They answer to "Doorstop," "The Bouncer," "Caveman," and "Day Late, Dollar Short."

They get together for boxing lessons, hikes and barbecue parties.

Are there other groups closer on the Hawaii football team than the defensive linemen?

"We’re brothers for life," said defensive end Kamalu Umu, one of four defensive linemen whose UH careers end with Friday’s Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.

"It’s really sad," defensive tackle Vaughn Meatoga, a junior and co-captain. "Every day is one day less to play with them on the field."

The success of the Warriors defense begins up front, and the cohesiveness of the defensive line began months before the season started.

Umu and defensive tackle Kaniela "The Bouncer" Tuipulotu redshirted in 2009 after transferring from Charleston Southern and Arizona, respectively; defensive end Elliott "Day Late, Dollar Short" Purcell was recovering from a high-ankle sprain that would sideline him for spring training, and rush end Paipai "Caveman" Falemalu was shuttling between linebacker and defensive end. What’s more, Dave Aranda, who coached the defensive line in 2009, was placed in charge of the linebackers after being promoted to defensive coordinator.

But bonds were formed during offseason workouts, and off-the-field plans were made during video sessions that turned into roasts.

Tony Tuioti, the new defensive tackles coach, would joke with the players. In turn, they marveled at Tuioti’s growing family. He welcomed his seventh child earlier this season.

"I want to be like Coach Tony," Purcell said.

"You already are," defensive end Liko Satele said.

"I’m catching up to him," said Purcell, who has two sons.

Meatoga said a few defensive linemen started to do off-field activities together. The group grew to include all of the D-linemen and their girlfriends. Several of the girlfriends attended the UH game in Boise.

"Our girlfriends are close. We’re all close," Meatoga said. "We have fun with each other, especially on the field. We’re so comfortable we don’t really talk to each other on the field. We just look at each other, and we know what we’re thinking."

Each of the defensive linemen has a certain role. Each has a unique personality.

Tuipulotu earned "The Bouncer" handle because of his aggressiveness.

While using a standup surfboard, Tuipulotu broke the paddle. "It was made of carbon Fiberglas," Satele said. "That’s a hard thing to break."

It was Satele’s paddle.

Defensive tackle Haku Correa is the protective one.

"We were at Koko Head," Meatoga recalled, "and Haku was like: ‘Get away from the ledge. Everybody move back. You’re too close to the end. You guys are going to get hurt.’"

During a hike on Kauai, one of the players threw a branch into a 40-foot waterfall.

"Haku yelled: ‘Vaughn, no!’" Meatoga recalled, laughing. "He started panicking. He thought I fell into the water. He doesn’t like us to do anything dangerous."

Umu is referred to as the "Hustler" because of his ability to con teammates.

"He says, ‘I don’t know how to play this video game,’ and then he kills everybody," Tuipulotu said. "He’s talented. He can do random stuff like drop-kick a football."

Meatoga said defensive tackle Geordon Hanohano is "Gee-O" because "he hates to be called ‘Gee-O.’"

Ikaika Mahoe, a 5-foot-10 defensive tackle, is the "Doorstop."

"Know how small a doorstop is, but it can stop a big door?" Meatoga said. "That’s Ikaika."

Because of his raw pass-rushing technique, Falemalu is called "Caveman."

"Sometimes we call him ‘Geico’ because of their caveman commercial," Meatoga said.

Purcell is "Day Late, Dollar Short" because of what teammates claim is a short attention span.

"You can be finished telling him something," Tuipulotu said of Purcell, "and he’ll say, ‘What’s up?’"

And Meatoga is the prankster. On road trips, he organizes the surprise parties.

"We sneak into people’s rooms, and scare the crap out of them," Meatoga said.

But for all of the fun and games, Meatoga said, "We’re about business. We want to win, and we want to represent the state."