole team, the crowd, everything?" Jones said. "You've got to make a play, hold 'em."

Jones praised Elimimian, who intercepted three UTEP passes before suffering the hamstring injury in the third quarter, but said his teammates aren't making momentum-turning plays, as the Warriors did in past seasons.

But Jones said it would be unfair to be disappointed in the defense because "we're playing with a lot of guys we weren't counting on being in there right now." To fill the void caused by injuries, Jones said, "some guys converted from offense."

Overall, Jones said: "Are we good enough right now? Probably not. Physically or coaching-wise, we're not good enough that we should be. We've got to keep getting better. You've gotta play better, you've gotta coach better, you've gotta get better players all of the time."

Jones said injuries have postponed the impact of his trumpeted recruiting class. Deep snapper Bryce Runge and backup linebacker C.J. Allen-Jones were the only 2004 recruits to play against UTEP. Defensive tackles Fale Laeli, Clarence Tuioti-Mariner and Keala Watson won't play the rest of the season because of medical ailments. Freshman quarterback Brandon Satcher has not played this season, although he made the two road trips. Satcher will redshirt this season, except if he is needed in an emergency situation, Jones said.

Jones acknowledged the second half of the schedule will be difficult. He said the adverse conditions "do bring you together, as long as you don't divide from within, and we won't divide from within. That's something that doesn't happen around here."

Asked if this season was personally taxing, Jones told reporters: "Nothing ever changes with me. I'm the same all of the time. Some of you think I'm a jerk, some of you think I'm a pretty good guy."

Five Warriors will play in Hula Bowl

Jones said Chang, Elimimian, slotback Chad Owens, right guard/center Uriah Moenoa and defensive tackle Lui Fuga have accepted invitations to play in Hula Bowl Maui.

The all-star football game will be played Jan. 22 at War Memorial Stadium.

Jones received the invitations from the American Football Coaches Association last week. He distributed them during a team meeting yesterday.

"I'm proud of those guys," Jones said. "It's a real opportunity for them when (the season is) over. But they'll remember their senior football season more than anything else. I'm sure they're concentrating on that right now."

In July, Chang accepted an invitation to play in the East West Shrine Game.

Jones said Elimimian might earn an invitation to the Senior Bowl, which is coordinated by the NFL.

"Nobody is playing better corner than Abraham right now," Jones said. "The pro scouts who come to our games think he's one of the top corners in the country."