A year ago at Utah State, the suggestion that David Graves was somehow a University of Hawaii quarterback was met with incredulity.

“He’s a what? Are you sure?” asked a member of the Aggies’ sports information staff.

No. 9 had just recovered a fumble and taken it 6 yards to the end zone for a special teams touchdown for the Warriors, and the Romney Stadium public address announcer credited the score to Spencer Smith, a safety, who also wore the No. 9 jersey.

Problem was, Smith wasn’t suited up.

OK, there was another hangup: Nobody believed a quarterback, which was how Graves was listed on the roster, would be playing special teams.

But it was Graves, and it gave some insight into the competitive spirit and drive of the man who is now the Warriors’ starting quarterback and a major hope that UH can somehow manage a bowl bid from the disappointment of a 5-6 start.

As a redshirt freshman in 2010, Graves understood he’d have to wait behind juniors Bryant Moniz and Shane Austin, as well as senior Brent Rausch, for his shot at quarterback. And, if he had to pay his dues, well, he’d rather do it somewhere other than on the bench, thank you.

So, he agreed and, in fact, offered to play “wherever they needed me.” He volunteered to serve as a blocking back on the return units, an emergency safety, you name it.

While on the punt-return unit in that Utah State game, Graves grabbed a botched punt early in the third quarter and went for a score that helped spark the Warriors to a 17-point third quarter that allowed them to pull away from a 14-7 halftime lead en route to a 45-7 victory.

So it was, perhaps, little wonder that folks at Utah State were surprised to see him on special teams, since quarterbacks, if they venture onto the unit at all, are usually holders for the place-kickers.

But Saturday night at Aloha Stadium, in the most critical appearance of his young UH career, Graves lit a fire under the Warriors offense and inspired the defense by rallying the Warriors from what had been a 17-0 deficit to a 21-17 lead against Fresno State.

He led by example, running for first downs and hitting some key passes, energizing his team as well as the faithful at Aloha Stadium.

Ultimately, of course, the Bulldogs pulled it out, 24-21, as UH’s last-gasp drive ran out of time. But “he gave them the spark they needed,” Fresno State coach Pat Hill said of Graves on the Western Athletic Conference coaches’ teleconference Monday.

Graves, a 6-foot, 195-pound Folsom, Calif., native, will undoubtedly have his struggles as he grows into the role on the run. And opponents will have more of a “book” on him to game-plan with.

But if you are UH, with back firmly pressed against the side of Aloha Stadium in a win-or-else bid to become bowl eligible, Graves is the kind of competitor you want out there now and for years to come.

Said Hill: “I think he is really a bright light for Hawaii in the future.”

And no longer will anybody be surprised Graves is a UH quarterback.