OK, let’s get it out of the way.

Halloween is coming up and Zach Masch must be sick of that dang song, right?

Not really, actually.

"I never even heard the song until recently," Masch said.

The Monster Mash, that late-October staple, was recorded in 1962, a bit before the 21-year-old’s time. And it wasn’t until late in Masch’s career at Nevada Union (Calif.) High School that a coach helped him connect his "Monster" moniker with the holiday hit.

"He showed me what it was. I had no idea. It’s an all right song," said Masch, who also answered to "Smash" in high school.

Whatever nickname folks associate with him, Masch’s name has popped up with greater frequency for the Hawaii defense in recent weeks.

Carving out playing time within a deep defensive tackle rotation first required waiting his turn after sitting through a redshirt season last year. That made his first Division I sack all the sweeter when he corralled Utah State’s Diondre Borel last Saturday in a win that kept the Warriors atop the Western Athletic Conference.

"I was just so excited," Masch said. "It’s what I’ve been waiting for and, oh my goodness, I can’t even explain how nice it was."

A transfer from Arizona Western Community College, Masch redshirted last year and didn’t appear on the two-deep until recently when Geordon Hanohano suffered a knee injury that could sideline the sophomore for the rest of the regular season.

With juniors Vaughn Meatoga and Kaniela Tuipulotu and sophomore Haku Correa leading the group, Masch’s limited field time magnified the significance of each snap as he worked to earn the trust of the coaching staff and, in turn, greater opportunity.

"Seeing him play as well as he did in the game definitely gives you more confidence to get him out there and play more, and it gives him more confidence that he can do it," said UH assistant coach Tony Tuioti, who focuses on the defensive tackles.

Tuioti said the 285-pound Masch has the strength to hold his ground at the line of scrimmage and "he’s got a high motor, just constantly going,"

That trait could lead to an increased role on Saturday when the Warriors (6-2, 4-0 WAC) face Idaho (4-3, 1-1), which brings the nation’s fourth-ranked passing offense to Aloha Stadium with quarterback Nathan Enderle slinging 39 passes per game.

"He’s great in the pass rush so this week we’re probably going to have to get some reps out of him to get after the quarterback," Tuioti said. "They have a great quarterback, and we need to collapse the pocket. That’s one of Zach’s strengths."

While Masch, who turned 21 on Oct. 19, capped his birthday celebration with a solid performance against Utah State, he initially thought his breakthrough moment had come three weeks earlier against Fresno State. In the fourth quarter of UH’s win, he swiped the ball from quarterback Ryan Colburn and sprinted to the end zone. But the officials had whistled the play dead to negate the would-be score.

"I watched the replay probably about 50 times," Masch said. "Coach (Greg McMackin) even said the refs apologized. I was mad."

Masch’s emergence has bolstered a UH defensive front that asserted itself during the Warriors’ five-game winning streak. UH linemen batted down just three passes all of last season, but knocked down four in last week’s game and the Warriors haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher since a loss at Colorado.

"(The Colorado game) really brought us to the point where you have to go back to the basics and trust your teammates and do your job," Tuioti said. "Ever since we’ve been playing that way and following the philosophy of Coach (Dave) Aranda, we’ve been playing at a high level."