Hawai'i launches its fun-and-shoot offense tonight when quarterback Bryant Moniz makes his first NCAA start.

Against Fresno State, there are a couple of coinky-dinks. Moniz, a Leilehua High graduate, attended Fresno City College in 2007. His daughter, born in Fresno, is named Cali.

But Moniz is not distracted by the side stories, nor overwhelmed by the magnitude of his debut. He is replacing Greg Alexander, who underwent season-ending knee surgery last week.

Having fulfilled a childhood dream of playing for the hometown team, Moniz said, "Now it's all about having fun with your brothers on the field."

Moniz struggled a bit when some tweaks were made to the offensive schemes earlier in the week. But he played well in the full practices Wednesday and Thursday. The Warriors had a walk-through yesterday afternoon.

Quarterback coach Nick Rolovich praised Moniz's "accuracy and timing."

Rolovich added: "People will follow him. He has a great personality. To me, he doesn't do anything bad. ... What he needs to work on is out of his control. He needs more reps, more (game) situations, those type of things. Father Time is in control of that."

Here's a closer look at today's game:

FRESNO STATE OFFENSE

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

WR—6 Chastin West 6-1 215 Sr.

LT—70 Bryce Harris 6-6 295 Fr.

LG—79 Devon Cunningham 6-6 350 Jr.

C—74 Joe Bernardi 6-2 280 Jr.

RG—69 Andrew Jackson 6-5 295 Jr.

RT—60 Kenny Wiggins 6-7 310 Jr.

TE—49 Vince Pascoe 6-0 230 Jr.

WR—2 Seji Ajirotutu 6-4 210 Sr.

QB—15 Ryan Colburn 6-3 220 Jr.

FB—48 Reynard Camp 5-11 270 Jr.

TB—21 Ryan Mathews 5-11 220 Jr.

Outlook: Apparently, you aren't always what you eat. Mathews, who gave up fast food, is speeding along to an outstanding season. He is averaging 148.0 rushing yards per game, and 6.8 yards per carry. Four of his five touchdowns have exceeded 50 yards. The UH coaches describe Mathews as the best back in the country. UH associate head coach Rich Miano likens Mathews to LaDainian Tomlinson, a former UH opponent. Actually, because of injuries, Mathews did not play against the Warriors as a freshman and sophomore. "He has everything," Miano said. "He has great vision. He has great speed (sub-4.5 in the 40). He breaks tackles. If he goes out after this year, he's an NFL first-day player. We won't play a better back this year." The Bulldogs like to free Mathews on lead draws, power sweeps and what is known as the "Nasty" package in which a receiver, tight end and fullback serve as a collective plow.

Lonyae Miller, who is ranked as the nation's seventh-best senior running back, and Anthony Harding also have breakaway potential.

West, Marlon Moore and Ajirotutu have each led the Bulldogs in receiving the past three seasons.

FRESNO STATE DEFENSE

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

E—43 Chris Carter 6-2 230 Jr.

NT—77 Logan Harrell 6-2 275 So.

DT—93 Chris Lewis 6-3 260 Jr.

E—92 Kenny Borg 6-3 245 So.

OLB—53 Kyle Knox 6-1 215 So.

MLB—54 Ben Jacobs 6-3 225 Jr.

OLB—55 Nico Herron 6-3 240 Jr.

CB—24 Desia Dunn 5-9 190 Jr.

SS—3 Moses Harris 5-11 205 Sr.

FS—20 Lorne Bell 5-10 200 Jr.

CB—28 A.J. Jefferson 6-0 190 Sr.

Outlook: Harris is a long-time fan of one of Hawai'i's sons. Don Ho? Iz? "The author (Robert Kiyosaki) of the 'Rich Dad' (financial advice) books," said Harris, a finance major. "I really enjoy going to Barnes & Noble and reading. I know that sounds nerdy." But don't be fooled. Harris is a voracious reader and vicious hitter. And, like most of his teammates, Harris spent the past two weeks studying the Warriors' offense. "I like what they do," Harris said. "They have a pretty good passing game."

The Bulldogs counter with a strong spine — Carter, a converted linebacker; Jacobs, a third-year starter who has a team-high 31 tackles; and Harris.

The Bulldogs have three sacks and one interception in four games, but they are expected to crank up the pressure on the young Warrior quarterback.

FRESNO STATE SPECIAL TEAMS

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

PK—35 Kevin Goessling 6-0 190 So.

LS—58 Bobby Shepard 6-2 235 So.

P/H—42 Robert Malone 6-2 225 Sr.

KO—35 Andrew Shapiro 6-1 185 Fr.

KR—28 A.J. Jefferson 6-0 190 Sr.

KR/PR—6 Chastin West 6-1 215 Sr.

Outlook: In Pat Hill's 13 seasons as head coach, the Bulldogs have blocked 80 kicks, including a punt this year. What's more, Jefferson and West are twin blurs on kickoff returns. "If you kick it away from one great athlete, you're kicking it to another great athlete," said Chris Tormey, who coaches UH's special teams. "It's, like, pick your poison."

Even the Bulldogs' Achilles' heel has healed. Goessling has made five of six field-goal attempts.

