Committee of running backs offers up a range of speed, strength, styles

After another sweat-drenched practice on a steamy afternoon in Manoa, a stream of Hawaii football players hustled over to a shave ice truck parked outside the field for an end-of-camp treat.

As the Rainbow Warriors added their choice of toppings, the scene illustrated Wayne Moses’ assessment of the Hawaii running backs.

"Just the different elements they all bring collectively to the unit," Moses said of the group’s strengths. "If you want this flavor of the day, you got that. If you want that flavor of the day, you got that. So just whatever’s in the groove, that’s what you can go with."

In his second year as the Rainbow Warriors running backs coach, Moses returns to work with a group featuring a range of skills to the UH backfield.

Notable by his absence is Joey Iosefa, now in training camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Iosefa finished his career fourth on UH’s career rushing chart with 2,218 yards and 21 touchdowns despite being limited to 11 games over the last two seasons due primarily to injuries.

When healthy, Iosefa averaged just over 102 yards in his six games last season and left UH with the program’s carries-per-game record for a season (25.2) and career (16).

Filling Iosefa’s work load and production figures to be a group effort.

"The thing to know about running backs, it’s not one guy who has to be in there the whole game, it takes all of us," said junior Steven Lakalaka.

Lakalaka started seven games last year while Iosefa was sidelined and led the Rainbows with 646 yards, matching Iosefa’s average of 4.1 yards per attempt.

"I just learned to be patient," Lakalaka said. "I had to grow up a little faster and now that I’m one of the vets … I’m trying to do the same thing Joey did for me. Give some support, be the older brother for them and win some games."

Lakalaka’s recovery from a late-season hamstring injury kept him out of spring practice and fellow junior Diocemy Saint Juste moved to the top of the depth chart entering camp.

Moses said the speedy Saint Juste was having "a great camp" until a hamstring injury limited him in recent practices. When up to full speed, Saint Juste provides a breakaway threat in the running game, evidenced by his 135-yard performance against Wyoming last fall.

Paul Harris, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound junior college transfer, could emerge as an instant contributor among the newcomers to the group. An all-conference kick returner at Ventura (Calif.) College, Harris averaged 8.5 yards per carry last season.

The range of styles in the group is particularly evident in the return of 5-foot-6 Peresee Joas, a former walk on who darted for an average of 9.6 yards on his seven carries last year, and the addition of 6-2, 235-pound transfer Melvin Davis.

Senior fullback Justin Vele is the leading returnee among the lead blockers out of the backfield.

"The new guys are very open-minded, everyone knows their role," Lakalaka said. "They’re on that same level and just trying to win games."