Few things irritate a defensive football coach more than name-calling.

Which is why Hawai'i head coach Greg McMackin was pleased with cornerback Kawika Ornellas' anonymity in his first career start.

"You didn't hear Kawika's name, and he played the whole game, every snap," McMackin said. "That's the kind of corner you like, that you never hear his name."

Ornellas, a second-year freshman from Mililani High, was one of the few bright spots in the Warriors' 31-21 loss to Nevada Saturday.

UH coaches had feared Nevada would try to pick on Ornellas, who played in place of No. 1 right cornerback Jeramy Bryant (partially torn left biceps).

But Ornellas did not allow a big play on his side. Of the 70 snaps, Ornellas received two minus grades (and no double-minus demerits) for a near-perfect score. The minus grades were for technical errors, such as aligning to one side of a receiver instead of the preferred side.

"Kawika did a very good job," McMackin said.

Bryant is not expected to play in Saturday's game against Utah State.

That should open the way for Ornellas to make his second career start — an unlikely scenario for a player who was not invited to the 2009 training camp.

The past three years, Ornellas has suffered from tendinitis in both knees and a partial tear in his right leg. He said the injuries were likely caused from over-use.

Still, Ornellas refuses to ease on his workouts. This summer, for instance, he had a full workout every morning, a schedule that included weight-training, sprints and distance running.

Then in the evenings, he would do a second phase of running.

When he suffered from pain in the past, Ornellas said, "I never really did anything about it. I just worked through it."

But this summer, the Warriors decided to hold out Ornellas until his knees improved. He was not invited to training camp, although he eventually was added to the active roster.

Ornellas, who redshirted last year, was admittedly anxious entering the season. But he said playing on special teams had a calming effect.

He said he was not nervous in his starting debut.

"Not at all," Ornellas said.

Ornellas, a walk-on, was wearing a wrap around his right knee yesterday. Still, he participated in the one-hour afternoon practice and the "gassers" (six 220-yard sprints).

After that, when the rest of his teammates went to the locker room, Ornellas ran more sprints.

"I have to get my wind," Ornellas said. "I need it if I want to play all four quarters."

UH KEPT THREE BACK

McMackin acknowledged he dropped three players from the recent travel roster because of poor grades. He refused to publicly identify the players, although a check showed none was a starter.

"Academics is our No. 1 thing," McMackin said. "Graduating players is a top thing. There were some guys who weren't working hard enough on it. Before we can take them on trips, they have to do the work first."

He said the three players are academically eligible, and they remain on the team. But their academic struggles this semester raised concerns.

"I'd say 99 percent of this team is working their tail off," McMackin said. "That's really helped our APR. But if somebody doesn't believe in that, it hurts the program, and they're not going to play football."

MACK BACKS KIA

McMackin offered a vote of confidence for left tackle Aaron Kia, who was penalized four times in the Nevada game.

"Quite honestly, Kia's been playing good," McMackin said. "He's had some calls against him. But he's been doing a good job all year. I'm not down on him at all, or worried about him."

INJURY UPDATES

• Free safety/nickelback Richard Torres probably will not be available to play this week because of a pulled left hamstring.

• Right tackle Adrian Thomas participated in yesterday's workouts and running drills. Thomas did not play in the past two games because of a disk injury. He said the rest was helpful, and he remains hopeful of playing this week.