Some of the aches of fall camp put at least two Hawaii players in unfamiliar positions on Thursday.

UH long snapper Luke Ingram injured his shoulder during a punt period early in practice and had his left arm in a sling for most of the morning.

"I’m not worried about it because he’s as mentally tough as anybody on this football team and probably physically as tough as anybody. He’ll be fine," UH head coach Greg McMackin said.

With Ingram — who succeeded his brother Jake as long snapper in 2009 — sidelined, freshman defensive end Beau Yap was called upon to step in during the punt and field-goal periods later in practice.

"You just have to be calm, you can’t be all stressed out about it, you just have to focus," said Yap, who was Kamehameha’s long snapper in high school and had been working on the skill during camp.

"I needed a practice one and then I was all right."

The offensive line also did some shuffling with the Warriors running thin at guard.

Chauncy Winchester-Makainai, the projected starter at right guard, sat out Thursday’s practice and freshman David Lefotu is recovering from a knee injury. To fill the spot, junior Levi Legay, who had been working at right tackle, moved over a spot to guard between center Matagisila Lefiti and tackle Sean Shigematsu.

"The tackle has to know what the guard is doing," Legay said. "So it’s not too bad."

Winchester-Makainai is expected to return to practice today, but even if Legay’s stint at guard proves to be brief, his versatility gives Warriors offensive line coach Gordy Shaw another option if the need arises.

Legay, a 2007 Kealakehe graduate, practiced at center early in his career and filled in some when Lefiti was hurt last week.

"He did an admirable job," Shaw said. "He’s kind of our jack of all trades."

Lutu picking up the pace

After two years of basketball conditioning, Leroy Lutu can finally sense his "football legs" coming back.

Lutu, a two-sport standout at Mercer Island (Wash.) High, spent his first two years at UH as a walk-on with the Rainbow Warrior basketball team and joined the football team last year as a safety.

After a redshirt year, Lutu showed some nice spring in reaching high for an interception during Thursday’s practice.

"This year I’m so much more comfortable," Lutu said.

"My (footwork) still isn’t 100 percent, but it’s coming back. I’m trying to make the right reads on the ball."

As Lutu, an all-league defensive back in high school, continues to work back into football mode, he’s also motivated by UH’s early-season trip to Washington.

Leroy Lutu Sr. was a heralded prep athlete at University High and went on to play for the Huskies. Consequently, purple and gold were prominent in Leroy Jr.’s upbringing.

"That’s a game I’ve had circled on my calendar since I found out we’re going to be playing them," Leroy Lutu Jr. said.

"My mom was always teasing my dad, ‘are you going to be wearing your purple and gold or are you going to be wearing Hawaii?’ My dad was like, ‘I’ll be wearing Hawaii for that game.’ "