VIDEO: UH quarterback Greg Alexander to begin rehab on knee

He has been chastised on call-in shows and message boards for what is perceived as inconsistent play.

To the criticism, the Warriors' response is a collective: Huh?

"He's doing a good job," quarterback Bryant Moniz said of his back-side blocker. "I have complete trust in Kia."

Offensive line coach Gordy Shaw uses a rating system to evaluate every blocker on every play. The system factors technique, effort, stamina, footwork, punch and results.

"He grades out good," Shaw said. "He pass blocks really well, and he blocks well in the running game. He hasn't given up very many sacks. He hustles hard and he plays hard."

In the past Saturday's 31-21 loss to Nevada, Kia was whistled for two holding penalties and four false starts.

The false starts were traced to a communication problem; the Warriors, who were set to go on the first cadence, were caught off guard when the Nevada linemen started yelling out calls. It appeared on two of the false starts that Kia was not the first to move.

On one holding penalty, Kia was caught standing over a defensive player who had been knocked to the ground.

"My hands weren't on him, but technically it's holding if it looks like you're not allowing him to get up," Kia said. "As soon as he went down, I was getting up."

On the other, Kia impeded a pass-rusher.

"I can't criticize the officials," Shaw said. "The officials called it holding, so it was holding. You can look at the film and judge for yourself."

From one angle, it appeared to be holding. From another, it appeared that Kia had pushed away the pass-rusher.

Holding or not, according to Moniz, Kia did the right thing.

"I might have gotten killed (by the pass-rusher)," Moniz said. "Some holds are necessary. He's doing his best to protect me. There are good athletes on the other side of the ball. Sometimes (an offensive lineman is) going to get beat. That's just part of the game."

Kia said: "That's my role on the team — to protect Moniz to the best of my God-given ability. I'm playing the best I can. I'm trying hard."

Still, Kia has a self-evaluation system. He always gives himself low marks.

"I always think I can do better than I played," Kia said. "There's always something that can be fixed."

Shaw said the left-side tackle, who usually goes against a defense's best pass-rusher, is the most-scrutinized blocker.

"It's like a corner who gives up a touchdown pass," Shaw said. "People don't notice the good things."

Against Nevada, the Warriors called 53 pass plays. Moniz threw 49 passes, scrambled twice and was sacked two times. Shaw noted that Kia did well on 98.1 percent of the pass plays.

"I try to think about playing hard every play to the whistle," Kia said.

Kia, a fifth-year senior, has suffered from tendinitis in his knees the past four seasons. He bites his mouthpiece, undergoes daily treatments, and keeps playing.

"There are just haters out there," Kia said. "Those are the people who motivate me to keep pushing harder."

After all, Kia is fulfilling a childhood promise.

When he was in elementary school, Kia and his father attended a UH football game in which the Warriors were dressed in all green. At the time, Kia was not playing any organized sports.

"My dad said, 'Before I die, I want to see you play out there on the field,' " Kia recalled. "I wasn't playing any sport. I thought, 'How am I ever going to play football?' But here I am."

As a Mililani High senior, Kia received offers from Oregon, Washington and Colorado, as well as interest from UCLA, Arizona and Boise State. He said it was an easy decision when Mike Cavanaugh, who was UH's line coach at the time, made an offer.

His father's wish "stuck with me my entire life," Kia said. "I never really told him that. When I got the (UH) offer, he was as happy as any parent would be. But he didn't know how much he played a role in my decision. I'm proud to be a Warrior."