There probably is not a hand in Hawai'i that Greg McMackin has not shaken.

He has accepted more dinner invitations than Tila Tequila.

The name of his workplace — Aloha — also is his philosophy.

And that is why it was difficult for him to say "no" to his most experienced quarterback.

Did it hurt?

"Sure it did," McMackin said. "But sometimes you have to have a little tough love."

For failing to resolve "academic issues," quarterback Tyler Graunke was suspended from offseason workouts in March and from participating in this summer's training camp.

McMackin said Graunke was not included in the Warriors' 2008 plans.

"We moved on," McMackin said. "Basically, he was not going to play this season."

But Graunke, on his own, resolved his academic problems. He was reinstated to the team two weeks ago, but did not take any reps in passing drills until the past Tuesday. He participated in three full practices, all as the No. 2 quarterback, before Saturday's game. Summoned at the start of the second half, Graunke rallied the Warriors from a 10-point deficit to a 36-17 victory over Weber State.

"I'm happy for Tyler," McMackin said. "He came into the game and showed he could move a football team. But it's more important to me that he succeeds as a person than a football player. He's taken care of business, and it's helping him as a football player."

Graunke said: "I'm happy for the opportunity."

Graunke has said his "academic issues" could be traced to when he changed his major.

In March, McMackin decided to "suspend" Graunke from the offseason conditioning program, allowing him more time to resolve his situation. It was a tough decision for McMackin, who was hired in January as the successor to June Jones. Graunke was the only quarterback on the roster who had started a Division I-A game.

"He's a good quarterback," McMackin said. "You want him playing. But I want him playing for the right reasons, and a big part of our program is academics. We're not going to pay lip service to it. It's really important to us. I'm going to be persistent on that."

When Graunke incurred his "academic issues" this summer, McMackin opted to withhold him from team activities until a resolution was reached. Graunke, for the record, was never academically ineligible.

"On his own, he did the things he had to do to get (reinstated)," McMackin said. "That's why I give him credit. It was important for him to play his senior season, and he took care of business. He took care of his own responsibility. I think it's making him a better person. That's what it's all about."

Graunke was reinstated a week before the season opener against Florida. It was initially agreed that Graunke would not receive significant work in practice until after the Sept. 13 Oregon State game, the third game of the season. The Warriors have a bye the following week.

But Graunke's positive attitude and his experience in the offense led to an adjustment in the timetable. Graunke took all of the snaps as the No. 2 quarterback in practices Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The Warriors had a walk-through Friday.

McMackin said Graunke will start against Oregon State. He also said he will maintain the same team standards.

"I'm going to still continue to do what I believe in," McMackin said. "This isn't just the quarterback position. This is every position."

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