True freshman offensive guard Kai Maiava of Maui's Baldwin High earned the first start of his collegiate football career for Colorado Saturday.

Maiava, who is 6 feet and 295 pounds, "has led our blockers in knockdowns the last two games," offensive line coach Jeff Grimes said yesterday.

"For a true freshman, he is unbelievably confident, aggressive and intelligent," Grimes said. "He has grasped a complex offense in a short amount of time, and he is getting better and better in practice."

Grimes said Maiava will start again at left guard Saturday against Baylor and is the backup center as well. "Center is even more difficult," Grimes said, but "Kai is a quick learner."

Including defensive captain Jordon Dizon, a total of four players from Hawai'i would have started for the Buffs last Saturday but special teams captain R.J. Brown has been held out — perhaps permanently — after the sixth concussion of his career at Colorado and sophomore linebacker Michael Sipili was suspended from school for the fall semester after his conviction for assault.

Brown, his parents and his girlfriend were to consult with doctors this week about whether it was safe for him to play again.

Another true freshman, Sione Tau of Damien, is listed as the No. 2 left tackle, although coaches said that if he were not needed, Tau would be redshirted this season so he will have four years of eligibility left. The starting left tackle is a fifth-year senior.

"Tau is developing, too," Grimes said, "and eventually he may be even better than Maiava."

Nineteen-year Colorado assistant coach Brian Cabral, who is originally from Kailua, said he discovered Maiava and Tau at football camps he operates every year on Maui.

"I love to see guys achieve their potential. It means a lot to me to see the Hawai'i guys have success," Cabral said, adding, with obvious pride, "Just about every guy from Hawai'i who we have brought in has graduated."

Cabral is a Colorado graduate who made 25 tackles in a game in 1977 before starting a nine-year NFL career.

Freshman B.J. Beatty (Kahuku), who redshirted last year, shares the No. 2 outside linebacker position on the depth chart.

Brown underwent an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) exam Thursday. He has missed the past two games.

Brown, a junior, was selected to the New York Post's preseason All-America team as the newspaper's "special teams phenom." Originally a walk-on from Punahou, Brown was awarded a scholarship after last season.

Sipili, accorded honorable mention Freshman All-America honors by The Sporting News last season, earned the starting inside linebacker spot alongside Dizon in spring practice, but lost it during the summer.

He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault last month in connection with a June street fight in Boulder in which he allegedly hurt another student so badly that the victim needed surgery on his face.

Sipili was sentenced Sept. 12 to four days on a Boulder County Jail work crew, 80 hours of community service and two years of probation. The university subsequently suspended him for the fall semester.

He will be eligible for readmission for the spring semester and has told teammates that he will return.