Reality bites for Hawai'i sophomore walk-on quarterback Bryan Moniz.

Despite the 42-17 beating last night by Fresno State in his debut as starting quarterback for the injured Greg Alexander, the 2007 Leilehua graduate had a surreal feeling of the game.

"The score was a whole different story from how we played and how I felt," Moniz said. "I felt good out there offensively. If I didn't look at the scoreboard, I would've thought we were right in it, the way we were moving the ball."

Moniz was 24 of 52 for 283 yards with two interceptions that were cashed in for FSU touchdowns.

On his first offensive series after UH received the opening kickoff, he completed 2 of 4 passes, but got the Warriors into FSU territory largely on Leon Wright-Jackson's 43-yard run to the Bulldogs' 31. But Ben Jacobs, who missed a tackle on Wright-Jackson's run, blocked Scott Enos' 43-yard field-goal try and returned the ball to the UH 8. The Bulldogs scored two plays later.

Fresno State added another score on its second series to make it 14-0 in the first quarter, so Moniz was now in chase mode.

"We put a lot of pressure on you by giving up the first 14," UH coach Greg McMackin told his quarterback, adding he was pleased with Moniz's first start.

"I'm just glad the coaches have confidence in me," Moniz said. "They're not doubting me after the rough game."

It was 42-3 before Moniz got UH's first touchdowns in the fourth quarter since the fourth quarter in the loss at UNLV. He tossed touchdown passes of 1 yard to Jon Medeiros — who actually recovered a fumble in the end zone when Greg Salas coughed up the ball following a 5-yard reception — and 6 yards to Rodney Bradley.

It might have seemed irrelevant given the deficit at that juncture of the game, but for Moniz, it was meaningful.

"Overall, I thought he played great," quarterbacks coach Nick Rolovich said. "He never gave up, kept fighting. I knew he could do it. It was good for his teammates to see that."

Added Moniz: "It was a big step for our offense."

Even FSU defensive end Chris Carter, who had the only sack, had praise for Moniz.

"He had a lot of poise in there," Carter said. "He did a pretty good job in his first game as a starter."

After the game, Moniz went to greet family who came to watch. Among them were his half-brother, Leilehua senior center Bronson Smithe, and senior quarterback Andrew Manley.

"It felt good to see him play," Smithe said. "I haven't seen him play in a while, not since (he was in) high school."

"It was great watching him play," said Manley, who has been offered a football scholarship to UH, but has yet to commit. "I had chicken skin out there today. It was amazing to see it."

The game was probably Moniz's biggest at Aloha Stadium since the 2004 Division I state championship — a 28-7 loss to Kamehameha.

"I wasn't nervous," Moniz said. "I was excited to play, to help my team out and do whatever I could do."