BOISE, Idaho — It took the University of Hawai'i football team only a few minutes to reaffirm this trip would not be easy.

Shortly after takeoff from Honolulu on Thursday afternoon, the charter flight carrying the Warriors hit what was described as a "backdraft," sending the plane into convulsions.

Free safety Leonard Peters told fellow passengers: "I was ready to make the pilot turn the plane around and go back to Hawai'i."

Everything smoothed out, but the Warriors face a rough patch when they play 25th-ranked Boise State today in Bronco Stadium.

The Broncos have won four Western Athletic Conference titles in a row, winning 31 of 32 league games since 2002. What's more, they are 47-2 on their home blue turf since the beginning of the 1999 season. Both losses were against non-conference opponents.

All of which means this WAC opener has added importance for the Warriors.

"You'd better be ready for Boise," UH coach June Jones said. "If you're not ready, you're going to get your rear end kicked. I think everybody understands what we have to do."

The Warriors had a light hour-long practice yesterday at Borah High School. It is the Warriors' custom, under Jones, not to practice in an opposing WAC team's stadium.

After a late lunch — Jones has kept the team on Hawai'i time — there were several meetings into the night.

Many Warriors are suffering from what Jones refers to as "ow-ies." There are two exceptions. Inside linebacker Solomon Elimimian, who is suffering from a partially torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee, was wearing an ice pack. Backup outside linebacker Brashton Satele, who is suffering from a sprained acromioclavicular (A.C.) joint, participated in non-contact drills.

Right cornerback A.J. Martinez, who skipped Thursday's practice because of a groin injury, competed on the first team yesterday. Center Samson Satele, who has a bruised collarbone, also practiced without difficulty.

"We've got no choice but to be ready," defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville said.

While the Warriors are living in an airport-area hotel, the Broncos spent the night at home. Unlike almost every other Division I-A football team, the Broncos do not go to a hotel on the eve of a home game. For instance, the Warriors stay in a Waikiki hotel before home games.

"We actually never knew we were different," BSU running back Ian Johnson said. "It doesn't register for us. To be able to stay home, for us, that's the way it's supposed to be."

Offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin said: "I know that's different. When I was a player, I wanted to be in my own bed the night before a game, around my own things. I wanted to be in my comfort zone. We trust our guys, and they know it, and they act like men. We give them freedom, and they know what to do with it."

Last night, the Broncos met until 8:30.

All of them were expected to arrive in time for this morning's meeting at the school.

"If you really want to be part of this team, and you want to show your dedication, you will be there on time," Johnson said. "There won't be any excuses. There won't be, 'Oh, my alarm didn't go off.' Well, you'd better make sure it goes off. When I go to bed, I set three alarms just to make sure. And we've got guys honking the horn when they pass your house to make sure you're gone. It brings a smile to your face, like, 'Yeah, the guys care.' "

That dedication extends to the offseason. Once again this summer, the Broncos had 100 percent attendance among returning players for unsupervised workouts.

"It really is one huge family," Johnson said. "We do everything together. I really haven't hung out with anyone outside of the football team for, I don't know, a year now. That's because my best friends are on the team. We're so dedicated to the team. When everything's done, we're so exhausted that when we do have some free time, we say, 'Let's come over to the house, have a barbecue, relax.' The last thing you want to do when you're tired is be out and about. You want to be with your family. To the guys who aren't from here, this is our family."

To be sure, real family members are always welcomed. On Thursdays, the staff is dismissed early. "It's kind of a date night with our wives, a family night," Harsin said. "That's a big part of Boise, that family atmosphere. That's a huge, huge thing. That's one thing guys relish. I know I do."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.