For the first time in his coaching career, Hawai'i head coach Greg McMackin today will miss a full football practice.

Instead, McMackin will be dressed in a green cap and gown while sitting in the faculty section at UH's commencement ceremony.

McMackin was invited because of the academic success of his players. Fifteen Warriors and three former players have met the requirements to earn bachelor's degrees. All but one of the 18 will participate in the ceremony.

McMackin said he agreed to attend as a way to "honor and show respect to our seniors. They've done all of the hard work of being student-athletes. I respect that, and I respect their families. It's a family project."

McMackin also said he is appreciative of the faculty's contributions.

"The faculty has put in all of the time and the effort to teach these guys, to give them the knowledge to get their degrees," McMackin said. "It's sort of a two-fold reasoning."

Because of the festivities leading to the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl, the Warriors are locked into practicing this morning at Saint Louis School.

But McMackin said choosing between a practice and commencement ceremony was an easy decision.

"Quite honestly, I thought it was more important than a bowl practice," McMackin said. "School is very important to our program. Our No. 1 goal is to graduate all of our student-athletes."

Earlier in the season, he missed the second half of a practice to attend a Board of Education meeting. McMackin had testified as part of a plea not to cut funding that would hurt junior-varsity sports.

RB PILARES ON THE RUN

Every now and then, running back Kealoha Pilares will show the flash of speed and elusiveness that helps justify McMackin's claim of being a "top playmaker."

Despite two long runs during yesterday's practice, Pilares has not fully recovered from a sprained right foot.

"I've only gone full speed a little bit," Pilares said. "I'm trying to get back into the groove of things."

The injury is to the top part of his foot, and it involves "bones and the ligaments around the bones."

There is a sharp pain when he places weight on his toes, which, essentially is whenever he runs.

"There's hardly any rehab you can do for it," Pilares said. "You can strengthen the little muscles around your foot."

The only remedy, doctors have told Pilares, is "to stay off of it."

That will happen after Wednesday's bowl game.

"It's frustrating, but I'm working through it," said Pilares, who is expected to play against Notre Dame.

STEELE PROVES VERSATILE

Preparing for a holiday-season bowl means more practice days and fewer participants. With many players taking final exams, that created more opportunities for quarterback Steele Jantz.

The past week, Jantz has played running back and receiver, and served on the kickoff-coverage unit.

Jantz has been, well, steel-like. In a coverage drill, he floored linebacker Josh Rice. On another play, he ricocheted off would-be tackler Mana Lolotai. Yesterday, he made several graceful catches.

"I'm helping out because a lot of people left to take tests," Jantz said. "This was an opportunity to play. It's been cool."

Jantz earned the nickname "Steele-Bow" when he portrayed Florida quarterback Tim Tebow in practices leading to the season opener. But the handle has stuck, and the players often call for "Steele-Bow" when the scouts run plays against the first-team defense.

As for his new-found toughness, Jantz said: "I try to take on that role."

Jantz has gained 10 pounds from weight-training this season. Jantz, a freshman, is redshirting.

STEINHOFF GETS CUT

It was the kindest cut of all. After four years, Keoni Steinhoff cut off 12 inches of hair.

He donated the hair to Locks of Love, which makes wigs for children who lost hair while undergoing cancer treatment.

"I didn't want to just throw away the hair," Steinhoff said.

Steinhoff said his mother made the snips, but it was solely his decision.

"Nobody pushed me," he said.

Visit Tsai's blog at http://warriorbeat.honadvblogs.com.