Coming off the snap, Iuta Tepa found a gap in the line and shot through it before an offensive lineman could counter his move. Suddenly in the backfield, he shut down the play by wrapping up the ballcarrier for a 3-yard loss.

"It reminded me of the good old days," the University of Hawaii defensive end said.

"That type of stuff helps get the defense electrified and hyped up and ready for the next play."

Tepa’s path to Manoa wasn’t quite so direct, and Saturday’s scrimmage, the Rainbow Warriors’ first of fall camp, had him looking forward to the opportunities ahead.

Tepa initially committed to UH in the fall of 2008 as a heralded high school defensive lineman at Long Beach Poly. He instead signed with UCLA, where he spent three years before deciding to transfer to Hawaii last year.

After a redshirt season, he sat out spring practice due to a back injury, so Saturday’s scrimmage represented a long-awaited return to full-speed tackling.

"Getting in there felt good, just to get back at it," Tepa said. "It’s been a while actually coming in and going live and getting the feel for tackling. It’s just muscle memory.

"It’s been frustrating sitting out watching from the sidelines — that’s all I could do, get mental reps. … It’s a process to get back where you were before you got hurt. It’s good to be back and I’m just taking it a day at a time and getting stronger."

Now in his second year at UH and first on the active roster, Tepa is being counted on to add to the Rainbow Warriors’ depth on the defensive front. He was part of the first group of defensive linemen to take the field in the scrimmage, with returnees Beau Yap and Tavita Woodard watching the action.

"We came in knowing Beau Yap and Tavita were solid guys. They played a lot last year and we needed some backup," UH defensive line coach Lewis Powell said.

"Iuta did really well and exactly what we asked of him. He took more (reps) than the rest of the older guys because we need him to be ready."

In the snaps Tepa played in the early portion of Saturday’s scrimmage, he pressured the quarterback on a few occasions and dropped freshman running back Aofaga Wily for the aforementioned tackle for loss.

"Before I came in I told one of my coaches, I just want to come in clean one time and get one good hit and I’ll be happy," Tepa said. "If it wasn’t for the D-line making it happen for me, I wouldn’t have come in clean like that."

Tepa signed with UCLA when current UH head coach Norm Chow was the Bruins’ offensive coordinator. He played in five games as a freshman, and a shoulder injury limited his sophomore season to three games.

Powell was at Utah with Chow in 2011 when Tepa posted a sack in UCLA’s game against the Utes. He played in all 13 games that season and finished with 41⁄2 tackles for loss coming off the bench.

"When he wanted to transfer and come here there was no question," Powell said. "When we played against him he made a couple plays and we didn’t forget."

Tepa is listed as a senior, but the plan is to petition for another year of eligibility. His addition to the roster reunited him with former Long Beach Poly teammate George Daily-Lyles, who moved from linebacker to defensive end this season. Their Poly connection also includes Mita Uiato, the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team’s starting setter.

"We get together from time to time and reminisce," Daily-Lyles said. "It’s good to have a Long Beach connection; it’s another plus to all the brothers I have as teammates."