FORT COLLINS, Colo. » In the chill of the night, the Hawaii football team did its best to appear to be facing a common cold.

The temperature was in the low 30s, enough to turn the mercury blue, and Sonny Lubick Field was cooled after being blanketed in snow earlier in the day. Many of the seats in Hughes Stadium were covered with snow.

The Warriors remained unfazed as they went through a brisk 30-minute, walk-through session on Friday night. Assistant coach Lewis Powell wore shorts. Defensive end Beau Yap made a snowball that he would take back to his hotel room. Head coach Norm Chow, who had been bothered by a sore knee, walked without a limp.

Neither the cold nor this Colorado city’s thin air (elevation: 4,984 feet) are topics of concern for the Warriors, who face Colorado State this afternoon. Temperatures are expected to be in the 40s at kickoff.

"I don’t think it will be much of a difference," UH quarterback Sean Schroeder said. "They have to play in it. We have to play in it."

The Warriors will have heaters on the sideline. Each player will have access to pouches if they need to warm their hands.

Chow said the high altitude, which can cause skin dryness and fatigue, is "not a big deal. We don’t make it a big deal."

Chow has coached in high-altitude cities and at sea level.

"I think you talk about the advantage of a home crowd or the crown on the field, but you can’t do anything about (the dryness)," Chow said. "If you can’t do anything about it, why talk about it?"

The Warriors have been doing extra wind sprints after practices the past two weeks. The Warriors receivers insist wearing gloves helps their grip.

The Warriors’ concerns go beyond talking about the weather. They have lost four in a row, are 0-3 in their inaugural Mountain West Conference season, and have struggled with consistency on offense and defense.

After last week’s bye, which came at the midpoint of what is still a 12-game regular season, the Warriors (1-5) view the next six games as their second half.

"We want to keep working hard and trying to improve," Chow said.

Schroeder said: "Every game is like a new season. In my mind, we have 12 individual seasons. This is the next one. It’s the most important."

The Rams also are struggling under Jim McElwain, their first-year head coach. For four seasons through 2011, McElwain was Alabama’s offensive coordinator, helping the Tide roll to a 47-6 record and two national championships.

After fielding several offers in recent years, he chose the Rams for his first major head-coaching job.

But history can’t always conquer adversity. The Rams have endured key injuries — they will start their third different quarterback today — and have struggled to score points (15.7 per game) and stop opponents’ rushes (214.9 yards per game) and passing (147.1 pass-efficiency rating).

The Rams also are 0-3 in the Mountain West. They are 1-6 overall, including a surprising defeat to North Dakota State.

The Rams, fresh off a bye, are hopeful of a turnaround.

"The mood has been upbeat," wide receiver Marquise Law said. "We’re trying to work hard to end this losing streak and perform the way we’re capable of performing."

CSU middle linebacker James Skelton acknowledged "the season hasn’t been what we we wanted it to be, but we’ve stayed positive and pushed through."

Skelton is one of two senior starters on defense for the Rams.

"I definitely think the guys who are seniors are laying the foundation for everybody else," Skelton said. "We want to try and make it better for the future. We’re seeing this second half of the season as more opportunities. We’re playing it game by game."

The Warriors have had medical statuses that are game by game. Weakside linebacker Art Laurel has healed from a knee issue and will start today. Running back Joey Iosefa, who has missed the past four games, also has been cleared to play.

But one of their best wideouts, Trevor Davis, is recuperating from a hamstring injury. Middle linebacker Benetton Fonua is iffy because of a knee situation. With left guard Chauncy Winchester-Makainai recovering from ailments, Kody Afusia is expected to make his first collegiate start.

"I think we’re ready to go," Schroeder said. "Hopefully coming off a bye we’re a little more rejuvenated. Both teams are hungry. It should be a good game."