To celebrate Friday's improbable comeback victory over San Jose State, Hawai'i defensive coordinator Greg McMackin and his wife went out to dinner yesterday.

But the restaurant's television was set to the Washington-Arizona State game. Because Washington is the Warriors' 12th opponent this season, "I ended up scouting the game," McMackin said, laughing. "I guess I'm on a working vacation. You can never stay away from it."

Even with a bye next week, and another one two weeks after that, there is little down time for the coaches of one of the NCAA's few unbeaten teams.

The first Bowl Championship Series rankings will be released today. Tomorrow, the Warriors will resume practicing. The Scout Bowl, a game matching redshirts and reserves, is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

McMackin said the coaches are gathering information to create tentative game plans for the next five opponents. They also will "self-scout," reviewing the first seven games to determine which areas need improvement.

Head coach June Jones said the bye week is much needed. Linebacker Blaze Soares, whose jarring hit forced a fumble that set up UH's game-tying drive Friday, suffered another stinger in his left shoulder. The first occurrence kept him from playing in the first four games.

Soares says he'll be ready to play in UH's next game, Oct. 27 against New Mexico State.

"The week off is going to be good for him," McMackin said.

It also should benefit linebacker Adam Leonard, who wore a cast Friday to protect the fracture in his right hand. Still, he made a team-high 11 tackles, including two in the San Jose backfield, recovered a fumble, and had a 28-yard interception return.

Starting defensive tackles Fale Laeli and Michael Lafaele have been hobbled by leg injuries.

McMackin said he is hopeful cornerback Ryan Mouton, who also is used as a nickelback and kick returner, will be available to play against New Mexico State. Mouton is recovering from a partially torn knee ligament.

SAVORING THE VICTORY

If Jones has to make a choice, this instant, the 42-35 overtime victory over San Jose State "is the best one ever."

But, he added, "eight years from now, I'll go back and think about them. I don't think of all of our big wins in terms of rankings. I just enjoy them."

Still, the day after, Jones had the don't-pinch-me feeling.

"What a game," Jones said. "It was pretty unbelievable, that's for sure. It's been great for these kids. They have a lot of love for each other. They show it every time they get into these situations."

Jones said the surge from a 14-point deficit was remarkable considering the muddy field. The receivers had to slowly navigate through their routes, short-circuiting the timing of the passing attack.

In one crucial series, quarterback Colt Brennan slipped a yard short of the first-down marker. On the next play, he failed to gain the needed yard on a fourth-down sneak because he could not gain traction.

"The conditions were the worst I'd ever been a part of," Jones said. "I felt bad for Colt. I kept trying to tell him if he doesn't get a grip on the ball, don't throw it down the field. He kept getting muddy balls. I said, 'You've got to take one of the short (patterns), and we'll take our chances (on deep routes) when you've got a good grip.' He couldn't get his footing, and he said he had no grip on the ball."

Jones said the team remained focused despite trailing by 14 points with less than four minutes remaining in regulation.

"I knew we were going to get two more touches," Jones recalled. "I said, 'Guys, we've scored 21 points in under two minutes one time. Fourteen points, as long as we get the ball back (quickly), we'll do it.' You just have to keep trusting it. They all knew that."

Jones said he does not know where UH will place in the BCS rankings. While the Warriors have been criticized for not overwhelming several opponents — they have covered the spread in two of seven games — they insist that only the standings matter.

"Winning is the name of the game," Jones said. "You don't care how you win. Coming from behind, like we have, and overcoming all of the adversity at Louisiana Tech and San Jose, just makes for great teams."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.