EL PASO, Texas » They kept moving him back and Dan Kelly kept pumping them through.

After drilling his first few field-goal attempts during yesterday's practice, the Hawaii kicker eventually found himself past midfield some 62 yards away from the goalposts.

With a good snap and hold, Kelly's final kick of the day rode the steady breeze blowing through Parkland High School's field and cleared the crossbar with a couple of feet to spare.

“;The wind definitely helps, it was blowing pretty hard,”; said Kelly, who made a 58-yarder on his previous attempt.

Of course, El Paso's 3,700-foot elevation, “;does not hurt at all,”; he said. “;I'm glad I don't have to run in it though.”;

Kelly said the last kick was the longest he's made in a live practice setting while facing a rush. His career long in a game is a 54-yarder he made against Utah State last season.

“;You don't want to kick a ball any different if you kick a 40-yarder or a 60-yarder,”; Kelly said. “;That's why you do the same swing for PATs as you do for field goals.”;

Kelly had two field goals blocked in last week's loss at Utah State and UH head coach Greg McMackin said the protection issue came down to a missed assignment that has been addressed.

As for perhaps letting Kelly attempt one from midfield when it counts, McMackin said, “;it just depends on the game situation.”;

“;But the air up here obviously helps you. Helps your golf game, helps everything.”;

Maka moves inside

With the Warriors preparing for New Mexico State's passing game, the coaches have shifted defensive end Francis Maka over a spot to tackle.

“;We're moving Maka to tackle to get more speed on the field,”; McMackin said.

“;He's 270 and he's quick, he's a tough guy and we're trying to put our best players on the field.”;

Maka was declared eligible midway through the season when his request for an extension to the NCAA's five-year clock was granted. The move means attacking the middle of the offensive line rather than going one-on-one with an offensive tackle.

“;It kind of forces me to play a little more aggressive so I don't get overwhelmed by two or three big guys at a time,”; Maka said.

“;I just want to play. It doesn't matter (what position) at all at this point. I'll play safety if they want.”;

Pilares practices

A day after aggravating his sprained foot, sophomore Kealoha Pilares was back in practice at slotback yesterday. Pilares had been starting at running back before suffering the injury that caused him to miss the last two games.

He went through the entire practice at receiver yesterday and made a nifty one-handed catch along the sideline late in the session.

“;It was painful yesterday, but he was running well today,”; McMackin said.

Politically speaking

Even back in the early 1980s, those around the Hawaii football program could see big things in Bernard Carvalho's future.

So it wasn't surprising to those still involved with the team that Carvalho won the Kauai mayor's race on Tuesday.

“;He was already like the mayor of Kauai when he was playing for us,”; UH assistant head coach George Lumpkin said.

Rich Miano, now the Warriors' associate head coach, played with Carvalho at UH and worked with him extensively while running Hawaii Speed and Quickness clinics on the Garden Isle when Carvalho served as Kauai County Parks Supervisor.

“;They say offensive linemen are the smart ones with everything they have to know,”; Miano said. “;You could tell by the way he approached life that he was going to be successful.”;