By Stephen Tsai

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The Hawaii football team is expected to be in relatively good health for Saturday’s rivalry game against Fresno State at the Ching Complex.

The 3-1 Rainbow Warriors were without four offensive starters — quarterback Micah Alejado, center Ethan Spencer, wideout Jackson Harris and slotback Nick Cenacle — in last Saturday’s 23-3 victory over Portland State, an FCS member. But Alejado, Spencer and Harris will be medically cleared to return to the starting lineup.

“It’s been a long process with rehabbing (an injured right foot) and getting it stronger,” Alejado said after Tuesday’s two-hour practice.

Alejado initially suffered the injury in the first series of the second half against Stanford on Aug. 23. He missed only one play before returning to lead the Warriors to the tying and winning drives.

During the following week’s road game against Arizona, Alejado’s deep bruises were aggravated when a Wildcat stepped on his right foot.

After returning to Honolulu, Alejado recalled thinking, “I’m not putting the team in the best position to win. We sat down and talked about it and thought the two weeks (of rehabilitation) would help me a lot. I sat down with the trainers (to discuss) what the recovery process would look like. It’s paying off.”

Alejado said he went through treatments three times a day. He also attended video sessions and meetings, and provided tips to quarterbacks Luke Weaver and Dermaricus “MarMar” Davis.

“He’s a student of the game,” quarterbacks coach Chad Kapanui said of Alejado. “Even though he wasn’t playing, he was still locked in and ready to go, supporting his teammates and making sure he was on top of things. He has the opportunity again. He’s ready to go.”

Alejado said: “It was hard mentally coming back in. Slow process, for sure. But it was definitely great for me. I feel great right now.”

Alejado did not appear to have any problems with his footwork, release or arm strength during position drills and team sessions on Tuesday.

“I’m getting that vibe again, like the first day of training camp,” Alejado said. “It’s exciting.”

Kapanui said: “It’s always good when your players are back. Everything changed today. You could tell with (Alejado’s) leadership on the field. I think the practice went really smooth with him today.”

Spencer was held out against Portland State while in the concussion protocol. He is expected to be cleared today.

“It was tough.” Spencer said of missing a game. “I had to make sure I healed my body, especially with concussions, head injuries. That stuff is important. That’s not a thing you can push through. You have to make sure your brain, your mind, everything, comes back to normal before being able to come back. I feel good now.”

Alejado said Spencer is valued for his leadership and ability to decipher defenses.

“He’s controlling the line of scrimmage for us,” Alejado said. “He’s making all the calls for the O-linemen. He’s controlling where we’re protecting. A very smart kid, very physical, and very disciplined. He finishes on every single play until the whistle’s blown. He brings a lot of value for us on that side of the ball. Just being able to control where things are going, where the protection is going, where the runs are going. Having him back will be great for us. Excited to see him back.”