Defensive end Francis Maka is willing to pay the price to play for the Hawai'i football team the rest of this season.

The cost? A few thousand dollars.

"It's worth it," Maka said.

Last week, the NCAA granted Maka a sixth season, allowing him to be immediately eligible to play this season. He had not played nor practiced with the team since the Jan. 1 Sugar Bowl.

It was ruled that Maka had incurred a reasonable hardship when he attended but did not play at Arizona during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Maka, who was recovering from a knee injury those years, provided documents showing he had suffered physical and financial hardships.

Maka, who transferred to UH in January 2007, was on football scholarship last season. After his first appeal to the NCAA was denied the past spring, Maka was offered a position as student manager for this season. The manager's position came with a tuition waiver and stipend equal to the value of a football scholarship.

But when the NCAA ruled in favor of his appeal, Maka, in order to rejoin the Warriors, had to relinquish his manager's scholarship.

The Warriors, meanwhile, had given Maka's football scholarship to running back Daniel Libre. They do not have any available scholarships.

Maka, who is on track to graduate in December, now must pay for his school and living expenses.

"Right now I'm not on scholarship," Maka said. "I would have received a player's scholarship if I received the word earlier (from the NCAA). But then (the Warriors) gave away the last (football) scholarship to Libre, which I think he deserves. He's a great player. By me playing, I can't be on the manager's scholarship."

But Maka said the opportunity to play again is worth the price.

"If I look back on it, I'd pay a lot of money to get my year back," Maka said. "Just to have a chance to play again, I'm ecstatic."

Head coach Greg McMackin said: "I tell you he's got one of the best attitudes of any player I've ever coached. He just wanted it so bad. He's really taken care of the details. ... He's done all of the right things. He's very intelligent. He'll be able to get his degree, and have fun playing football at the same time. I couldn't be happier for him."

McMackin said Maka is expected to make the travel roster for Friday's nationally televised game against 15th-ranked Boise State.

Maka will be in the rotation at defensive end, as well as serve on some of the special-team units.

"He's a great pass rusher," McMackin said. "He's a player."

LIBRE HITS THE BOOKS

Libre, who is a senior running back, earned a scholarship mostly because of his academic progress.

"I got back on course, you could say, and (McMackin) rewarded me for it," Libre said.

Libre said he had struggled academically last year while trying to balance football, school and work.

"I was working a lot, trying to help out my dad financially," he said.

After initially being denied a scholarship during the summer, Libre managed to find "an equilibrium, I guess."

The scholarship, he said, has eased the financial burden on his family.

Libre is on track to graduate in December or May.

"He needed to show me that he could graduate, and that he wanted to graduate," McMackin said. "I'm not giving anybody a scholarship unless (he is) committed to getting (his) degree. That's the most important thing. You can only play football for so many years. But a degree helps you your entire life. That's really important to the program and to me."

CLORE INJURES KNEE

Defensive end Victor Clore, a key member of three special-team units, will not play this week because of an injured right knee.

He said he suffered the injury when he tried to chase after the football following a blocked punt in Saturday's game against Louisiana Tech.

"I guess me and some other guy's leg got tangled up," Clore said. "He hit me on my knee."

He said he does not know the extent of the injury. As for his playing status, he said, "Definitely not this week."

NEW AND NOTES