At least this week, X marks the spot for Hawaii receiver Terence Bell.
With Darius Bright absent from Tuesday’s practice because of what was termed as personal reasons, Bell competed at the left-wideout position known as X.
"It seems every Tuesday there’s something new," said Bell, who practiced at right wideout and then right slotback the previous two weeks.
"Terence Bell can play anywhere," UH coach Greg McMackin said. "He might be the next Justin Clapp."
Bell actually served that role initially, With right slotback Miah Ostrowski suffering from a strained right foot, Bell practiced with the first team for three practices last week in Las Vegas. But on the eve of the game against UNLV, Clapp, who was used as a utility receiver, was named the starting right slotback. Clapp caught two scoring passes in a 40-20 loss.
"It is what it is," said Bell, who was used on two running plays in the game. "I can’t complain. I’m here to play. I do the best I can in practice. It’s the coaches’ call."
Bell said he knows the routes for each of UH’s four receiver positions. Bell said that playing on the left side "there’s more stress on my left leg, and my left leg probably isn’t as strong as my right one."
Allen Sampson, who started the season opener, also took reps as the left wideout.
"We all know the routes," Sampson said. "It comes down to making plays."
Bell said: "I’m eager to prove to my teammates and coaches I can make plays. When the ball is in my hands, all I can promise is I’m not going to go down easy. I’m going to put the fight in the ball."
Competition for lineup spots
There were several lineup shuffles during Tuesday’s practice. Jordan Loeffler got most of the work at left tackle in place of Clayton Laurel, who was resting a sore shoulder.
"I’m feeling comfortable," said Loeffler, a second-year freshman who played eight snaps against UNLV.
David Lefotu, who has fully recovered from a knee injury, and Andrew Faaumu, who has started the first three games, split reps at right guard.
"I was 100 percent last week," Lefotu said. "I was ready to go in case something happened to Faaumu."
Patching the offensive line has been an ongoing project. Right guard Chauncy Winchester-Makainai is recovering from a knee injury. Right tackle Sean Shigematsu is scheduled to undergo season-ending knee surgery.
"We just move on to the next person," offensive line coach Gordy Shaw said. "It’s football. We can’t go ‘boohoo’ or ‘woe is us.’ These guys are here to play football. There are no excuses. Expectations don’t drop on this football team because we’re playing somebody different. It’s the world we live in."
Brandon Leslie, who has not played this season, received extensive reps at free safety Tuesday. Because of a summer-session class and a concussion, Leslie participated in four practices during preseason training.
"He was touted as a pretty good football player," McMackin said. "We’re going to take a pretty good look at him, too."
McMackin said he wants to assess several of the players who were not included on the recent 66-player travel roster.
"There were some guys who were really close (to making the trip), but we left them home," McMackin said. "We want to give them some opportunity to compete. That’ll make the other guys compete harder to keep their jobs. Just because you win a job, that’s not a lifetime contract. … We’re not threatening anybody. We just think competition makes everybody better. The competition will go on until the bowl game."
Edwards makes no excuses
Cornerback Mike Edwards apologized for his lost fumble on a kickoff return, and two holding penalties on third-down plays against UNLV.
Although it appeared a missed block led to the hit that caused the fumble, Edwards said, "That’s no excuse. I have to learn to hold on to the football in traffic. That’s all on me."
On the first holding penalty, Edwards believed he released early enough.
"The ref called it, so I guess it was a holding penalty," Edwards said. "Honestly, in college football, you can play tight coverages all the way until the ball is in the air. I thought that’s what I did. They called it a hold."
On the second penalty, Edwards said a pump fake caused him to misjudge a play. He grabbed the receiver to prevent a touchdown.
"They brought us here to make plays, especially me," Edwards said. "I’m putting it on myself. I have to be more self-disciplined."
