RENO, Nev. — A year ago today, Bryant Moniz and his daughter wore accompanying Halloween costumes.

Moniz went as a football player. His daughter masqueraded as a football.

"I carried her around," Moniz said. "That was the best costume I could think of."

Today, as Hawai'i's quarterback, Moniz hopes to be knock-knock-knockin' on the door to the end zone.

Against Nevada, Moniz will be making his fourth consecutive start, although his last appearance was abbreviated to one quarter because of a concussion.

Moniz was fully cleared to compete on Wednesday, and he said he is ready to lead the Warriors in what he described as "pride games." The Warriors have lost five in a row to drop to 2-5 overall and 0-4 in the Western Athletic Conference.

Reno is 4,400 feet above seal level, which makes the football sail longer, and dries a quarterback's hands. The temperature might drop into the 40s in the second half.

But Moniz was raised in Wahiawä, where rain is as routine as a sunrise, and he said the Warriors should be able to overcome the elements.

"No worries," Moniz said. "Adrenaline takes care of that. Once you get pumped up in the game, the weather isn't going to matter."

What will affect the Warriors more is the force of nature known as Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He is a dual threat as a runner and thrower.

Here's a look at today's game:

HAWAI'I OFFENSE

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

LWO—21 Kealoha Pilares 5-11 200 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—51 Austin Hansen 6-4 285 So.
RSB—2 Jon Medeiros 5-9 185 Jr.
RWO—7 Jovonte Taylor 5-9 170 Jr.
QB—17 Bryant Moniz 6-0 190 So.
RB—23 Leon Wright-Jackson 6-1 215 Sr.

Outlook: Hansen, who is expected to make his third consecutive start at right tackle, had an above-average performance last week by adhering to line coach Gordy Shaw's two-step approach. Hansen, who was elevated from the third string because of injuries to teammates, embraced Shaw's request to focus on improving in two areas each week. The new goals are to stay square (to the pass-rusher) and deliver solid open-handed punches to an opponent's jersey numbers. That theme transcends to the rest of the rebuilt offense: steady gain over knockout punches.

Except for Salas, the receivers are steeped in the learning curve. Medeiros is reliable, catching 73.3 percent of the passes when he's the primary receiver, but he will be making only his second career start. Last week, a miscommunication — Medeiros ran a skinny pattern, backup quarterback Shane Austin thought the route would be flatter — led to an interception. Growing pains, which, according to play-calling coach Nick Rolovich, are "correctable with more reps." Taylor is a breakaway threat. He admittedly needs to focus on securing the catch before trying to make a move. He has three drops in the past two games. His asset is short-term memory loss. After each drop, he rebounded to make a significant reception on his ensuing chance. Pilares is adjusting to his third starting position in two years. But Salas is having the best season of his career. Not only does he average 11.8 post-catch yards, but his productivity actually improves as the game progresses. In the first three quarters, he averages 17.27 yards per catch; in the fourth quarter, he averages 20.47. Of his 19 fourth-quarter receptions, 12 resulted in first downs and nine went for at least 15 yards.

Alex Green, a junior-college transfer, has been playing well recently. The average distance is 4.6 yards from the point where he breaks or eludes a tackle to where the ball is downed.

HAWAI'I DEFENSE

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.
LE—98 Liko Satele 6-2 260 So.
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—53 Blaze Soares 6-1 245 Sr.
MLB—50 Mana Lolotai 6-0 230 Jr.
OLB—59 R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane 5-11 225 Sr.
LCB—2 Lametrius Davis 6-0 190 Jr.
FS/NB—19 Richard Torres 5-8 175 So.
FS—43 Mana Silva 6-1 220 Jr.
SS—9 Spencer Smith 5-11 205 Jr.
RCB—10 Kawika Ornellas 5-9 170 Fr.
CB/R—7 Lewis Walker 5-11 175 Fr.

Outlook: The Warriors went back to basics the past week, emphasizing wrapping up on attempted tackles, going full-speed during contact drills, and working on ball-stripping techniques. The Warriors need to improve their play on desperation downs. In third-and-plus-10 situations, opponents have converted 40 percent of their passes for first downs. On fourth down, opposing quarterbacks are 6 for 6, with five completions resulting in first downs.

The Warriors received a boost with the medical clearance of Meatoga, who has a sumotori's skill in using his hands to fight off grasping blockers. Meatoga proved he was ready when he ran a 220-yard leg during a relay race between the linemen on Monday.

The Warriors will miss right cornerback Jeramy Bryant, their best cover defender and an effective open-field tackler. Bryant said he is "week-to-week" because of a biceps injury. Walker, who plays linebacker in the dime package (utilizing up to eight defensive backs), and Ornellas, a second-year walk-on from Mililani High, are Bryant's replacements.

