Grasp smoke.

It would be as difficult a challenge as the one the University of Hawai'i football team faces in trying to stop Southern California's Reggie Bush.

On the field — as a running back, receiver, returner or general tormentor — Bush is all smoke and mirrors; quick as a finger snap and speed of blur.

"On film," UH coach June Jones said, "he's probably one of the best I've seen in a long time. He's got unbelievable speed ..."

"... on the field, he'll be even faster," UH free safety Leonard Peters said.

Last season, Bush rushed for 908 yards, caught 43 passes for 509 yards, averaged 25.6 yards per kickoff return, and raced an average of 15.7 yards on punt returns. By comparison, UH's Chad Owens averaged 14.8 yards per punt return last season.

Bush, who averaged 10.1 yards every time he touched the football, was a runner-up to teammate Matt Leinart in Heisman Trophy voting for the 2004 season. But Bush was named the Trojans' most valuable player, and UH defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville said, "Anybody who didn't vote for him for Heisman didn't watch him."

Rich Miano, who coaches the UH secondary, said Bush is "the one guy who looks like he's playing on a video game. He's that fast."

But not fast enough — even with the ability to run 40 yards in 4.4 seconds — to escape the crush of attention. "I just want to stay humble," Bush said in an interview with The Advertiser. "I take it for what it's worth. I just remember I'm a member on this team."

But pressed to describe his life in a globe, and all that it entails, to explain what it's like to be "Reggie Bush," he said: "It's great. It's fantastic. It's exciting for me. It's a blessing to go out there and perform, and do the things I do, and put on a show for the crowd."

Professing to be "amazed" sometimes by his now-you-see-me, now-you-don't escapes when seemingly trapped on punt returns or 'round-the-corner runs, he also acknowledged there is little sense of disbelief when he watches his highlight videotapes.

"Not really," he said. "I've been playing this game since I was 8 years old. That's not a long time to many people, but I've been doing these things since I was 8. It's expected. I expect to do things like that."

Bush's elusiveness has forced the UH coaches to spend long nights on strategic planning. "He reminds me of Eric Metcalf," Jones said, referring to the former All-Pro running back/returner. "He might be faster than Eric Metcalf."

"Right now, he's our main focus," UH safety Lono Manners said. "He's an awesome player. He's shifty, too. We have to contain him the best way we can."

Miano said the Warrior defenders will have to swarm to Bush.

"We've got to big-bag him," said Peters, a reference to the tackling bag used in defensive drills. "You have to hold him up and make sure all of your friends come up and hit him. It's like boxing. You have to keep hitting the body."

But first, the Warriors must find Bush. He aligns in the backfield, slot and wide. Sometimes, he is in motion. Glanville said Bush can hide behind an imposing offensive line.

"When they break the huddle, they block out the sun, so the backfield will be in the shade," Glanville said.

CRASH COURSE FOR QBS

In 2000, Nick Rolovich earned the starting job after playing well in training camp. But the Warriors were upset, 45-20, in the opener to Division I-AA Portland State, and Rolovich, despite completing 28 of 57 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns, was booed. The next week, Rolovich was 6 of 28 before being benched.

Rolovich rebounded to lead the Warriors to a 9-3 record in 2002 — a lesson Jones uses in explaining the difficulty of mastering the four-wide offense. UH encounters a similar situation with junior-college transfer Colt Brennan and second-year freshman Tyler Graunke making their Division I-A debuts against top-ranked USC.

"In our stuff, you have to be in it for a while before you're really comfortable doing what we do," Jones said. "You have to live with the mistakes, which we did (with Rolovich), until he got his chance again and was ready to roll."

Jones recalled a conversation with Warren Moon, his quarterback with the Houston Oilers. "We were one of the top teams in the league, No. 1 on offense," Jones said. "I'm warming up with him for the Seattle playoff game, and he looks at me and he says, 'You know, Coach, I'm finally understanding what we're doing.' I kind of walked away, thinking, 'We're in the playoffs and he finally thinks he understands what we're doing?'"

Jones said he has simplified the reads for Brennan and Graunke.

"They look like Rolo when he was first here," Jones said. "We have to live through their first four or five weeks. They'll keep getting better and better. They're going to do some good things on Saturday, and they're going to do some not-so-good things."

Brennan said he is hopeful the transition will be smooth from practices to the opening game. "It's all in your mind," he said. "I have to play like I'm an experienced quarterback."

Graunke said: "They're going to be faster than our scout-team defense. They're going to be more intimidating. We have to calm down and trust our system, and great things can happen."

MORELAND VOWS TO PLAY

Right cornerback Turmarian Moreland, who is recovering from a sore left knee, practiced extensively with the first team yesterday.

Miano said either Moreland or nickelback Ryan Keomaka will open at right cornerback.

"Turmarian had a tremendous practice," Miano said. "He's battling his way back."

Moreland said his left knee is at "80 percent." Medical tests did not show any ligament or cartilage damage. "I'm going to be ready to play Saturday," he said.

Defensive tackle Keala Watson, who is recovering from injuries to his left wrist and shoulder, said he will not play against USC.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.