Defensive end Laupepa Letuli said he has been diagnosed with a partially torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee and won't be available to play for at least three weeks.

After hobbling off the field on the final defensive series against Utah State last week, Letuli was not expected to play in Saturday's game against Louisiana Tech.

A magnetic resonance imaging showed the partial tear to the same MCL he injured earlier in the season. He missed three games because of that MCL injury.

"It's torn again, but I heal really fast," Letuli said. "I'll do the same rehab, and hopefully I can come back against Oregon State. That's my goal."

Mike Cavanaugh, who was UH's offensive line coach through the 2004 season, recruited Letuli and several other UH linemen. Cavanaugh is now Oregon State's line coach. And Letuli, who moved from offensive left guard last week to shore up a depleted defensive line, is now a defensive end.

"Each kid comes back a little differently," defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold said. "It depends on pain tolerance and the strength of his knee. That's something we'll have to wait and see. I'm hoping he comes back soon. The 20 plays he played (against Utah State), you could see every play he got a little better and a little more comfortable."

The Warriors have lost five backup defensive ends to injuries the past two games. The losses are significant because the Warriors are trying to develop specialty units behind starting ends Melila Purcell III and Ikaika Alama-Francis and nose tackle Michael Lafaele.

Letuli was on the pass-rush line featuring lighter but quicker down linemen.

Larry Sauafea, an offensive lineman who moved to defensive end on Monday, is part of the run-stopping line.

"We call it the 'Samoan Line' when we take Sauafea, who's well over 300 (pounds), and Lawrence Wilson, who's 300, and Michael Lafaele, at 320 and change," Reinebold said. "Kahai LaCount, who's 297, can go in there. We can put some stout guys on the field."

A heftier defensive line will be important against Louisiana Tech.

"Last year, they knocked us off the ball," Reinebold said. "They beat us physically. This group (of UH linemen) wasn't playing last year. There's a different approach. Nobody watching the film can say that's even remotely the same defensive line as it was last year."

PEDERSEN PERSEVERES

A month ago, Erik Pedersen made the successful move from strong safety to inside linebacker. (He practiced with the first-team defense yesterday because starter Adam Leonard was taking a test).

He also made an easy move during the summer when he accepted an invitation to become quarterback Colt Brennan's roommate.

Brennan and backup quarterback Tyler Graunke were roommates last year. But when Brennan was placed on scholarship in the spring, his grandmother gave him the money she was saving for his tuition to use toward a new apartment.

"I found a place to live that was a little more expensive than what Tyler and I were originally paying," Brennan said. "Tyler said he wasn't looking to pay that much to live. I went searching for a roommate who could afford a little higher place to live."

Brennan, a fourth-year junior, and Pedersen, a second-year freshman spent the summer training in Hawai'i. They were raised in Southern California.

"He was bummed at the end of (last year)," Brennan said. "He wanted to play anything just to get on the field. He kept working hard. The coaches took notice. They wanted to give him a chance. That's why they moved him. He embraced it, and did a good job with it."

Pedersen is 6 feet and 197 pounds, which is light in comparison to starting inside linebackers Leonard (230 pounds) and Solomon Elimimian (225).

"We don't do things the normal way," defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville said. "We like him in there (at inside linebacker) because he's fast, very fast. And he knows what to do."

Pedersen can run 40 yards in 4.5 seconds.

"Every week, I'm learning more and more," Pedersen said. "I'm reading the line, and knowing how to handle the offensive linemen, knowing what gap to fill."

Pedersen has shown perseverance in recent years. Because of injuries, he wasn't highly recruited entering his senior year at Peninsula High School.

He gave videos of his football games to a friend, who used a computer to edit the highlights onto a DVD. By the sixth game of the year, he had sent his highlight DVDs to more than 50 college teams.

He said he hoped for a callback but was prepared for rejection. "They probably get so many a day," Pedersen said. "Coach (Wes) Suan noticed it. He handed it to (defensive secondary) coach (Rich) Miano. I was so happy to get the call. Now I'm happy to get a chance to play."

KAFENTZIS EARNS START

For three games, Tyson Kafentzis was the state's best color analyst. While recovering from a hairline fracture in his right ankle, Kafentzis was assigned to the coaches box on the loge level, from where he helped identify an opposing team's offensive formations. UH uses a color for each formation. "Orange," for instance, is a formation with three receivers and two backs. "Blue" is one tight end, three receivers, one back.

Kafentzis identified the formation, and relayed the color to Glanville, who called the play. "He was the best at doing that," Glanville said.

Kafentzis said he had so much fun he is considering coaching as a future career.

For now, he is focused on Louisiana Tech. Glanville said Kafentzis will make his first start since the Sept. 23 game against Boise State. Kafentzis injured his ankle during warmups, and left the game during the first defensive series.

"It took time to heal," Kafentzis said. "Time and rest are the only things that will heal it. Once the season is over, I'll stay off of it for a couple of weeks to let it heal up completely."

He said he wears a brace during games and practices, but won't tape his ankle. "It feels too tight," he said.

Glanville said: "I'm glad he's back. "He's got AIT — attention, intelligence, tenacity."