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—7 Jovonte Taylor 5-9 170 Jr.
PR—1 Greg Salas 6-2 200 Jr.
PR—88 Ryan Henry 5-9 170 Jr.

Outlook: During the summer of his high school years, Enos used to come to the area to train. He said the thin air adds "a good 5, 10 yards" on kickoffs. The length depends on "how high or how hard I kick it." Enos has booted as many kickoffs into the end zone (three) as he has out of bounds. But the coaches believe he has corrected those problems.

NEVADA OFFENSE

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

X— 4 Brandon Wimberly 6-3 195 Fr.
F—14 Chris Wellington 6-1 190 Jr.
T—74 Steve Haley 6-5 305 So.
G—62 John Bender 6-8 325 Jr.
C—63 Kenneth Ackerman 6-4 280 Sr.
G—75 Chris Barker 6-4 305 Fr.
T—73 Alonzo Durham 6-4 285 Sr.
TE—85 Virgil Green 6-5 240 Jr.
Z—82 Tray Session 6-3 175 So.
QB—10 Colin Kaepernick 6-6 215 Jr.
RB—34 Vai Taua 5-10 220 Jr.
RB—Luke Lippincott 6-2 215 Sr.

Outlook: The Pistol — in which Kaepernick is 4 yards from the line of scrimmage and 3 yards directly in front of the lone back — was so named as a wordplay on the standard shotgun formation. But it really should be the Uzi because of the offense's multiple and explosive capabilities. The Pistol spreads defenses with a four-wide formation, but then has the potential to attack with elements of the run-option schemes. Taua or Lippincott can hide behind 6-foot-6 Kaepernick. Both are excellent second-half runners. Taua averages 7.22 yards per carry in the first half; 8.04 after the intermission, with 11 of his 26 second-half rushes resulting in first downs. Lippincott averages 16.31 yards per carry in the fourth quarter.

But the key is Kaepernick, who can cover 5 yards in two strides. Kaepernick is fast enough to sprint around the perimeters, yet tough enough to enter the interior running lanes. A favorite play is the belly option, in which he follows a back into the middle of the defense. Kaepernick is at his best in start-up situations. On plays initiating between the Wolf Pack's 21 and 39, he averages 15.71 yards per rush. In all, 34 of his 87 rushes this year have resulted in first downs.

Kaepernick also has improved as a passer. He always had the arm strength — he can throw a baseball 94 mph, and was drafted by the Chicago Cubs this summer — but now he is accurate, freezing defenses when he passes off half-roll moves.

NEVADA DEFENSE

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

E—55 Dontay Moch 6-1 245 Jr.
T—93 Zack Madonick 6-1 285 So.
T—95 Nate Agaiava 6-2 285 Sr.
E—99 Kevin Pasped 6-6 240 Jr.
SLB—52 James-Michael Johnson 6-2 240 So.
MLB—36 Mike Bethea 6-2 245 Sr.
WLB—33 Brandon Marshall 6-1 235 So.
CB—11 Antoine Thompson 6-1 195 Sr.
SS—25 Mo Harvey 6-3 210 Sr.
FS—49 Jonathan Amaya 6-2 190 Sr.
CB—28 Isaiah Frey 6-0 190 So.

Outlook: The secret to the Wolf Pack's pass rush is artificial ingredients. All but one of Moch's 16.5 backfield tackles came on artificial surfaces. Pasped's nine tackles-for-losses were on synthetic turf. The Wolf Pack is similar to Boise State — UH's previous opponent — in that both rely on a four-man front to create pressure. Moch is a spin doctor whose speciality is a twist move. Ryan Coulson rotates in as a pass-rushing specialist.

But while Boise dropped its two linebackers into coverage, Johnson, the strong-side backer, loves to storm the backfield.

NEVADA SPECIAL TEAMS

Pos.—Player Ht. Wt. Cl.

PK—46 Ricky Drake 6-0 190 Jr.
LS—40 Jared Silva-Purcell 5-11 220 Jr.
H—15 Luke Collis 6-2 210 So.
P—48 Brad Langley 6-0 200 Jr.
KR—5 Mike Ball 5-10 225 Fr.
KR—14 Chris Wellington 6-1 190 Jr.
PR—34 Vai Taua 5-10 220 Jr.

Outlook: It must be the air. Drake's average kickoff distance is 63.3 yards at home, 58.56 on the road. He has 11 touchbacks at home (34.4 percent), but one in away games (11.1 percent).

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