It was late morning and Mother Nature’s thermostat was set to broil, when University of Hawaii football coach Nick Rolovich turned up the heat.

Rolovich scolded the offensive players for not performing with the focus and energy expected for a ninth practice of spring training. Rolovich pointed to the unforced errors during the situational scrimmage.

“I’d rather plays be made because of guys sharpening each other (and) not because somebody missed a block or dropped a ball,” Rolovich said. “You want those competitive situations to have a winner and a loser.”

As the entire offense huddled, tight end Metuisela ‘Unga implored teammates to bring the intensity to the ensuing scrimmage-like session.

“That’s when you know things are getting serious,” slotback John Ursua said of ‘Unga’s pep talk. “He’s not very vocal, but when he does (speak), you’d better listen because he’s a leader out here. He definitely knows what he’s talking about. You’d better listen to that man or it’s going to be bad for you.”

After that, Dru Brown threw a 45-yard scoring pass to Ursua, backup quarterback Cole McDonald and slotback Dylan Collie collaborated on a 31-yard touchdown, and wideout Ammon Barker made two grabs while being hit. The defense also had its moments, with linebacker Russell Williams Jr. and safety Daniel Lewis delivering thunderous hits, and cornerback Roe Farris soaring for an interception.

“Some guys made some plays,” Rolovich said. “We’ve got to be consistent.”

Brown said the offense needs to avoid slow starts in practices. “We need to have each and every play executed,” Brown said. “You see that at the end, when we’re doing what the coaches tell us to do, our offense is moving and it’s tough to stop. It comes down to focus and energy.”

‘Unga drew praise for his emerging leadership role. ‘Unga tried to deflect attention by claiming mistaken identity, telling a reporter, “it probably sounded like me.”

“It’s him,” quarterback Cole Brownholtz said of ‘Unga. “You can hear him.”

At 6 feet 5 and 240 pounds, ‘Unga is big, fast and strong. In Tuesday’s practice, ‘Unga caught a pass on a slant and was heading full speed toward a defensive back as onlookers grimaced. “For sure, I’d get out of the way,” Brown said, smiling. Instead, the defender made the whiplash-inducing tackle.

“He’s got a ton of ability,” Rolovich said of ‘Unga. “He can be whatever he wants to be.”

After the Hawaii Bowl, Rolovich challenged ‘Unga to make the right choices to lead the Warriors.

“He has leadership qualities, but that also can be used in a negative way,” said Rolovich, adding that ‘Unga needed to consistently follow a positive path before “he can start bringing everybody along. He’s been fantastic this spring. It’s about time for him to start bringing people with him.”

Brown praised ‘Unga as being “well respected on the team. Whenever he opens his mouth, everyone shuts their mouth and listens. He’s got credibility because of the things he’s done on the field. Like Coach says, he’s been changing his habits off the field. He’s a good person. It’s awesome to see a guy make that decision. The sky’s the limit for Tui. As a person, I’ve always loved him. Knowing he’s making better decisions that will better himself down the road, I’m extremely proud of him.”

Click here to see more photos.