A secret to Hawaii football center Asotui Eli’s success was studying tape.

It was during the 2014 season when two senior offensive linemen — center Kody Afusia and right tackle Sean Shigematsu — noticed Eli taping his hands as if he were wrapping a musubi.

“It was super sloppy,” Afusia recalled. “After that, I was like, ‘I’m going to teach you how to wrap your hands.’ ”

Afusia told Eli to retrieve four rolls of narrow-stretchy tape and a roll of regular tape from the athletic trainer’s room. Afusia and Shigematsu demonstrated the “ninja turtle” technique of binding the pinkie to the ring finger, and the middle finger to the index finger. Taping is intended to avoid sprains or dislocations when an offensive lineman delivers a punch — a two-handed thrust to a defender’s chest.

Afusia said he learned the taping technique from Chris Naeole, the Rainbow Warriors’ offensive line coach who played 12 NFL seasons.

“I always tape my hands, like a boxer’s tape job, before every practice,” Eli said. “I do it myself. I learned it from Kody Afusia. Before he left, he passed (the technique) down to me. He said when you tape your hands, it helps a little more with your mind because it makes you not scared to throw your hands at whatever’s in front of you.”

Eli, who redshirted as a freshman in 2014, said he continues to tape both hands even though he moved from guard to center.

“I kind of adapted to it,” Eli said.

Eli had never played center until this training camp, when he auditioned after Brenden Urban suffered a knee injury. Urban has recovered, and will be ready for Thursday’s opener against Colorado. But Eli played well enough in preseason training to earn the majority of reps with the first-team offense. Eli is expected to start.

“For now,” Eli said. “We’ll see how that goes.”

Offensive coordinator Don Bailey said Eli has earned playing time because of his consistency.

“It’s not about being great for one play,” Bailey said. “It’s about being good on a lot of plays. He’s proven he can play that spot, and we have confidence in him.”

Urban has helped Eli find a balance.

“There’s always that feeling when you’re on the line you have to be calm, but at the same time, you want to destroy your opponent,” Eli said. “It’s all mental.”

Eli has been able to adjust to his life’s changes. He was born in Canada, moved to American Samoa when he was 7, then moved back and forth until ending up on Hawaii island as a Kealakehe High sophomore. “Coming to (Hawaii), I had to learn pidgin,” Eli said.

He also learned to embrace football. Rugby was his favorite youth sport.

But now Eli has bonded with his fellow UH offensive linemen.

“We’re starting to think the same,” Eli said. “It’s flowing, like water.”