"You never forget butt whippings," Pascoe said about the Bulldogs' 68-37 loss in front of their home crowd. "No doubt. That loss stung for a long time."

The Bulldogs have their shot at payback when they face the 14th-ranked and unbeaten Warriors in a key Western Athletic Conference matchup tomorrow night.

Hawai'i (8-0, 5-0), one of three remaining undefeated teams in the nation along with Ohio State and Kansas, is vying for a perfect season to keep alive its Bowl Championship Series bid. Hawai'i is 16th in the BCS standings and needs to finish 12th or higher to secure a spot in a BCS bowl.

Fresno State (6-3, 5-1) wants to stay in the hunt for the WAC title and spoil the Warriors' year.

"Personally, I would love to knock them out of the BCS standings. That would be great," said Pascoe, who leads the Bulldogs in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns.

The Warriors are seeking to start 9-0 for the first time since 1925 when they were a club team and beat up teams from nearby military bases. Hawai'i finished 10-0 that year with two victories coming on the same day.

Warriors quarterback Colt Brennan is also looking to make some history. He is two touchdown passes shy of tying former BYU standout Ty Detmer's NCAA career mark of 121. Brennan also needs three touchdowns to match Detmer's record for most touchdowns responsible for, 135.

Brennan already owns 22 NCAA records, so a win means more to him than holding more records. The Warriors, winners of 18 of their last 19 games, are riding a nine-game winning streak. They have won a school-record 12 straight WAC games.

"Winning is fun. I learned that a long time ago. As long as we keep winning, we'll keep having fun," said Brennan, who has thrown for 2,820 yards and 26 TDs with 11 interceptions this season.

Brennan finally seems fully healed from his sprained right ankle he suffered early this year. He had an extra week to rest with a bye week and looked sharp the last time out, throwing for 425 yards and six TDs in a 50-13 demolition of New Mexico State.

The Bulldogs, who became bowl eligible with their 38-27 victory over Utah State last week, will be challenged by the island aerial attack. Hawaii is the nation's top-scoring team with an average of 51.9 points a game and ranked second in passing with 459.5 yards a game.

Brennan picked apart the Bulldogs last year for 409 yards and five TDs.

The Warriors, however, are known to give up big plays against the run and on special teams.

Freshman Ryan Mathews averages 6.3 yards a carry and leads the team with 784 rushing yards. His 12 TDs are the most of any freshman running back in the nation.

He left last week's game with a sprained ankle and could play Saturday. The Bulldogs have several capable backups including Clifton Smith, who had a career-high 126 rushing last week.

Hawaii coach June Jones said the Bulldogs won't change their game plan, no matter who they have running the ball.

"They're going to come in and try to do what they do — run it," he said. "They're great downhill slashers. They're all fast."

Smith could also have a big day returning punts. The Warriors allow 19.5 yards a return, second worst in the nation.

The Warriors and Bulldogs aren't shy about sharing their feelings about each other.

Brennan called it a "bitter old rivalry."

Pascoe said there's mutual respect, but that's where it ends.

"You respect the players for the talent and the way they play, but you hate the team," he said.

Warriors linebacker Timo Paepule said Bulldogs are physical and always come with an attitude.

"They come like they want to fight," he said. "I love playing teams like that."

In preparation for Fresno State, Hawai'i raised its intensity and hitting during practice.

"I expect to play them with their hair on fire," Pascoe said. "They always play at a high level against us."

Hawai'i is 5-1 against Fresno State at Aloha Stadium since 1995. The Bulldogs won the last game 27-13 in 2005.

Hawai'i receiver Davone Bess said his team is well-prepared this time.