DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
UH lineman Samson Satele, who is coming back from an injury, is trying to return to the form that impressed coaches.
Satele fighting for job
When you take a week off from practice -- regardless of the reason -- you have to earn your starting spot back.
If Hawaii left tackle Samson Satele didn't know that, he learned it yesterday when he returned to full pads and the Warriors' offensive line workouts.
Line coach Mike Cavanaugh still believes in the second-year freshman's toughness and overall ability. But Satele, who sat out last week with the flu and a left shoulder strain, got the distinct impression Cavanaugh was not pleased with his performance yesterday.
Cavanaugh and head coach June Jones said Satele will likely start a week from Saturday against Appalachian State. But the 6-foot-3, 289-pound Kailua graduate is approaching practice this week as a serious battle for the job with true freshman Jeremy Inferrera. Inferrera impressed observers (including the ones who count, the coaches) last week with his athleticism and poise.
"Inside it feels good to be back, but outside I didn't show Cav what I can do," Satele said. "I'm trying to fight, but Cav says I'm a little rusty, so I guess I'm a little rusty. It's less than two weeks to the first game, and I gotta show Cav (and) them what I got and go all out every time.
"Nothing's wrong with me. Everything's good with me. Pau. But I don't know, I gotta push," Satele said. "It's a good day to be back. Hopefully tomorrow's a better day."
Faga scales down: Junior Matt Faga came to camp weighing 381 pounds. That's too much, even for a run-stopping defensive tackle.
But the 6-foot-2 Faga has lost 16 pounds via a high-protein diet prescribed to him by Jones.
"When Coach Jones told me what I could eat, I thought he was taking my life away. All the things I want to eat, but I can't eat," said Faga, who is restricted from foods high in carbohydrates like rice, bread and pasta.
"I can eat steak, a lot of chicken, salad, a lot of fruits, but not certain fruits," Faga said. "Coach Jones said if I keep with it I can be down to 350 in September."
Faga will likely be part of a tackle rotation with Isaac Sopaga, Lance Samuseva, Keali'i Aguiar and Abu Ma'afala.
"I'm learning the schemes, thanks to my D-line buddies," said Faga, a Kaimuki High School graduate and Fresno City College (Calif.) transfer. "In JC you just go A gap, go B gap. Here you have to learn techniques, crosses."
Healing up: A day off Sunday helped some of the Warriors get better physically.
Defensive backs Gary Wright and Kenny Patton, both expected to be key backups, returned to practice yesterday. True freshman corner Ray Bass, who still has a chance of not redshirting (he was spotted on kickoff team duty yesterday), also returned after sitting out Saturday with a nagging quad strain.
Safety David Gilmore, who expects to play quite a bit, remains sidelined with a sore back.
Sopoaga, also dealing with an old back ailment, and Travis LaBoy, who has a chronic groin ailment, are expected back by the end of the week.
Wide receiver Mike Akiu's sprained left ankle is worse than originally thought, and he had a boot on it yesterday. Jason Rivers, another wideout, said he would be back in action within a day or two when his hamstring heals up.
Actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, who is also a massage therapist, worked with some of the ailing players, including defensive tackle Lui Fuga. Fuga's lateral quickness seems to be returning. He is rehabbing from surgery due to a broken ankle from almost a year ago.
"We've still got some guys with sore legs and stuff like that, but I think we should be OK, by the end of the week," Jones said.
Another walk-on: Alika Durington, a 6-foot-1, 230-pound linebacker who played for Pac-Five, has enrolled in school and plans to join the Warriors as a walk-on when the semester starts next Monday.
The Lanakila High School graduate from Ewa Beach played at Eastern Arizona last year.
