The exits were blocked at the University of Hawai'i's Ching field.

There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

And yet, Hawai'i defensive tackle Tuika Tufaga managed to elude another interviewer.

"That was kind of funny to see," said Inoke Funaki, Tufaga's UH teammate and former Kahuku High classmate. "He's a humble guy. I don't think he wanted to talk about himself."

Indeed, but UH coaches and players can't stop raving about Tufaga's performance against Louisiana Tech last week.

The Warriors have a rating system for evaluating defensive linemen. The formula divides the number of plays by productivity in several categories. In 46 plays against Louisiana Tech, Tufaga had 10 tackles, including three in the backfield, and two quarterback hurries. He also scored high in technique, alignment and effort. His total was the highest among UH defensive linemen the past two seasons.

"His effort was good, and he was playing aggressively and technically fast," defensive line coach Dave Aranda said of the 6-foot-2, 285-pound senior. "We need to get everyone on board that way."

Tufaga is a 2002 Kahuku High graduate. He played two seasons at New Mexico Highlands, then went on a church mission to Atlanta. He joined the Warriors as a walk-on in 2007. He played in 13 games last season as a backup defensive tackle. The past spring, he was placed on scholarship.

"To the untrained eye, he's a surprise," middle linebacker Blaze Soares said. "Not to us. He's an extreme athlete. He kicked the LA Tech offensive lineman's butt. He came out with 10 tackles. I was shocked he wasn't the player of the week. He's strong. He does his job. It's good to have guys in front of you like that who kick butt."

Associate head coach Rich Miano said: "I was looking at the film (of the LA Tech game), and I was like, 'Wow. He was beasting the guy. He did a great job of knocking the guy off the ball. He was relentless getting off blocks."

Aranda said Tufaga's strengths are first-step quickness, playing low and slipping blocks.

"He's coming into his own,"Aranda said. "Tuika has a lot of pride. He's a real humble guy. With our situation, and our lack of depth at certain positions, he has stepped up his play."

AUSTIN NO. 2 AGAIN

Shane Austin was at the crossroads when his fortunes changed.

It was the day before the opening of training camp, and while making a turn — he had the right of way — his mo-ped was struck by a car. Austin spilled to the asphalt, suffering deep scrapes to both palms.

To mask the cuts and dull the pain, he wore gloves when he threw.

"It felt different at first, because I wasn't used to throwing with gloves," Austin said. "My (passes) were all right, although they weren't exactly the same. I was a little off. I kind of got used to (the gloves)."

Austin, after a breakout spring, and Brent Rausch were listed as the co-No. 2 quarterbacks. Austin was placed on scholarship in the summer.

But after his slow start in training camp, Austin was passed by Bryant Moniz as co-No. 2. Rausch eventually was named No. 2, with Moniz No. 3.

"I wasn't frustrated at all," Austin said. "If you're going to be frustrated, it's not going to help you. The thing I try to do is be grateful every day. I take a moment to thank God for everything. Just being able to play college football, that's a blessing in itself. I come out with gratitude every day. It makes it a great day when you're having fun, no matter where you are on the depth chart."

Four weeks ago, Rausch suffered a fracture in the right pinkie of his throwing hand. He won't resume practicing for at least another week.

Last week, Greg Alexander suffered tears to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), medial collateral ligament (MCL) and meniscus in his left knee. He underwent season-ending surgery the past Saturday.

Moniz will start in Saturday's game against Fresno State. Austin will be the top understudy.

In UH's practices, the starting quarterback takes two-thirds of the snaps in passing drills. The top backup takes a third. The Nos. 3 and 4 quarterbacks watch from the side.

"All of those mental reps pay off," Austin said. "You never know what's going to happen. You always have to be ready. Now I have the possibility to get in there."