Two of the University of Hawai'i football team's best defenders — left end Melila Purcell and cornerback Kenny Patton — resumed practicing yesterday, then declared themselves physically fit for Saturday's regionally televised game against 22nd-ranked Fresno State.

"Everything feels good," said Purcell, who missed the past two games because of a partially torn ligament in his left knee. "The rehab helped."

Although his left knee was covered in thick wrapping, Purcell was on the first-team defense, and did not appear to have difficulty running.

"It was good to see him in there," defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville said. "He'll get better every day."

Patton did not play last week because of injuries to his right shoulder and left quadriceps. He did not appear to have any problems yesterday. "I'm good to go," said Patton, who did not play last week. "I'm 100 percent."

Patton's return creates a pleasant dilemma for the coaches. Last week's starting cornerbacks, Turmarian Moreland and Lamar Broadway, made 11 and 10 tackles, respectively, in a 45-38 victory over San Jose State.

Patton is the Warriors' fastest and best pass defender. Broadway, who moved from safety last week, and Moreland are physical defenders.

Asked to name the starting corners if the game were played today, Rich Miano, who coordinates the secondary, said: "The operative sentence is 'the game isn't being played today.' We haven't really chosen our starting lineup."

Glanville said: "I'll try them all before it's over."

Glanville has started mixing and matching the secondary. Dane Porlas, who made the game-clinching interception Saturday after replacing Landon Kafentzis at free safety, is the tentative starter this week. Kafentzis also practiced at strong safety. Glanville said Broadway might be used at safety, too.

"They're all interchangeable," Glanville said. "It's like owning a Toyota. Every nut will fit every bolt."

PUNTING WILL BE KEY

UH coach June Jones said he has the solution to Fresno State's aggressive punt-blocking schemes.

"We fake," Jones said, smiling. "Hopefully, we don't have to punt as much. And if we have to, we fake."

In six games this season, the Bulldogs have blocked four punts. They have 34 blocks (including punter tackles) in Pat Hill's nine seasons as FSU coach.

Jeff Reinebold, who oversees UH's punt team, has reviewed videotapes of the Bulldogs' games, and noted, "they attack a different way each week. They look for your weak spot — whether that's a personnel situation, whether that's a scheme scenario that you have, or whether it's a down-and-distance situation that they can jump on you. The worst thing is to get into a fourth-and-12 or fourth-and-15 situation. Then you're in trouble. They're going to come after it."

UH's system sets a maximum of 1.9 seconds between the snap and the punt.

"Fresno is going to make you be at 1.9 all of the time," Reinebold said. "They're going to force you every time to be in rhythm. Even if your snaps are good, even if your protection is good, they're going to be there. It's going to be like living on the razor's edge every time we go to punt."

Reinebold said punts usually are blocked during two phases — early, because "somebody's not ready for something," and in the fourth quarter, because of fatigue. "We have to be disciplined," he said.

Jake Ingram, a freshman from Mililani High who enrolled at UH in January, said he welcomes the challenge of long-snapping. Three weeks ago, Ingram replaced Tanuvasa Moe, who ceded long-snapping duties because of a sprained right wrist. Moe is the starting strongside linebacker.

By accepting the assignment, Ingram relinquished his role as a backup defensive end. "He's only long-snapping now," Jones said. "We don't want him to do anything else."

Ingram said he used to work on snaps 10 minutes before practice and 20 minutes after practice. "Now I get another 30 minutes during practice," he said. "I'm getting comfortable."

Ingram said snapping is, well, a snap. "I think anybody can do it," he said. "It's like throwing a football. I just put it between my legs, and throw it back there."

Moe said: "There's a lot of pressure. He has to be perfect."

Reinebold added: "That's life in the food chain. If you're a snapper, you've got to understand that every time you go out there it's a critical down. If Colt (Brennan, UH's quarterback) completes 70 percent of his passes, he's the WAC player of the week. If Jake is accurate (70 percent) of the time, he's out of a job. That's just the way it is."

Ingram, who is 6 feet 4, weighed 190 pounds when he accepted an invitation to join UH as a non-scholarship player last year. Last fall, he gained strength through diet and an intensive exercise program. He now weighs 237 pounds.

"I was trying to redshirt this year, but it didn't work out that way," said Ingram, noting he needs to gain another 20 pounds to compete against heftier offensive linemen.

Last spring, he volunteered to serve as a backup punter. "He did a good job with it," Jones said.

Last week, San Jose State changed its punt-blocking tactics to test Ingram's inexperience. Clarence Cunningham, who usually races in from the perimeter, aligned in front of Ingram. "They knew I was the rookie out there," Ingram said.

But Ingram successfully snapped, blocked and raced down to cover the UH punts. After the game, Cunningham congratulated Ingram.

"That was a great gesture," Reinebold said. "You don't see that very often."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.