Birds gotta fly. A Leahey gotta announce. Texans gotta … love football?

“We are our own football country,” University of Hawaii defensive lineman Daniel “Sauce” Williams said of growing up in the Lone Star State. “It’s Texas versus everybody, especially when it comes to football. We eat, sleep and breathe it. The only things that comes before football are church and family. And maybe barbecues.”

This Saturday’s game against Sam Houston will mark the first time the Rainbow Warriors will play in Texas since the 2020 New Mexico Bowl. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, that game was moved from Albuquerque, N.M., to a spectator-free stadium in Frisco, Texas.

“Going back home feels close to me, especially going back to my family,” said UH slotback Pofele Ashlock, who grew up in Euless, Texas, a 190-mile drive from Sam Houston’s Huntsville campus. “I’ve been getting calls all week. Man, can I get a ticket here or a ticket there? I’m trying to make sure all my family is there. It’s really big for me.”

Quarterback Brayden Schager, who was born and reared in Dallas County, will have about 20 family members and friends attending the game at Bowers Stadium. Although his parents have attended several games on the road and in Honolulu the last three years, Schager’s biggest fan, his mother Ginger, will miss the game because of a prior commitment.

For the Texas-reared Warriors, this trip will evoke nostalgia for the sport’s influence.

Cornerback Cam Stone embraced the sport because “my mom loved football.” His mother, who had suffered from lupus, died when Stone was 12. “When she passed away, I gave (football) a try,” Stone said. “I still play for her.”

Receiver/returner Tylan Hines, who grew in Mount Pleasant, remembered attending the Sheppard Street Church of Christ.

After listening to the sermon, the then 5-year-old Hines joined friends of all ages for games of “throw it and tackle” football on the church lawn.

“It’s the No. 1 state for football,” Hines insisted.

Ashlock said family gatherings at his grandmother’s house always led to a game of two-hand-touch football. “We started playing Pee Wee,” Ashlock said of the youth league. “Pee Wee is already big for us in Texas. We had Super Bowls. A lot of people came out to the games. It was a big thing.”

Eventually, Ashlock said, players graduated to the Friday night lights of high school football. “It was almost like a college (game), playing in big stadiums,” Ashlock said. “Riding buses and going across the ‘country.’ Texas is its own country, in a way. You’d go three hours to play another school. It’ll be good to go back home and get that feeling back.”

Like most Texas kids, Schager dreamed of playing for the local high school. “On a Friday night, everybody’s at the game,” he said. “It’s like a religion. It’s pretty cool. It bleeds into college, as well.”’

Williams, who grew up in San Antonio, also had fond memories of high school games. “Oh, man there was nothing better than coming to that stadium, thousands of people there, everybody screaming,” Williams recalled. “Nothing’s better than that kickoff scream. It’s dead silent, and then somebody yells: ‘It’s time to hit!’ And it just goes crazy. You can feel the ground shaking. The band is going. It’s an unbelievable atmosphere.”

The Warriors will be on a tight schedule after the final whistle, but Williams hopes the team can cater from Whataburger.

“Everybody goes to Whataburger after games,” Williams said. “It’s the 24-hour spot. Ain’t nothing more Texas than a good ol’ honey-butter chicken biscuit or a patty melt. It’ll change your life. It’s like our Spam musubi. It’s old reliable.”

NCAA FOOTBALL

At Elliott T. Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, Texas

HAWAII (1-1) VS. SAM HOUSTON (1-1)

>> When: 1 p.m.

Saturday

>> TV: None

>> Radio: 1420-AM, 92.7-FM

>> Streaming: ESPN+