Although Kenny Patton is in reasonably good health and practicing again, Turmarian Moreland and Lamar Broadway will be the University of Hawai'i's starting cornerbacks for tomorrow's football game against 22nd-ranked Fresno State, four UH coaches confirmed yesterday.

Patton, who is the Warriors' best cover defender, did not play last week because of injuries to his right shoulder and left quadriceps. Moreland and Broadway had 11 and 10 tackles, respectively, in the Warriors' 45-38 road victory over San Jose State.

Patton's return forced defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville to choose between his two long-standing policies: A) a player does not lose a starting job because of injury, and B) a player who finishes the previous victory starts in the next game.

"It was a tough decision," said Keith Bhonapha, who tutors the cornerbacks. "Broadway and 'T' had pretty good practices. And for the package we're in, they're ready to go. That's how it goes sometimes."

Glanville said: "Who was playing when we won the game last week? We'll start the game with the guys who finished the game."

Later, Glanville mused: "Their moms and dads are coming. We have a chance to sell more tickets if they start."

Bhonapha said Broadway, a fifth-year senior who was a safety until last week, "brings more of a physical aspect to the corner position." Bhonapha said Broadway was effective on open-field tackles and defending the deep route.

"Broadway is not very big, but he's a tough kid," Bhonapha said. "He's not afraid to stick his head in there. To have him out there brings confidence to one side."

Bhonapha said Moreland, also a senior, overcame minor mistakes with aggressiveness. Against San Jose State, Moreland made a tackle in the backfield, forced a fumble and intercepted a pass.

"For those two, there was nothing in that game where you could say, 'There's a glaring factor they shouldn't be playing again this week,' " Bhonapha said.

HAPPY REUNION FOR FORMER NFL FALCONS

Former All-Pro running back Jamal Anderson, who is the color analyst for ABC-TV's telecast of the UH-Fresno State game, yesterday was reunited with UH coach June Jones and UH assistant coach Rich Miano. When Anderson was with the Atlanta Falcons, Miano was his roommate and Jones was the head coach.

"The difference between us," Miano said, smiling, "is he rushed for 1,800 yards (in 1998), went to the Pro Bowl and made millions of dollars. I blew out my knee, and I'm a state employee worried about Honolulu gas prices. That's the difference."

Jones said Anderson was rated as a second-round prospect entering the 1994 NFL draft. "When we got down to the sixth round, his name was still on the board," Jones recalled. "I said, 'What in the world ...? I want to take this guy.' We took Jamal. He was our kind of fullback. He was 230, 235, and he could run. He was tailor-made for our system."

Anderson said meeting with Jones and Miano is "like coming full circle. It's exciting to see what they've done with the program."

Anderson briefly addressed the UH players following the two-hour practice. "I'm expecting a big game," he said.

Anderson said his younger brother, Jazen Anderson, will enroll at UH in January. Jazen, also a running back, was supposed to play this season, but his plans were short-circuited because of a "snag in his paperwork," Jamal said. "It's like that sometimes with the NCAA. I honestly think this is the best for him. He missed a lot of time in camp. By enrolling in January, he can go through spring ball and really understand the offense."

Jazen, who is training in Atlanta, kept busy by appearing on "Next," an MTV reality show in which he picks a winner from among five fast-paced dates. "He did OK," Jamal said. "He wasn't particularly enamored with his selections, but he had a good time. And he said 'University of Hawai'i' on there, so everybody knows he's coming here."

GRICE-MULLEN QUICKLY CAUGHT ON TO OFFENSE

Think your wonder years were difficult?

"It was awful," UH slotback Ryan Grice-Mullen said of his final two varsity football seasons at Rialto (Calif.) High School. "I was 0-10 as a senior, 1-9 as a junior."

Midway through the senior season, Grice-Mullen recalled, "my mom and dad sat me down and told me that no matter what, I had to play hard. They told me the effort was the most important thing."

The UH coaches noticed, offering a recruiting visit in January 2004. Grice-Mullen, who also played quarterback and running back, was recruited as as defensive back.

"As soon as I came here, I said, 'This is the place for me,' " he said. "I told my mom I'm coming here."

Utah and Fresno State also expressed interest.

During the 2004 training camp, Jones moved Grice-Mullen to slotback. His experience as a receiver? "None at all," he said. "Since the age of 9, I was a running back, cornerback or quarterback."

After redshirting as a freshman last season, Grice-Mullen emerged from the past spring practice as the top right slotback. But he suffered a sprained right shoulder during the second practice of training camp. He missed 15 practices and, seemingly, the opportunity to start. But he regained the job after Jason Ferguson suffered a season-ending injury in the opener.

Grice-Mullen has developed into the Warriors' top playmaker. In the past four games, despite wearing a padded undershirt to protect his right shoulder, he has caught 27 passes for 504 yards and eight touchdowns.

"I remember someone saying he didn't win a game as a senior," Brennan said. "He was the whole team. He did everything. When you have a guy like that, a guy who's willing to carry the team, it's great. He just does special things."

Grice-Mullen credits his speed (21.5 seconds over 200 meters) and endurance to his offseason workouts. "Around my house (in Rialto), we have big sand dunes," he said. "They're really steep. We ran up and down them."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.