University of Hawai'i football player Ryan Grice-Mullins has recovered from a sprained left ankle and is poised to reclaim his starting job at right slotback.

Grice-Mullins, a third-year sophomore, has missed three consecutive games since suffering the injury Sept. 23 against Boise State.

"He'll start," head coach June Jones said. "He's a starter. You don't lose your starting spot, with me, because of injuries."

The improved play of Ross Dickerson, who moved from starting right wideout to fill in for Grice-Mullins, won't alter the plans, Jones said.

In three starts as a wideout, Dickerson caught nine passes for 99 yards and zero touchdowns. In three games as a slotback, Dickerson has 22 receptions for 237 yards and three touchdowns. He now is second on the team in receiving, behind left slotback Davone Bess, who leads the nation with 8.17 receptions per game.

"Ross has played extremely well," Jones said. "He played his best game this week. But Ryan is pretty good."

Grice-Mullins has 13 catches for 220 yards, an average of 16.9 yards per reception.

Dickerson won't be able to reclaim the job as the No. 1 right wideout, either. Ian Sample has caught two scoring passes in each of the past three games.

Grice-Mullins had hoped to make the trip to Fresno last week. Forty of his friends and family members attended the 68-37 UH victory. He was the second-to-last cut for a berth on the 60-player travel roster.

"Last week I wasn't all the way ready," Grice-Mullins said. "It's a lot stronger now. I'm going to play (this week). That's the plan."

Jones said he expects Grice-Mullins to be at full strength.

"He has to be better than Ross," Jones said. "The only way he's better than Ross is if he's 100 percent. I expect him to be."

Grice-Mullins said he worked out daily on the treadmill, exercise bicycle and StairMaster.

"I'm definitely in shape," Grice-Mullins said.

He also said he will not have any difficulties running the plays.

"I've got all of the offense down to a T," he said. "That's not a problem. I know the offense like the back of my hand."

Jones said: "I don't worry about him. We're running the same stuff."

PATTON HAS PLANS

Starting left cornerback Kenny Patton, who suffered a broken left collarbone against Fresno State, said his goal is to play in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl on Christmas Eve.

Medical tests showed Patton suffered more than one fracture. He suffered the injury while trying to make a diving tackle.

"Honestly, I'll have to wait to see how it heals," Patton said. "The doctor told me the bowl game is a reasonable goal. I hope I'll be back three weeks earlier, for senior night. We'll see. I don't want to do anything stupid and try to rush it."

The Warriors (4-2, 2-1 in the Western Athletic Conference) would be assured a berth in the Hawai'i Bowl if they finish with a winning regular season.

Jones and defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville said the two starting cornerbacks will come from this pool: C.J. Hawthorne, who has started five of six games; A.J. Martinez, who has started two games; Myron Newberry, the top punt returner; Gerard Lewis; Ryan Keomaka and Guyton Galdeira.

Jones said Keenan Jones, a highly regarded junior-college transfer, probably will seek a medical hardship because of recurring back problems.

LAU'S BIG ENOUGH

At 5 feet 9 and 215 pounds, Micah Lau, who has emerged as the No. 1 right outside linebacker, is considered to be undersized for his position.

But that wasn't the case 10 years ago, when he tried to compete in Pop Warner. At 120 pounds, he exceeded the league's weight limit.

To get into shape, he turned to his father's good friend, Rich Miano. Mike Lau and Miano were UH teammates.

"He helped me with workouts," Micah Lau recalled.

As a Kamehameha Schools senior, Lau did not receive any football offers. Later, he decided to call Miano, who now was an assistant coach at UH. Miano invited Lau to audition as a non-scholarship player.

"The kid is under-sized, and probably nobody thought he could play D-I football," Miano said. "My thing is, you can never measure a player's heart. He has a big heart."

During spring practice in 2005, Glanville's first as UH defensive coordinator, Lau was a scout linebacker who practiced against the first-team offense.

"As a defensive staff, we appreciate guys who hustle and chase and try to get in on every tackle," Glanville said. "He did that on every play of the first spring I was here."

At Glanville's urging, Jones awarded Lau a scholarship.

Lau was used mostly on special teams last season. This year, with several injuries and the outside linebackers having difficulty playing "containment" — boxing in the quarterback and running back — Lau was summoned. He began practicing with the first team last Wednesday, and made his first UH start against Fresno State.

He set the tone on the opening defensive series, tackling running back Dwayne Wright for a 9-yard loss.

"The play was right in front of me, and I was screaming the whole time," Glanville said. "We worked on that play, and I knew he knew what to do. I kept thinking, 'Just make the tackle,' and he did. I was just so proud of him. He was the Lone Ranger. If he didn't make the tackle, it's a big, big play. Everybody else was on the other side."

WAC HONORS BRENNAN

Quarterback Colt Brennan has been named the WAC's Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in a row. Brennan completed 32 of 37 passes for 409 yards and five touchdowns against Fresno State.

For Brennan, a fourth-year junior and second-year Warrior, the biggest honor was not the WAC award nor Jones' growing trust in his judgment.

It was the new play that Jones installed specifically for Brennan's athletic ability. Expanding on a play Florida used with quarterback Tim Tebow, Jones came up with a scheme that could have been drawn on the streets. Brennan faked an option to running back Nate Ilaoa, stepped forward, then threw a dump pass to Sample, who was running a delayed post route, for a touchdown.

"(Jones) just comes up with so many different things," Brennan said.

During practice, when backup Tyler Graunke ran the play, "we were calling him 'Tybow,' after Tebow," Brennan said. "We're having a lot of fun with this offense."

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