Jason Rivers yesterday did not participate in his second consecutive practice because of lower-back tightness, but the Hawai'i football team remains hopeful its starting left wideout will be available for tomorrow's road game against Idaho.

"He still has a chance," head coach June Jones said. "It'll be a game-day decision."

The Warriors departed yesterday afternoon, and Rivers was on the 64-player travel roster.

This season Rivers is 21st nationally in receptions (6.75 per game) and 28th in receiving yards (89.2 per game). Rivers and right slotback Ryan Grice-Mullins lead the Warriors with 27 catches apiece.

"Jason is a great outside target," quarterback Colt Brennan said. "You throw a ball to a guy like Jason because he is what he is. He's a 6-foot-2, 200-plus receiver who can pick up a lot of yards for you and has unbelievable speed and he's physical. That's why we give him the ball when he's in there. He does a lot of good things with it."

Rivers was most effective on inside slants, especially when defenses try to double up on slotbacks Grice-Mullins and Davone Bess.

"It leaves them one on one with Jason, and that's a matchup we usually always win," Brennan said. "Jason is the guy who will run you over and then go to the house."

Yesterday, Malcolm Lane, Greg Salas and Dylan Linkner practiced at left wideout.

Lane, a sophomore, will start if Rivers is not available.

"Malcolm had his best week of practice," said Ron Lee, who coaches the receivers. "Now he has to go into the game and play. He's learning how to practice and how to play."

Lane, who is 6 feet 1 and 181 pounds, is considered to be one of the Warriors' fastest receivers, although he has not been timed in the 40-yard dash.

"People know I'm fast, but it doesn't matter," Lane said. "I don't care about that stuff. I care about running hard every play and making the right reads on the football field. Speed is always an advantage, but you have to be smart, too. It showed last year (as a true freshman). I was fast, but I didn't know what I was doing, and it didn't get me anywhere. You can have speed, but if you don't know what you're doing, it doesn't mean anything."

Lane, who moved from right wideout last week, said he has better knowledge of the Warriors' four-wide offense this season.

He has spent this week running extra sprints, trying to develop his fourth-quarter stamina.

"I'm not used to playing a full game," Lane said. "I think the coaches want me to improve endurance-wise. I'm pushing myself when I get tired. My wind is building up."

He also is learning to sprint every play, even when he is not one of the primary receivers. In UH's system, the wideouts often are used as decoys, running routes that draw defenders away from other receivers or the running back.

"Sometimes you're supposed to run off your man," Lane said. "A lot of times defensive backs pick up that stuff. You run your route soft, and they know it's a running play, and they go straight inside. You've got to run hard every time."

Brennan said he is encouraging Lane to not stew over mistakes.

"The thing that everyone learning the position struggles with is thinking too much," Brennan said. "As long as he keeps getting more reps and more success, he'll understand the offense more and he'll have more confidence."

Salas, who has been practicing at both wideout positions, suffered a "jammed" right thumb yesterday.

"It's a little swollen," he said, "but I'll be all right. I'm going to play."

AHMAD TO REDSHIRT

Reserve linebacker Po'okela Ahmad will redshirt this season.

Ahmad, a 2006 Kapolei High graduate, was a grayshirt who joined the team this summer.

"It'll help me in the long run," Ahmad said. "I can grow, learn, and get stronger and faster."

DRESSED FOR SUCCESS

The competition is accelerating now with the latest distribution of personalized T-shirts.

What started as a senior project a few years ago has spread, with players producing T-shirts and distributing them to teammates.

Linebackers Timo Paepule and Rustin Saole, and slotbacks Bess and Grice-Mullins have distributed their shirts.

Paepule's shirt lists the 10 reasons opponents should fear being tackled. Each item on the list is "Timo Paepule," who wears No. 10.

Saole's shirt has a Bible scripture.

Bess' shirt has a map of the Bay Area.

"I want to represent where I'm from and bring it back to where it all started," said Bess, who was raised in Oakland.

Grice-Mullins' shirt gives praise to "I.E" — "Inland Empire, or San Bernardino, Calif.

Because of a mix-up, his birth certificate incorrectly lists his name as "Grice-Mullen." That is the name UH officials use in reference to Grice-Mullins in the media guide and news releases. His T-shirt line sets the record straight. The name on the back is "Grice-Mullins."

Visit Tsai's blog at www.HawaiiWarriorBeat.com.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.