Graves and Austin are leaving it all on the field

The second day of the Hawaii football team’s quarterback competition resulted in David Graves’ gutty performance.

Suffering from a stomach virus, Graves took his reps during passing drills, then jogged to the aid station on the sidelines.

“I’d run to the trash can, throw up, and do my reps,” Graves said. “It made me feel better.”

This week, Graves, a sophomore, and Shane Austin, a senior, are competing for the starting quarterback’s job vacated when Bryant Moniz suffered a fractured fibula near his right ankle. Moniz underwent surgery Monday, and is recovering at his home in Wahiawa.

Graves was among several Warriors who contracted the ailment during the recent road trip to Nevada. He said he awakened Tuesday with “knots in my stomach.”

He was advised to remain in the training room during Tuesday’s 1-hour practice.

“I wanted nothing to do with that,” Graves said. “I wanted to compete. Opportunities don’t come around very often. I wanted to go out there and do the best I could, sick or not.”

Austin was summoned to replace Moniz in the first quarter against Nevada. He finished 17-for-38 for 246 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions.

Austin spent Sunday and Monday reviewing his outing.

“There definitely were some mistakes and opportunities we could have had,” Austin said. “You have to learn from it, grow from it, and go forward.”

During his UH career that began as a walk-on, Austin has made one start, a road victory over San Jose State in 2009. The rest of the time he has been an understudy to four starting quarterbacks.

“That’s kind of been the story of my career, just being ready,” Austin said. “That’s the mentality I take into every game. It’s not going to change much. I’ll prepare for every game the same.”

During passing drills Tuesday, head coach Greg McMackin stood in end zone, evaluating each play.

“They both threw well,” McMackin said. “They were on the money. There weren’t many incomplete passes, and I watched every one of them.”

McMackin said the situation will gain focus today, when the offense goes against the scout team portraying Fresno State’s defense.