VIDEO: Hawaii hopes to return two quarterbacks this week

But in his four football seasons as Nevada's head coach, Chris Tormey never could shake the feeling he was on a time limit.

"The clock was definitely ticking," Tormey said.

And the timekeeper was Chris Ault, who was a predecessor and then immediate successor to Tormey as head coach. Ault, as athletic director, fired Tormey after a 6-6 season in 2003.

Although Tormey expresses admiration for Ault's coaching ability, the two are no longer on each other's speed dial.

"We haven't talked," Tormey said. "We just don't talk."

Tormey, now Hawai'i's special teams coordinator and safety coach, returns to Reno this week. The Warriors and Wolf Pack meet Saturday.

"It's another conference game," Tormey said, "but it will be different because I used to coach there."

Tormey was a successful head coach at Idaho, his alma mater, when he became a finalist for the Nevada job in 2000.

"I was looking for the next challenge," he acknowledged .

Idaho was in transition. The Vandals were not affiliated with a conference, and their home games were played on Washington State's Pullman campus.

"The Reno job, on paper, appeared to be a better situation ," Tormey said, noting the Wolf Pack was just admitted into the Western Athletic Conference. "The conference affiliation was in place. The facilities were in place. It was a great place to recruit to, and a solid academic institution. All of the elements looked right."

Tormey tried to implement a building plan for a team that finished 3-8 in 1999. He hired John Archer, who was at Nebraskas, as the strength coach. At the time, there was only one player who could bench press 400 pounds.

The Wolf Pack, which started 11 freshmen, went 2-10 in 2000.

In 2001, the Pack won three games, but produced the league's top rusher (Chance Kretschmer).

The next season, the Pack was 5-7, and had 14 players who could bench 400 pounds.

"We weren't very good when we got there, and I felt we got steadily better," Tormey said.

The Pack opened 2003 by winning five of its first seven games, including a victory over Brigham Young, a Top-25 team. But it lost several close games down the stretch, and finished 6-6. Tormey then was dismissed.

"I tell you this, I would have much rather have taken that program over in the condition it was in when I left than the condition it was in when I took it," Tormey said.

Several months later, in defending his decision to replace Tormey, Ault pointed out that nine Wolf Pack players were arrested on felony charges since January 2003. Ault told Sports Illustrated: "You certainly have to question the type of players who have been recruited here in the past."

Tormey acknowledged there had been some trouble, but "a lot of that happened after I left. I keep hearing these numbers that were thrown around. There certainly were some issues that needed to be dealt with at the end of the season, and would have been dealt with had I stayed there. But when I left, my responsibility ended, and the new guy's responsibility was to take control of that program, and do what he thought was necessary."

Of the incidents that occurred on his watch, Tormey said, "I think we handled them correctly."

After that, Tormey was hired as an assistant coach at Washington. Tormey and his wife were raised in that state, and both of his daughters were able to complete high school there. One daughter now attends Yale, another Washington.

"Now we are here in Hawai'i," he said. "What better place to be an empty-nester but Honolulu. Now we have to find a way to win some more games."

MONIZ COULD START

If Bryant Moniz practices today, he will be the starting quarterback in Saturday's road game against Nevada, UH coach Greg McMackin said.

"Bryant doesn't lose his position because of an injury," McMackin said.

Moniz, who has started the past three games, suffered a concussion in the first quarter of Saturday's 54-9 loss to Boise State.

Moniz said he experienced dizziness, but no headache. His concussion was classified as "mild."

"I'm still the same, maybe a little more goofy at times," Moniz said, smiling. "I'm back to normal. I've been attending meetings. My brain is all right."

He said he expects to receive medical clearance today. The Warriors practice in the morning. They depart for the Mainland this afternoon.

MEATOGA FIT TO PLAY

Defensive tackle Vaughn Meatoga, who was held out of the past two games because of a sprained right ankle, declared himself physically fit to play against Nevada.

"The two weeks I took off was good enough for me," Meatoga said. "It's been long enough. The field is calling me."

He said he will wear an ankle brace as a precaution.

BRYANT INJURED

Starting right cornerback Jeramy Bryant has a torn biceps and will not make the trip to Reno, McMackin announced on his radio show last night.

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