In Hawaii’s football practices, the orange jersey — worn by the quarterback — serves as a no-contact warning.

In the drills against the scout team portraying the upcoming opponent’s offense, the UH linebackers often suffer from periodic color blindness.

"(Middle linebacker) Corey Paredes was a no-mercy type of guy," David Graves said of his time as a scout-team quarterback. "Me and him had some battles back in the day. I used to get thrown around quite a bit. (Offensive coordinator Nick Rolovich) used to tell me the more they were beating me up, the more they loved me."

Those hard-knock lessons proved beneficial this past Saturday, when Graves ran for one touchdown and threw for two more in a 24-21 loss to Fresno State. Graves has been named the starting quarterback for Saturday’s game against Tulane.

"I feel I have some close ties with the defense," said Graves, who practiced as an emergency safety in 2010. "I spent the majority of my career on the defensive side of the ball as the scout quarterback. I feel so involved with the defensive guys. That plays more into the loss (against Fresno State). I felt I let them down a little bit. Those guys wanted it bad."

Rolovich gave Graves a positive review, noting he probably should have thrown away passes instead of absorbing sacks on the final drive.

"He brought different energy," Rolovich said. "He brought some confidence. There was no doubt we had a chance to win a game when he came in."

In the week leading to the game, Graves, a third-year sophomore, and senior Shane Austin competed to be the successor to injured Bryant Moniz. But Graves suffered from a stomach bug that caused him to throw up repeatedly during practices.

"There was definitely a strong argument for (starting) him," Rolovich said. "There was so much indecision on how he would be on game day."

Austin started but was replaced late in the second quarter. Although Graves needed IV treatments before the game and at halftime, he said, "I don’t think (the bug) affected me in the game. Being sick was playing more to my mental preparation in the week before."

Graves had rallied the Warriors from a 17-0 deficit to a 21-17 lead in the third quarter. But after the Bulldogs regained the lead, Graves could not steer another comeback.

"I put my heart and soul into the game, and I’m still hurt that we lost," he said. "We could have done more. We got the game to the point where it was a coulda-woulda-shoulda situation. I’m disappointed."

Graves said he has studied the history of UH quarterbacks. To be the newest starter, Graves said, "is a huge responsibility. I’m up for the challenge. This is what I’ve dreamed of when I signed my letter of intent. I’m going to take the reins full-charge in leading this team. We’re going to strive for perfection."