Assistant coach Tony Tuioti is the deepest link between this year’s 0-11 University of Hawaii football team and the one that finished 0-12 in 1998.

While the numbers are nearly identical, the situations are not equitable, Tuioti said.

"We have a lot more talent this year than we did in ’98," Tuioti said. "The guys this year are more resilient than we were in ’98. I think it’s the attitude of the seniors, and Coach (Norm) Chow keeping everybody focused on the next game at hand."

Tuioti was a junior defensive tackle in 1998, Fred vonAppen’s third — and final — season as UH head coach. Tuioti, who now coaches the UH linebackers, is in his sixth season on the Rainbow Warriors’ staff.

"Back then, that team in ’98, they weren’t as close as this team is here," Tuioti said. "That’s what I see as the big difference."

The Warriors won the final two games to finish 3-9 in 2012, Chow’s first UH season. This year, five of the Warriors’ losses were decided by seven points or fewer, including the past two overtime games.

VonAppen’s team had lost the final six games of the 1997 season. VonAppen finished his UH coaching career with 18 consecutive losses.

"In ’98, when we were 0-6 or 0-7, it was kind of like, ‘Let’s get this over with and just go through the motions,’ " Tuioti recalled. "There was really no hope there would be anything but change."

Indeed, it had been decided that vonAppen would be fired whether the Warriors won or lost the 1998 finale against Michigan. Tom Brady was the Wolverines’ quarterback.

"With this group, we’ve been close in games, especially the last two getting into overtime," Tuioti said. "Just being a possession short of winning a game has kept these guys motivated. … Despite being 0-11, they come out each week with the mind-set of trying to get a victory. Their attitude toward practice is not dragging. You can see them giving their effort and everything they have. That’s the big difference, and that’s what’s been heartbreaking, too, this season."

Tuioti said losing is more difficult on him as a coach than when he was a player.

"As a coach, you feel for them, you want them to have success," Tuioti said. "It hurts more to see them go through this without being able to physically be on the field with them. Your heart is with them, especially being an alumnus. Your heart bleeds for them. But I’m confident they’ll finish strong this weekend."