During a portion of every practice this spring training, the University of Hawai'i football team's defense feels right at home, as in sweet home Alabama.

That's because the Warriors have been preparing for their 2006 season-opening opponent since February.

"No question, we've been doing a lot of studying," UH defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville said.

Glanville said the Warriors have secured videotapes of five Crimson Tide games from last season. "The coaches' version," he said of the wide-wide-wide screen format.

"We've got the Auburn game, Texas Tech game . . . wait, I'd better not name them all," he said, smiling. "It probably would be unprofessional."

Most of the players have watched at least one Alabama video; the coaches have watched each video at least five times.

In each of the first 13 practices of spring training, the defense practices against the scout players portraying Alabama's offense. Glanville said the defense and scout players must treat the practices with game-ready focus.

"We let them know we're working on Alabama's stuff, and they know they have to do things exactly right," Glanville said. "We can't compete against Alabama if we make mental errors. They have too good athletes."

Glanville said he throws out historical references, such as the Warriors' gang-tackling philosophy and goal-line charges that are lifted from the playbook of famed Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. In 38 seasons, Bryant won 323 games and had only one losing year.

"We get to do what we do best in his stadium," Glanville said. "That gets the players motivated."

As an assistant coach at Georgia Tech in 1971, Glanville was offered a coaching job at Alabama. The salary was $9,000 a year.

"When coach Bryant called me, I really could only catch every third word," Glanville said. "He was hard to understand, especially on the telephone, because of his accent."

Glanville turned down the offer. The next year, Ohio State coach Woody Hayes offered Glanville a job. "I was honored he asked me, but I didn't feel bad about turning him down," Glanville said. "Woody turned me down as a player. He rejected me."

CALLING HIS NUMBER

At the request of UH head coach June Jones, 298-pound running back Reagan Mauia will wear No. 34 in the fall.

"He told me he wanted me to wear 34 because of Ironhead," Mauia said, referring to 280-pound running back Craig "Ironhead" Heyward, who is battling a brain tumor.

Heyward was the starting running back when Jones was head coach of the Atlanta Falcons in 1994. Jones has likened Mauia, a converted nose tackle, to Heyward.

"I told coach I would be honored," Mauia said. "I don't think I'm up to that level, but it's nice to start with the number."

While Mauia has impressed teammates with his knock-down running style, a more astonishing proposal is Mauia serving as a quarterback.

Mauia is set to serve as the fullback on punts, a position in which he will be aligned between the offensive line and punter. His job is to call out the play and identify the defensive formation. One play is a fake punt in which the fullback, also known as an upback, takes the snap and throws a pass.

"I never passed before, but I think I can give it a try," Mauia said.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.