COLUMBUS, Ohio » It was five minutes before showtime when defensive coordinator Tom Mason learned he would be without one of the University of Hawaii football team’s emotional leaders.

Inside linebacker Julian Gener was taken to a hospital for precautionary tests for bleeding.

"I’m like, what’s wrong?," Mason recalled. "I was concerned with what was wrong with him. He’s having trouble, and they’re taking him to the hospital? (His health is) a top priority."

Gener said medical tests showed the condition was not caused by "anything that was traumatic. They ruled that out."

He was cleared to return to Ohio Stadium before the game ended.

"We still have to wait and see," Gener said. "It just happened. It was something weird and different. They still have to do more tests."

When he first reported the ailment, he said, "it was really scary. But things are looking better."

Defensive end Luke Shawley said Gener is "important in so many aspects. He’s an amazing football player. He’s an amazing linebacker. He’s also a great leader."

Benny Fonua, a senior, started in place of Gener.

Fonua amassed a game-high 12 tackles, including one in which he chased down speedy running back Ezekiel Elliott.

"To me, as a defense, we all contributed well," Fonua said. "It wasn’t just me out there. It was all 11 guys doing our job. Whatever plays I had to make, I made it for the team. I have to give credit to my defense. They put us in position to make plays."

Fonua was recruited as a downhill linebacker. But through strength/conditioning coordinator Gary Beemer’s training and Mason’s schemes, Fonua has developed into a complete player. He is effective in stuffing the running lanes and covering inside routes.

"I thought Benny stepped up and did a heck of a job," Mason said.

Fonua said it was about "all of us playing as one, and hustling, and putting out 100 percent effort all the time."

Fonua was the state’s defensive player of the year as a Kahuku High senior. Despite multiple offers, Fonua said, "it was always Hawaii. It was always home."

Gener was the biggest supporter of Fonua and the Rainbow Warriors.

"They were playing a hell of a game," Gener said. "Watching from the hospital, they played their hearts out. I was proud of them, and the way they played."