One of these days the winless University of Hawai'i football team is going to find itself in a game that's tightly contested to the end.

Really, it will happen.

Now that Southern California and Michigan State are out of the way, taking the 63-17 and 42-14 blowouts with them, chances are a tight game will pop up soon. And when it does happen, it would be a screaming shame if the Warriors were to blow their chances to finally win it with one of the needless penalties we've seen in the two games thus far.

The trading of personal fouls, shoves and words in the emotionally charged loss to Michigan State on Saturday did nothing to honor either team and could have endangered both seasons. In the final 13 minutes there were five major penalties split between the teams.

Indeed, after the Warriors were whistled for a late hit on Spartans' quarterback Drew Stanton, UH coach June Jones said he felt like he should get his signal caller, Colt Brennan, out of harm's way before Brennan, too, became a target.

Whether it was retribution or not, Jones' instinct turned out to be all too correct when Brennan got leveled by a late hit, sending him to the sideline rubbing his throwing shoulder.

Thankfully, we're told, Brennan wasn't seriously hurt, suffering what was described as a "mild separation" that is not expected to keep him out of the Sept. 24 game at Idaho.

But the next time UH might not be as fortunate. That is precisely the kind of situation that could cost the Warriors a player to injury and, perhaps, doom a season. And injury isn't the only concern here. There is the matter of drawing a penalty, the 15-yard variety on which a game could turn.

The problem with piling up these kinds of penalties is that it burnishes a reputation UH doesn't want and doesn't need. At the first sign of trouble, you know where the officials will be looking.

The Warriors have an open date on the schedule this week before heading to Idaho. Time to rest and recover. Time also to reflect on what's taken place so far.

Part of that, you hope, would be to swear off the personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties by not answering what opponents might provoke.

Being physical and hard-hitting is one thing. Stepping across that line of sportsmanship to ill-timed penalties, whether goaded or not, is quite another.

After an 0-2 start, you get the feeling these Warriors want to pull out all the stops to get that first victory. If so, it would be a good idea to dump the attitudes that have led to the personal fouls before it costs them a victory.

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