The University of Hawai'i football team waited six hours in the predawn solitude of the Boise Airport yesterday morning for a charter flight that didn't arrive until finally going in search of a hotel.

Somehow, after a 41-34 defeat at Boise State Saturday night, it was almost fitting.

For the Warriors have had trouble with their takeoffs on the road this season.

At Alabama they fell behind 22-3 before rallying to make a game of it in an eventual 25-17 loss.

Then, Saturday night in the Western Athletic Conference opener at Boise, UH was staring at deficits of 15-0 and 34-14 before finally getting airborne.

In both cases the Warriors roared back impressively into games they threatened mightily to win but, because of the slow start, never managed to lead.

Only at home against Nevada-Las Vegas, which they dominated from the opening snap, have they been able to put things together in two or more phases of the game well enough to get out in front of anybody.

Now, Notre Dame, which overcame a 17-point deficit to overtake UH's old friend, John L. Smith, and Michigan State Saturday, 40-37, might be able to get away with it. Once in a while, anyway. But, so far, it hasn't been within the Warriors' skill set to pull it off against good teams.

And, that's too bad because with anything but a stumbling start in Tuscaloosa, Ala. or the bumbling beginning at Boise, the Warriors could easily be 2-1 or, dare we say it, perhaps 3-0 right now. Instead, they are a head-shaking 1-2, playing well enough to scare the bejabbers out of what have been two nationally ranked teams but only after first throwing a fright into themselves and their fans.

Not because they don't have the offensive firepower to hang with the Crimson Tide or Broncos. And not due to an inability to play any defense. But because, like your old car, they take a while to get started and have to overcome a lot of breakdowns along the way.

Indeed, they have turned the ball over five times as often as their competition. UH fumbles and interceptions have added up to 10 turnovers while the opposition has committed but two. After you get over the staggering imbalance, the wonder is that the Warriors have even been in either of their losses.

In the past those kind of turnover inequities would have doomed them to blowout losses. In fact, they did in the last two visits to the tidy bowl turf of Bronco Stadium, where the scores were 69-3 and 58-31. As Jason Rivers, veteran of the last one, observed, "that's something we couldn't have done two years ago."

That is noteworthy and indicates the progress the team has made on several fronts. But it should hardly be held up as a consolation. With the team the Warriors have assembled, especially on offense, not getting blown out isn't good enough. Not giving up isn't the standard that is being looked for here.

Unless a lot of us miss our bets, the Warriors should easily handle Division I-AA Eastern Illinois come Saturday night. But then it gets both interesting and demanding right away. Because that's when Nevada (at Aloha Stadium) and Fresno State (on the road) come along. If UH hopes to make anything out of this season, those are suddenly two "must" games for the win column.

The time for UH to keep putting itself in a position where it has to come from behind is over. From here on out, the Warriors need to start coming from ahead.

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