Some victories you dance at midfield and celebrate till the sun comes up.

Some you proudly place in the trophy case.

And, then, there are those that are best taken to heart and kept there.

The University of Hawai'i's 32-29 overtime thriller over then 22nd-ranked Fresno State Saturday was a little of all of the above and a lot of the latter.

As the Warriors' first victory over a nationally ranked team on the road, what stands as Greg McMackin's signature head coaching win was a piece of history.

That it came in the heartland of its fiercest rival — and in front of nearly 40,000 of UH's most rabid detractors — made it one to savor.

More so because of how UH turned the tables on a Bulldog team that had branded special teams as its own and, at times over the years, bludgeoned UH with it.

So, as grinning senior defensive lineman Keala Watson put it, "it was good to win here (68-37) two years ago. But, this one was even more sweet."

Watson said, "We found our identity as a team. So, this week was our proving week; to prove that we are actually a better team than our record (now 2-3) says we are."

It took UH 33 years — and 11 tries — as a major college (Division I and Football Bowl Subdivision) member to finally pull its first road-trip upset of a nationally ranked opponent. And, it was a doozy, requiring a 180-degree turn on offense, defense and special teams from the team UH had started its season as.

It would be a shame now if that experience wasn't taken to the bank by the Warriors and invested in the rest of this still impressionable season. If the Warriors can knock off Fresno State amid the growling Red Wave, there has to be the confidence it can win at Utah State and at New Mexico State, and, who knows, dare we say perhaps even at Boise State?

If the Warriors can rise to the occasion with its retooled offense, improving special teams and emerging defense, there has to be hope for some consistency over the long haul to get them back to the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl.

If Inoke Funaki can manage a game the way he did Saturday, becoming the first UH quarterback this year to start and finish the same game, there are grounds to think the state of flux has ended at the position and a starter can be crowned.

"Now," Watson said, "we're going to try to keep that momentum going."

That will be the task that awaits the Warriors, beginning with visiting Louisiana Tech this week.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.