Moving at the speed of defiance, nose tackle Moses Samia hobbled onto the grass field at the start of Hawaii’s football practice on Tuesday.

Samia was on crutches, with his right knee covered with a thick brace.

He will have surgery for the torn ACL when the swelling subsides. But that will be a matter for the near future. His focus was on encouraging the defensive line to prepare for Saturday’s game against Nevada.

"Losing Moses is a big loss to our defense," said Geordon Hanohano, one of the possible replacements. "He was a big asset. But like Coach (Norm Chow) says, ‘If somebody goes down, we have to keep marching.’"

In UH’s base defense, Samia was the nose tackle. The Warriors are down to three players — starting defensive tackle Siasau Matagiese and seniors Haku Correa and Hanohano — to rotate at the two interior spots on the defensive line.

The linemen ran extra sets of "gassers" — sideline-to-sideline sprints — on Tuesday to improve their stamina in preparation for a Nevada offense that averages more than 90 plays a game.

Chow said Matagiese, Hanohano and Correa can play both inside positions. Chow said the starting combination will not be decided until after Thursday’s practice, although all three are expected to play an equal amount.

"We’ll figure it out," Chow said.

Hanohano said he and Correa "will step it up. Since we first came in with (former Warriors) Vaughn (Meatoga) and Kaniela (Tuipulotu), we’ve kept at each other, making sure we’re accountable for everything we do."

Defensive end Tavita Woodard also took some reps at defensive tackle. As an end, Woodard, who is 6 feet 5 and 257 pounds, was an imposing obstacle in the passing lanes.

"I try to use my length as an advantage," Woodard said.

But in the trenches, Woodard will need to play at pad level.

"I have to stay low," Woodard said. "That’s the main thing."

Woodard played both defensive end and tackle in junior college.

"Over here, it’s a whole new level," Woodard said. "I’m working on my technique."

Chow said defensive end Marcus Malepeai is another option at defensive tackle.

Two freshmen — Mike Andrade, a graduate of Konawaena High, and Hunter Thomson, a Waialua High graduate who spent the past two years on a church mission — are emergency options. Andrade has recovered from a hand injury. Thomson recently underwent a knee procedure.

"Andrade is probably closer to playing (than Thomson)," Chow said. "We’ll see."