To pull off a successful inside job, it takes a lot of planning.

The Hawaii football team’s top nickelbacks — Eugene Ford and Kai Kaneshiro — spend several hours each week studying video of an upcoming opponent’s inside receivers.

“I watch film every day,” said Kaneshiro, a second-year freshman from Saint Louis School. “I look at all the different personnel.”

Kaneshiro and Ford often spend evenings watching video in the coaches’ offices.

“We go in there and try to understand what type of receivers we’re going against and what kind of fits we need to do on certain plays,” said Ford, a junior from Venice, Calif. “We watch it over and over until it’s natural. When we see it in a game, we know what’s going to happen. It’s like deja vu, and now we’re playing fast.”

In Saturday’s victory over New Mexico, Kaneshiro topped the Warriors with a career-high eight tackles. Ford had seven stops.

In that road game, Kaneshiro played only nickelback, a position that is a hybrid of safety and rover in the Warriors’ 4-2-5 scheme. Ford, the usual starting nickelback, opened at strong safety in place of ailing Kalen Hicks. But Ford also was used as a nickelback in some sub-packages.

“Gene and Kai were on the field at the same time for a lot of the game,” defensive coordinator Corey Batoon said. “They’re versatile.”

Ford and Kaneshiro can play anywhere in the five-position secondary. Ford began his UH career as a cornerback before sliding to nickelback in the middle of the 2018 season.

“It was like home,” Ford said. “In high school, I never really played corner at all. I was more of a safety. When I came in (to UH), I already had the capabilities of coming down (into run coverage), tackling, being violent at the point of attack. Once they moved me (from cornerback), I was like, ‘OK, let’s go. I’m back.’”

In pass coverage, the nickelback faces diverse receivers.

“Some (offenses) will put in smaller, quicker receivers,” Batoon said. “Sometimes you’ll have to face tight ends or H backs. It really depends on the personnel.”

At 6 feet 2 and 200 pounds, Ford has the strength and speed to match up against different-sized receivers and to challenge running backs. He has 15 tackles on running plays, 15 on pass plays.

“He’s more comfortable near the box,” Batoon said of Ford. “I think he enjoys getting involved in the run game, where at corner we weren’t able to use him there sometimes. By playing him at nickel and safety, he’s best using his attributes, especially against the run.”

Kaneshiro also has proven to be fearless in defending bigger opponents.

“I might be 30, 40 pounds lighter than the guy I’m tackling,” said Kaneshiro, who is 6-2 and 185 pounds, “but if you come in there with the right mentality, you can get him down.”

Kaneshiro’s experience on offense lasted only through Pop Warner. Beginning in intermediate school, he joined “the dark side,” Kaneshiro said. “Being out there hitting, being able to guard and read the formations, I like playing defense. I feel better when I stop somebody from scoring.”

Asked about defensive inspirations, Kaneshiro said, “Saint Louis.” He noted the Crusaders football programs were noted for one-on-one tackling drills. “We had Oklahoma drills every day throughout intermediate, JV,” Kaneshiro said. “It was just hitting, 100 percent.”