HAWAI'I OFFENSE

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

LWO—3 Rodney Bradley 6-0 190 Jr.

LSB—1 Greg Salas 6-2 200 Jr.

LT—77 Aaron Kia 6-5 290 Sr.

LG—64 Ray Hisatake 6-3 315 Sr.

C—55 John Estes 6-3 300 Sr.

RG—74 Raphael Ieru 6-2 315 Sr.

RT—66 Adrian Thomas 6-6 310 Jr.

RSB—21 Kealoha Pilares 5-11 200 Jr.

RWO—81 Royce Pollard 6-0 175 So.

QB—17 Bryant Moniz 6-0 190 So.

RB—23 Leon Wright-Jackson 6-1 215 Sr.

RB—25 Alex Green 6-2 220 Jr.

Outlook: The blitz is football's version of the full-court press, and the key to solving each is to look for the open man. Anticipating pressure from the Bulldogs, the Warriors have worked extensively on blitz breaks — improvising a route by cutting into an area vacated by a blitzer or coming back to help out the quarterback. The tactic has two intentions: to open the way for a big play and to ease the blocking time for the offensive linemen. Three of last week's seven sacks allowed might have been avoided if receivers were able to break into the clear quicker. "Obviously, they're going to try to blitz us," Pilares said. "We're going to have to be ready for everything they throw." For the receivers, the key is early detection. "A lot of teams try to disguise the blitz," Bradley said. "They get into an alignment, and then get out of it. We have to recognize it, and then we have to break off of it. If they go back, we run our regular route."

Moniz, a walk-on, makes his first UH start in place of Alexander. Alexander was actually the Warriors' best after-contact runner. His average, after eluding an initial hit, was 9.38 yards. Moniz, however, has been given hit-or-miss instructions: Throw to a receiver or throw it away. It's a good strategy because of the breakaway threat presented by Salas and Bradley. Salas' yards-after-catch (YAC) average is 19.47 yards; his yards-after-hit (YAH) average is 7.4. Bradley's averages are 11.5 for YAC and 7.2 for YAH. "I try to run hard and get as much separation as I can from a defender," Salas said. "You just have to have the will not to want to go down."

HAWAI'I DEFENSE

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

LE—90 Elliott Purcell 6-3 255 Jr.

LT—92 Rocky Savaiigaea 6-2 305 Sr.

LT—95 Vaughn Meatoga 6-2 290 So.

RT—49 Tuika Tufaga 6-2 285 Sr.

RE—58 Fetaiagogo Fonoti 6-2 255 Sr.

OLB—59 R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane 5-11 225 Sr.

MLB—53 Blaze Soares 6-1 245 Sr.

OLB—41 Corey Paredes 5-11 230 So.

LCB—4 Tank Hopkins 5-9 165 Jr.

SS—9 Spencer Smith 5-11 205 Jr.

FS—43 Mana Silva 6-1 220 Jr.

RCB—18 Jeramy Bryant 5-10 180 Jr.

NB—19 Richard Torres 5-8 175 So.

Outlook: In last week's game against Louisiana Tech, the Warriors missed 41 tackles, enabling the Bulldogs to pick up an additional 212 yards. Only two defenders played well — Tufaga, who made 10 tackles in 46 snaps, and Hopkins, who received a minus rating in six of 65 plays. "Tank's minuses were small things, playing slightly on the outside alignment instead of the inside alignment; technical things," Miano said. "But he didn't miss any assignments."

This week, the Warriors emphasized being in the correct position to make plays and wrapping up ball-carriers. Against Louisiana Tech, Paredes said, "We tried to make a lot of arm tackles, a lot of leaving our feet. That's how you miss tackles. When you're in the right position, you'll make the tackle."

The defensive linemen, meanwhile, worked on leverage. The goal is to play at "pad level." To ensure that, they employed a drill in which they went into a stance under a 4-foot-high canvas. "All of their offensive linemen probably outweigh us and are taller," Meatoga said. "Pad level is the equalizer. The guy who plays lower has the advantage in the fight. The lower you are, the bigger you play."

Meatoga, who was limited to five plays because of a sprained ankle last week, said he is physically fit.

HAWAI'I SPECIAL TEAMS

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

PK—20 Scott Enos 5-9 180 Jr.

LS—45 Luke Ingram 6-5 210 Fr.

H—11 Inoke Funaki 5-11 205 Sr.

P—31 Alex Dunnachie 6-3 235 Fr.

KR—81 Royce Pollard 6-0 175 So.

KR—25 Alex Green 6-2 220 Jr.

PR—88 Ryan Henry 5-9 170 Jr.

Outlook: Freshman Mike Wadsworth has emerged as an effective kick blocker, as evidenced by his two rejections in practices this week. That's a good news/bad news situation for the Warriors, who have been trying to solidify their kick protection. In the NFL, the snap-to-kick goal is between 1.2 and 1.3 seconds. In college, it's between 1.3 and 1.4 seconds. The Warriors have been under 1.4 seconds this week. On punts, the Warriors' snap-to-contact goal is 1.8 seconds and under. But that target is flexible now that Dunnachie has developed several different kicking styles, each tailored for a specific situation. As for the protection, Dunnachie said, "beautiful, like clockwork."

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