ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. >> When the University of Hawaii receivers turned out for spring football practice this year, they found a linebacker constantly in their midst.

“I was always asking them if I could jump in on the JUGS Machine with them,” Solomon Matautia said.

The JUGS Football Machine fires passes like a baseball pitching machine, enabling players to work on their catching technique at various speeds, distances and rotations.

“They were good about letting me in, they’d say, ‘Yeah, you need the practice,’ ” Matautia said of a 2018 season when he dropped several potential interceptions.

>> Click here to see photos of the game between Hawaii and New Mexico.

That practice paid off Saturday as Matautia gathered in a pass tipped by cornerback Roe Farris and returned it 14 yards for a first-quarter touchdown to help spirit the Rainbow Warriors to a 35-3 first-half lead and eventual 45-31 victory over New Mexico.

The play gave UH some momentum in breaking open what had been a 7-3 game.

“We have a lot of linebackers that people talk about, but he’s one that kinda doesn’t get mentioned a whole lot,” head coach Nick Rolovich said. “But, he’s been a major contributor since I got the job.”

Matautia led the ’Bows with three interceptions in 2017, including one he returned for a touchdown at Fresno State. He also scored on a fumble return that year. The interception return for a touchdown was the Warriors’ last until Kai Kaneshiro brought one back against Central Arkansas this season.

But while Matautia led UH in tackles in 2018 with 92 (54 solo), it was the potential interceptions that got away that weighed on his mind.

“I think last season I had like three or four picks that I dropped,” Matautia said. “So, I really worked on it in the offseason, spring ball and fall camp. I worked with the receivers and with Cole (McDonald) and Chevan (Cordeiro) a lot. That’s what it really comes down to, putting in the work.”

So, when UH led 7-3 in the first quarter and New Mexico quarterback Tevaka Tuioti’s pass for Cedric Patterson III was tipped by Farris, Matautia was ready. “I was anticipating it if it came off of Roe’s hands,” Matautia said.

“After that I was just hoping nobody was going to catch me before I got (to the end zone). Then, on the sideline I went over and thanked Roe,” Matautia said. “He set everything up.”

Matautia, a senior from Campbell High, finished with six tackles, including one for a loss.

Rolovich said, “He’s a very athletic guy, a very savvy and aware guy. He knows where he belongs on the football field. I didn’t know how many big plays he’s made since he’s been here. But it is a lot.”