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Sports Notebook
Star-Bulletin staff
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WARRIORS FOOTBALL
Leonard resumes LB reps
Adam Leonard eased back into Hawaii's linebacker rotation yesterday, testing out a bothersome hamstring that kept him out of action this week.
Leonard, the Warriors' second-leading tackler last season, participated in drills and played with the second group in yesterday's team period, but later got in some time with the first unit at outside linebacker.
"I was easing into that," Leonard said. "I think I got more comfortable as practice went along and I got in there a little more. It was a good first day.
"It's a marathon, not a sprint. I'm going to take it one day at a time. We're not playing tomorrow, we play in a couple of weeks. That's the plan, to be 100 percent by the time we go to Florida."
Leonard posted 105 tackles last season on his way to All-Western Athletic Conference honors. He returned to a linebacker group altered by the loss of Blaze Soares to a calf injury.
"Of course we want him to get well as fast as possible. We've been praying for him, we're keeping him in the loop," Leonard said. "But the reality is we've got to step up and have somebody play and R.J. (Kiesel-Kauhane) and Brashton (Satele) are doing a great job running with the ones so far. I feel confident that we have the players here to step up."
On the clock
With the NCAA's new timing rules in mind, the Warriors kept a brisk pace during yesterday's practice. The rule change, implemented to speed up the game, calls for the play-clock operator to start the 40-second clock at the conclusion of a play, a system similar to the one used by the NFL.
Previously, the 25-second play clock started on the official's signal. The 25-second clock will still be used in certain situations, such as changes in possession.
"Yesterday we brought out the stopwatch and almost half of our plays in one period were over 40 seconds," UH quarterback coach Nick Rolovich said. "So we made a big point of telling them last night to get in and out of the huddle, because it's a tough rule and it's going to change college football a little bit.
"We were under 30 seconds for most of the plays today. It was great tempo."
The new rules are just another thing the quarterbacks will have to keep in mind on the field.
"I tell the quarterbacks they have tons of responsibility -- it's just the nature of the position. And if they don't want it they can get a green jersey, they can get a white jersey if they want," Rolovich said of the quarterbacks, who wear orange jerseys in practice. "But there's all kinds of things they're responsible for and that's one of them."
Short yardage
With
Lafu Tuioti-Mariner still out, OL
Ray Hisatake continues to play with the first team at right guard. "We see a lot potential in him, so we really want to push his reps," offensive line coach
Brian Smith said. "But he's still got a long way to go just as far as learning it and getting really comfortable. But there's flashes of some great things." ... The Warriors will hold practices at Aloha Stadium next Tuesday and Thursday. Those practices will be closed to the public.
