As a dinner reception was winding down at this past summer's Western Athletic Conference Football Media Preview in Reno, Nev., two long-time members of the coaching fraternity — June Jones of Hawai'i and Hal Mumme of New Mexico State — came up with a unique arrangement.

With a WAC official and a reporter as witnesses, both coaches with backgrounds in wide-open offenses promised not to call a running play when their teams meet. They sealed the deal with raised glasses of water and a handshake.

"I tell you what," Mumme said this week in preparation for today's game between the teams, "since we've got the second-leading rusher (Justine Buries) in the WAC, I'm definitely not going through with (the promise)."

Jones said: "I figured he would cancel it after I saw that guy rush. He's a big-time runner. (Mumme) would have to be crazy not to give him the ball 20 times."

The changes in plans reflect the detours both teams were forced to make.

In Jones' first six seasons, the Warriors had five winning records and appeared in four postseason bowls. The Warriors were expected to be energized by new defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville, who was head coach of two National Football League teams.

Mumme, who was Kentucky's head coach in the late 1990s, was hired last December with the expectation of reviving a program entering its first WAC season.

But the Warriors are 1-4 (1-2 in the WAC), and the Aggies are winless in six games.

"It's time to turn it around," UH right guard Brandon Eaton said, noting the Warriors entered the season without a returning starter at the six ball-handling positions on offense. "I kind of knew it was a reloading year. But how long can you keep blaming it on a rebuilding year? We can't lose and say 'it's because we're rebuilding.' Coach Jones wouldn't put a guy in there who's not ready to play. If you're in there, you have to do your job no matter how old you are."

Quarterback Colt Brennan, a sophomore who transferred from Saddleback Community College this past summer, said the Warriors have progressed significantly since the start of training camp. Brennan has developed into an accurate passer, and slotbacks Davone Bess and Ryan Grice-Mullen have emerged as elusive after-the-catch runners.

"I know we hear this is supposed to be a rebuilding year, but you're not supposed to think that way," Brennan said. "You don't think, 'we're not going to win early on this year because we're young.' That's not how it's supposed to be. We're in college, and college kids don't think in terms of two- or three-year plans. They want to play right away, and do something special right away. It's almost been forced into a rebuilding year but it doesn't have to be a rebuilding year."

Brennan noted the Warriors should be favored in five of the remaining seven games. "We have to win the games we're supposed to win and get two upsets," he said. "I think that's possible. It would be unbelievable to accomplish that. If we do that, everybody will say, 'Hey, that was a great fun year for Hawai'i.' Nobody will be talking about a 'rebuilding year.' "

New Mexico State also had hoped for a better start. Five of their losses were to teams that played in bowl games last season; the sixth was to Louisiana Tech, which crushed UH, 46-14, last week.

"It's a new coaching staff, a new system," linebacker Jimmy Cottrell said. "We're kind of licking our wounds."

Of the 46 offensive players on the roster, 34 are freshmen, sophomores or first-year Aggies. The collective inexperience has forced the Aggies to modify their four-wide offense, and feature Buries. Minus the 27 sacks allowed, the Aggies have a pass/run ratio of 65/35.

"Coach (Mumme) brought a positive attitude to our program," Cottrell said. "We expect to win or do good. So far, we haven't done those things. We believe we can, but we haven't done it yet."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.