As the Hawai'i football team prepared for the biggest game in the program's — and, perhaps, state's — history, only one thing was missing.

An opponent.

Washington's scheduled flight was severely delayed yesterday, and the team spent nearly nine hours waiting in the Sea-Tac International Airport.The plane left at 6:15 p.m. Pacific time, and arrived in Honolulu at about 9:30 p.m.

The Huskies were forced to cancel yesterday's walk-through practice.

The delay pales in comparison to the Warriors' life-long wait for a football game of this importance.

With a victory in tonight's nationally televised game, the 11-0 Warriors would finish the 2007 regular season as the NCAA's only unbeaten Division I-A team.

It would all but assure the Warriors a berth in a Bowl Championship Series post-season game. The Warriors need to finish in the top 12 of the BCS standings to qualify. They were No. 12 last week.

"I've been here for 30 years," said UH assistant coach Rich Miano, who moved to Hawai'i in 1978 and played for the Warriors in the 1980s. "I can't imagine any game that has had more magnitude for the future, the past or the present of this program. I hope to live to be a centenarian, but I'm not sure — and that's not being negative — that there will be another chance to go to a BCS game. This could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance. It's here. It's now."

The enthusiasm surrounding the game has been widespread. Tickets for the sold-out game are commanding top prices on Internet auction sites.

The players have reached celebrity status. Yesterday, neither driving rain nor warning signs — "No player autographs today" — prevented drenched autograph seekers from asking quarterback Colt Brennan to sign footballs, pictures and mini helmets.

Even crooks warmed up to the Warriors. Six helmets were taken during last week's on-field celebration after the Warriors defeated Boise State to earn their first outright Western Athletic Conference football championship. After a no-questions-asked amnesty plea was made, all six helmets were returned. Two were delivered to KITV sports director Robert Kekaula, who had made an impassioned request for their safe return.

"The big part of this whole thing is it's for the whole state," linebacker coach Cal Lee said.

Lee was head coach of Saint Louis School, which had won 14 consecutive O'ahu Prep Bowls or state championship titles.

"Half the people liked you, half the people didn't," Lee said of those prep titles. "How does it feel when everybody loves you? That's what's happening now to these players. This is pretty special."

The significance is not lost on the players.

"We know how long people have waited for this," defensive tackle Michael Lafaele said.

It is why several players, including Lafaele, are playing despite injuries.

Linebacker Adam Leonard has a fractured right hand that makes it difficult to hold a pen.

Right slotback Ryan Grice-Mullins has 90 receptions despite a fractured finger on his right hand. Which finger?

"This one," he said, laughing, as he gives the finger to a reporter.

Lafaele has a fracture in his right hand, a sprained left wrist, a strained right knee and tightness in his left quadriceps.

Lafaele, who is married with three children, is intent on graduating this month. He is taking six classes this semester.

He leaves his home in the Pearlridge area at 5:10 every morning. After meetings, practice, classes and more meetings, he returns home to take care of his children. He doesn't do his homework until 10 p.m.

"It's hard to do all of these things during the biggest season in school history," Lafaele said. "It's kind of hard with three kids, and trying to be all I can be for this team. But this is an important season, and I want to do my best to make history and memories for a lot of people."

That was the case with left tackle Keith AhSoon, whose play last week was panned by relatives in America Samoa and on the Mainland.

"They weren't happy with the way I played," AhSoon said. "They were like, 'What's wrong with you?' "

What they did not know was AhSoon played last week's game with a 101-degree fever. He started to feel poorly the day before the Boise State game. He barely slept that night in the Waikiki hotel where the Warriors stay before home games.

The morning of the game, he begged teammates for help. Defensive tackle Fale Laeli soaked a towel in a bucket of iced water, then applied the towel to AhSoon's head and neck.

"His head was burning," Laeli said.

Later, offensive lineman Brysen Ginlack applied Tiger balm to AhSoon's back.

"Know when your body is giving up on you?" AhSoon said. "It was like that. I just prayed that whole day. 'Just give me two hours of strength.' "

During the game, AhSoon remembered, "I felt so sick. Every single down, I told myself, 'This is for the championship. I've got to fight.' I kept going."

Was it worth it?

"Of course," AhSoon said. "This season means so much to us. It doesn't matter if we're hurt or sick. We're just going to go out there and fight."

And that is the Warriors' approach entering today's game.

"People keep saying, 'BCS, BCS, BCS,'" Brennan said. "We're not thinking that. We're thinking we need to do our best against a very good Washington team. We need a great performance by everybody — the players, the coaches and, especially, the fans."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.