EUGENE, Ore. — Hawai'i head football coach Greg McMackin is back to the past.

The hotel — where the Warriors are staying in preparation for today's game against Oregon State — is five miles from his hometown of Springfield, where he met the high school sweetheart who would become his best friend and wife.

"There are a lot of memories around here," McMackin said.

Family members, he said, came to Eugene to catch the Amtrak, which had a direct line to Seattle, where he was the Seahawks' defensive coordinator.

The area also is a new beginning for McMackin, who has been UH's head coach for two games.

The Warriors have two goals: Win the Western Athletic Conference title and qualify for a postseason bowl. The latter is possible without the former. The Warriors need only to win at least seven of their 13 regular-season games to earn a berth in the Hawai'i Bowl.

At 1-1, the Warriors' cause would be helped if it were to steal a victory in Corvallis, a 45-minute drive from Eugene. Oregon State is 0-2, but carries the prestige of Pac-10 membership.

"We have to stay poised, stay focused and play hard for four quarters," quarterback Tyler Graunke said.

The Warriors have done that, although their best four quarters were spread over two games — the first and fourth quarters of a one-sided loss to Florida, and the second half of comeback victory over Weber State last week.

"In eight quarters of football, we've only played four good ones," Graunke said. "We've got to play four good ones" against Oregon State.

Graunke, who sparked the second-half surge against Weber State, will make his fourth career start and first of this season. He is 2-1 when he is the opening quarterback.

After fulfilling academic obligations, Graunke was reinstated to the team a week before the Aug. 30 opener against Florida.

"It feels great," said Graunke, a fifth-year senior who spent the past three seasons as Colt Brennan's understudy. "I want to do my part for the team. If I'm the best guy for the team, which (the coaches have) decided, then that's the case. The Lord's blessed me with those talents and gifts. I'm playing for the team."

At the end of every practice, several Warriors gather in a circle and kneel in prayer. After Thursday's practice, linebacker Solomon Elimimian invited Graunke to join the circle — an action that also proved to be symbolic.

"I respect him for coming back and working hard and not giving up," said center John Estes, one of the four team captains. "I know a lot of people in that situation would have given up. He already had my respect even before he went through all of that. I was here when he was the quarterback and Colt kind of took his (starting) spot. I had respect for him when he was second string. He won some games for us last year. I know he's ready to play."

Graunke took all of the snaps as the No. 1 quarterback in practices Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in Manoa. The Warriors had a 35-minute walk-through practice at Oregon's stadium yesterday. They did not practice in Corvallis.

"This is big time," Graunke said. "It's my Florida for me. I took all of the preparation I had for Florida and I put it into this game. It's our big game on the road. We've got to show what we're all about. We're going into a hostile environment. The crowd is going to be against us."

Graunke said he is "100 percent." The headache he suffered against Weber State "went away" Tuesday.

His teammates also are on the mend. Running backs Leon Wright-Jackson (strained arch) and Daniel Libre (high-ankle sprain) have been medically cleared to play.

The Warriors will be without left tackle Laupepa Letuli, who has a small tear in his left shoulder. Letuli, who will be back for the Sept. 27 WAC opener against San Jose State, had wanted to play in front of his former coach Mike Cavanaugh, now the Beavers' offensive line coach. Cavanaugh either recruited or invited to join to UH nine of the 10 offensive linemen on the Warriors' two-deep chart.

UH offensive line coach Brian Smith was Cavanaugh's starting center for two seasons. He also worked for Cavanaugh as an assistant at UH and Oregon State.

"He taught me the fundamentals of the game and the passion he has for the game," Smith said. "I thought he recruited well. He left this place well stocked with talent. He did a good job when he was here, and left it in much better shape than when he got here."

Keith AhSoon, who will start at left tackle, said: "He believed in us. Even though he left because he had to do what he had to do, I'm glad he gave each of us an opportunity to come (to UH)."

Visit Tsai's blog at http://warriorbeat.honadvblogs.com.