Like those presidential-fitness tests in grade school, the Hawai'i football team is competing against its own standards.

"Not being cliche, but we have to worry about ourselves, play hard and take care of business," offensive line coach Dennis McKnight said. "That's what we try to instill in our guys."

That will be apparent tonight when the Warriors (5-0) host Utah State (0-5).

The Warriors are 16th in The Associated Press poll, their best ranking in school history.

The Aggies are No. 118 out of 120 in the www.CBSsports.com rankings of Division I-A teams.

The Warriors have won six in a row dating to last November.

The Aggies have gone a full calendar year without a victory, last winning Oct. 7, a span of 12 losses.

In an emotional news conference in January, quarterback Colt Brennan said he would return to UH for his senior season. The Aggies, meanwhile, lost last year's starting quarterback (Riley Nelson went on a church mission), top running back (Marcus Cross quit), two defensive linemen from Hawai'i (E.J. Reid and Jonathan Overton) and the media relations director.

And yet ...

"You can't take any team for granted," UH slotback Davone Bess said. "A lot of (favored) teams did that to us last year, and we ended up beating them. We definitely don't want to fall into that trap. We know they're coming after us. If they can knock us off, that'll make their season. Every team has that mentality. We want to go in there as if they were ranked and try to knock them off."

Center John Estes added: "They're 0-5 and they have nothing to lose, and we're ranked. They'll try to come down here and take us on. It's a big game for them."

Last year in Logan, Utah, the underdog Aggies used what essentially was a full-court press on the Warriors. Like in basketball — steal or easy layup — it was an all-or-yikes strategy. The Warriors easily won that game, 63-20, but came away impressed with the Aggies' daring innovation.

"Nobody did that to us before," head coach June Jones said. "They have one of the best defensive coaches around. He had a good defensive game plan. I'm sure he'll have something creative for this week."

The Warriors enter with improved health on offense. Left wideout Jason Rivers, who missed the last six quarters because of lower-back tightness, is expected to start.

"It was difficult dealing with a back injury," Rivers said. "The doctors told me early on it was nothing to worry about. I had to get my core strength back up there. Now it's fine."

Brennan, who is recovering from a sprained right ankle, is running without a limp.

Defensive right tackle Michael Lafaele has a sore right knee caused by a strained hamstring. Although he was held out of the last three practices, Lafaele vowed to play.

"It's not that bad," he said.

Ryan Mouton, the Warriors' top kick returner and one of their best cover defenders, will not play because of a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

The game between the teams last year was a turning point for the Warriors. By winning, the Warriors became the first team last season to receive — and accept — a bowl invitation.

Because the afternoon game was televised on ESPN Regional, highlights were shown that night on SportsCenter. It was on that day that Brennan's Heisman Trophy campaign was launched. Until then, he had not been interviewed by a national publication, even though he led the nation in passing the previous season.

Times have changed. The Warriors are nationally ranked in three major polls. Brennan is on the cover of this week's ESPN the Magazine. He has appeared in Sports Illustrated, the New York Times and the Sporting News. This week, he was a guest on Jim Rome's national radio show. He also will appear on an ESPN promotion today.

And yet ...

"These kids are pretty focused," Jones said. "They know what's at stake. They practice hard every day and they play hard every game. They know they can't have one slip-up."

UTAH 44, LOUISVILLE 35

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Brian Johnson threw for 312 yards and a score, and Darrell Mack ran for a career-high 163 yards and three touchdowns to help Utah (3-3) hold off Louisville (3-3) last night.

Utah rolled up 582 yards, sending Louisville to its third loss in four games.

The Cardinals trailed by 20 early in the fourth, but got within six with 3:30 left. The Utes recovered an onside kick and Louie Sakoda hit a 46-yard field goal with 1:13 left to seal it.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.