As the Weber State football team stepped off the buses and into the tunnel at Aloha Stadium yesterday, Hawai'i-raised quarterback Cameron Higgins had a dream-come-true moment.

"I wanted a Zip-Pac from Zippy's," said Higgins, a 2006 Saint Louis School graduate whose Wildcat team plays Hawai'i tomorrow.

The wish was fulfilled, thanks to Bulla and Lynette Eastman, parents of Wildcat defensive tackle Ryan "The Beast" Eastman.

The Eastmans brought 90 Zip-Pacs — a plate lunch featuring chicken, teriyaki beef and Spam over furikake rice — and refreshments for the visiting players and coaches.

"We asked (the Hawai'i-raised) players what they wanted to do, and they all said: 'Get a plate lunch,' " said head coach Ron McBride, whose team arrived in town yesterday and then went to Aloha Stadium for a light practice. "We wanted a little local flavor right away."

The Wildcats' roster also has a local flavor. There are 10 players with Hawai'i ties. Defensive line coach Chad Kauha'aha'a is a Baldwin High graduate. During his 16 years as a head coach, including a stint at Utah, McBride created a recruiting base in Hawai'i.

McBride once looked at videotape of a 260-pound fullback and decided he would be a tailback at Utah. Even the recruit's family disagreed with that assessment. But Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala went on to have a successful career as a Utah tailback and an NFL running back.

"Right from the beginning," McBride said, "we wanted him to be a tailback."

McBride was the head coach when the Utes were members of the Western Athletic Conference. He also served as a guest speaker at several coaching clinics in Hawai'i through the years.

"It's harder (to recruit) over here now," McBride said. "There are so many people recruiting (here). Before, it was Utah, BYU, Washington and Oregon. Now you come over here, and everybody's here. It's people from all over — Penn State, Wisconsin. But there are enough good players here. And there are more Polynesians in the coaching profession. You have more people with ties over here."

This is McBride's fourth season at Weber State, a Division I-AA school in Logan, Utah. McBride said he still has the "love" for coaching.

But, he said, "what I'd like to do is build this program into something special, and then kind of go into the twilight."

He said the Wildcats (1-0) have had their "struggles."

"We're not there," he said. "We're getting closer. ... Obviously, this game will be a good test for us to see if we're decent and we can stand up to a good, physically hard-nosed football team."

AHSOON A SQUATTER

Yes, it's true: A "Bear" can pose as a frog.

UH's Keith "The Bear" AhSoon, who will start at left tackle tomorrow, has a unique stance. While most offensive linemen bend over in a three-point stance, AhSoon is in a squat, with his open hands chest high.

"That frog squat?" offensive line coach Brian Smith said of AhSoon's unique stance. "I didn't teach him that one. It shows his flexibility. That's always a good thing for an offensive lineman to have."

The source?

"Yoga?" AhSoon said, laughing. "Nah, kidding. I wanted to get lower than the (defensive lineman). Know when you just figure something out? This (stance) just happened. For me, it's comfortable. I guess I'm just blessed to be flexible."

AhSoon was the No. 1 left tackle last season. In spring training, he moved to left guard, a position the coaches believe is a better fit for him.

But injuries created a vacancy at left tackle. Laupepa Letuli, the starter, has a strained AC joint in his left shoulder. The injury is located between the shoulder blade and collarbone.

The coaches do not expect Letuli to resume practicing until Monday.

His replacement, Aaron Kia, has had difficulties because of backaches and tendinitis in his knees. Smith said Kia's availability is on a need-to-play basis.

Smith then had to choose between AhSoon and Brysen Ginlack. Smith decided that AhSoon had more experience as a perimeter blocker, and Ginlack is more comfortable at left guard.

Smith emphasized the move is temporary.

"Once Laupepa is healthy, Keith will move back (to left guard)," Smith said. "I think our team is better with (AhSoon) at guard."

AhSoon said: "I'll do whatever helps the team."

J.P. IS A SPECIAL PLAYER

His position coach calls him "Hybrid" because of his strength and speed.

His teammates call him "J.P.," although he prefers his birth name of JoPierre.

By any name, JoPierre Davis has finally found a role — several, actually — with the Warriors.

"I'm trying to stay focused," Davis said. "I want to get better every day."

It was a little more than a year ago when Davis appeared to be lost in paradise. A heralded recruit from the Bay Area, Davis struggled to adjust to running back and cornerback. His playing time dipped below the Rudy Line.

And then, Davis figured it out. Athleticism meant little without technique. He also found that special teams offered promise and was not a burial ground for football careers.

"Special teams is big," said Davis, a fourth-year junior. "I started noticing it. You can be a playmaker on special teams."

His role models were Timo Paepule, a backup middle linebacker who delivered his biggest hits on kick coverage, and Keenan Jones, who always ran at full speed. Paepule graduated, and Jones is no longer on the team.

But, Davis said: "I learned a lot from them. You have to be hungry. I'm not one of those guys who wants to go through the motions. I want to make plays."

Davis is on three of the six special-team units. He is the gunner on punts, a front-line player on punt returns and an outside sprinter on kickoffs.

Ikaika Malloe, who coordinates special teams, selected Davis as captain of the punt and punt return units. Davis makes the blocking and directional calls on the field.

"Sometimes when you put a leadership role on a person, he tends to rise higher," Malloe said. "(Davis has) taken it all on his shoulders. I think people will be excited to see J.P. Davis playing on the field, and the excitement he brings."

On punt coverage, Malloe said, "he's the guy I wanted to put at the point of attack. He's the gunner. He can make a play."

UH associate head coach Rich Miano, who coaches the defensive backs, is crafting ways to use Davis as a big-hitting corner. The top cornerbacks are Ryan Mouton, Calvin Roberts and Jameel Dowling. All three are seniors.

"He'll play and be successful this year," Miano said of Davis. "But he's the future."

Miano said Davis has improved in bending his knees on his dropbacks and using controlled aggression in jamming receivers.

"He's a different cat," Miano said. "He's so big and fast and strong. It's been a long, arduous process of getting him to do his technique, to work on his fundamentals, to discipline himself and not rely (only) on his athleticism. He's starting to pull it all together."

UH head coach Greg McMackin said: "He's doing an outstanding job. He's working hard. He's a guy who needed to continue to grow up. That's our job, to help them along, not only on the field but off the field. He's been coming along. Off the field, he's going in the right direction. He's making good progress."

CHANT CREATOR DIES

Kanalu Young, who wrote the e'o na toa chant used by the Warriors in recent years, died last Sunday.

"He was a great person," said June Jones, former UH head coach now with Southern Methodist University. "This is really sad."

Young was a professor for UH's Center for Hawaiian Studies.