Saturday marks 100 UH games for Ingram brothers

Luke Ingram’s success — and anonymity — are rooted in hard work and keeping his head down.

Like his brother Jake before him, Ingram is the Hawaii football team’s long-snapper.

Saturday’s meeting against Nevada-Las Vegas will be the 100th collegiate game for an Ingram brother. Jake Ingram was UH’s long-snapper for 49 games; Luke Ingram has perfect attendance during his 50-game Warrior career. The string ends with the Dec. 1 game against South Alabama.

"Do they have a younger brother?" UH coach Norm Chow said.

Chow said Luke Ingram has been so consistent "I don’t pay attention to what he’s doing" in practice.

Ingram is so accurate that he can snap a football into a helmet from 14 yards.

"It’s been done," said punter Alex Dunnachie, noting there was a gentleman’s bet on the dare.

Ingram has been Dunnachie’s only long-snapper during their four UH seasons. Dunnachie has not been blocked in 193 punts.

Dunnachie noted: "Everyone I’ve spoken with since I’ve been here, they’ve said: ‘You’ve been lucky to have a long-snapper like that.’ We watch videos (of other teams) and, trust me, I’ve got other friends at other schools, and they’re not as lucky as I am. He’s very good."

The legacy began when Jake Ingram joined the Warriors as a walk-on defensive end. When long-snapper Tanuvasa Moe was injured, Ingram was recruited as the replacement. He developed into a top snapper who eventually was drafted by the New England Patriots in April 2009.

Luke Ingram was a defensive end at Mililani High when his position coach, Maa Tanuvasa, suggested adding long-snapping as a skill.

"When Jake left, UH needed a new snapper," Luke Ingram said. "Jake told (then associate head coach Rich) Miano about me. I came in and won the job in the fall (of 2009). That’s when Alex came in. We’ve worked together ever since."

Ingram and Dunnachie became fast friends. Both are country music fans who often sing Brooks and Dunn songs.

Ingram is 6-foot-6 and Dunnachie is 6-4, although Dunnachie claims to be stronger.

"He’s been in the weight room every day trying to catch me," Dunnachie said, smiling.

Ingram said he does not compare his career to his brother’s.

"He’s done a lot of great things," Ingram said. "I keep my head down and do what I have to do. But I listened to the advice he gave me. He told me to not stress out. It’s easy to overthink things in this position. If you have a bad snap, it’s hard to let it go. You have to trust your technique and forget about everything else."

Ingram has played despite a severe ankle injury in 2010 and a labrum tear in his left (snapping) arm in 2011.

"Those were just injuries," he said. "Everybody plays through them. It wasn’t anything too crazy."