The kickoff drill was the final phase of the University of Hawai'i's wet two-hour practice, and both sides were prepared to battle.

That's when the defensive players began singing "Rock and Roll, Part 2."

Then the offensive players, standing across the field, answered with their own stadium anthem.

And back and forth it went, both sides singing in the rain.

"That was nice," defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville said of the final home practice before tomorrow's road game against Utah State. "Now it's back to business."

The Warriors were scheduled to arrive last night in Wellsville, Utah, a 15-minute drive from Utah State's Logan campus.

They brought the conference-maximum 60 players, including 32 defenders, and warm clothing. The temperature will be in the mid-50s for the afternoon kickoff, and could drop into the 30s by the end of the game.

The coaches had waited until yesterday morning before paring the travel roster. The final cut was freshman defensive end Victor Clore. Tyson Kafentzis, who might start at outside linebacker, took one of the final spots.

"That's disappointing, but that's the way it is when you have a limited travel roster," said Jeff Reinebold, who coaches the defensive line.

Clore gained extra work this week because of injuries to backup defensive ends Keala Watson (torn meniscus in right knee), Amani Purcell (partial ligament tear and hyperextension in right knee) and Renolds Fruean (sprained right ankle).

Because of Logan's breathtaking high altitude — 4,400 feet above sea level — the Warriors planned to rotate three sets of defensive lines for their 3-4 schemes.

The starters are ends Melila Purcell III and Ikaika Alama-Francis and nose tackle Michael Lafaele. The run-stopping unit is composed of Lawrence Wilson, Rocky Savaiigaea and Kahai LaCount. Reinebold said he had hoped Clore would be on the third unit, made up of pass-rushers.

Without Clore, the Warriors will use Laupepa Letuli, who moved from offensive guard to defensive end on Monday, in an expanded role.

"We'll start him out on long downs, in pass-rush situations, where it a little bit easier to see some of the blocking stuff," Reinebold said of Letuli, a second-year freshman. "We'll have a more experienced guy in there on first downs."

Reinebold said Letuli, David Veikune and, possibly, Karl Noa will form the pass-rushing unit. Noa did not play last week because of a strained leg.

CHICAGO LB COMMITS

The Warriors are hopeful a blind date will lead to many happy years together.

Linebacker Kevin Konrath of Brother Rice High School in Chicago said he has accepted a scholarship offer from the Warriors. He said he will put his commitment in writing on Feb. 7, the first day of the national signing period.

Konrath said he received the initial offer without having met the UH coaches or visiting the campus. He said Reinebold found his recruiting videotape on an Internet scouting service.

Reinebold called Konrath's coach.

"My coach asked me, 'Do you want a chance to go Hawai'i?' " Konrath recalled.

"I was like, 'Of course.' It was a chance to go to paradise and play in a good program."

Konrath added: "Two periods later, they called my coach and offered me a scholarship. I thought it was a joke. My coach shook my hand. I said, 'Are you serious?' And he was."

Konrath was scheduled to visit Hawai'i to attend the season-finale against Oregon State.

After meeting with his parents Wednesday night, he decided to accept the UH offer.

Konrath is 6 feet 3 and 225 pounds. He said he can run 40 yards in 4.7 seconds.

He was named to the All-Catholic League and All-Area teams.

He said he received interest from Illinois and Northern Illinois, and an offer from Army.

AGGIES QB ON A MISSION

Utah State has improved offensively since Mike Santiago resigned as offensive coordinator and Riley Nelson was installed as the starting quarterback five weeks ago.

But the good times will be interrupted for two years. That's because Nelson, a freshman from Logan, has applied to serve on a two-year mission for the Mormon church.

"Ever since I was a little kid, I made my decision to go on a mission," Nelson said. "I prepared that if I were playing college football, I would have to put that on hold for a couple of years, and then come back and play."

Through the years his parents have contributed to a fund that would pay for his mission. In the spring, he will learn where he will serve. He said there is an orientation retreat of up to three months if he needs to learn a foreign language. He said he can speak Spanish.

"As a family, we're very strong in our faith," Nelson said. "I feel a responsibility to go out and serve. I know it will be hard work. It's not the same kind of hard work as it is in football. It will be the daily grind where you're out knocking on doors from dawn to dusk. I'm looking forward to meeting people and sharing my faith. I can't wait to start."

For now, Nelson is steersman of the struggling Aggies (1-7). In the first four games, the Aggies averaged 179.5 yards per game. In the four games Nelson has started, they are averaging 373 yards per game.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.