Hawaii's quarterback cycle has come back around for Greg Alexander.

Some eight weeks after a rough start in his Division I debut, Alexander will get the call again when the Warriors face Utah State on Saturday at Romney Stadium.

While the assignment beefs up his workload in practice compared to the two months following his start at Florida on Aug. 30, other aspects of his game-week outlook remain unchanged.

“;You prepare the same way,”; said Alexander, the Warriors' third-string quarterback a week ago. “;Obviously you get the reps in practice, but as far as watching film and all that, you still have to prepare the same way.”;

After using three quarterbacks in last week's win over Nevada, Hawaii head coach Greg McMackin said the Warriors (4-4, 3-2 Western Athletic Conference) would continue to use a platoon system, with Alexander set to take the first snap against Utah State (1-7, 1-3).

He'll share the job with fellow junior Inoke Funaki, who started six of the last seven games.

Alexander, the reigning WAC offensive player of the week, is coming off a 17-for-22 performance in last week's 38-31 win over Nevada, when he threw for 205 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.

“;I look at the quarterback position like every position,”; McMackin said. “;I look at it just like our center or our left guard. If a guy's producing, then he plays.”;

Alexander, a strong-armed passer, and Funaki, the more mobile of the two, present different looks for the Aggies to prepare for this week.

With Funaki as the starter, the staff modified the offense to take advantage of his running ability, and he led the Warriors to wins over Fresno State and Louisiana Tech.

In the meantime, Alexander—who was intercepted twice and lost a fumble in UH's loss at Florida—continued to develop in the run-and-shoot system in practice while taking the back-up snaps.

He saw his first game action since Florida on UH's last possession in a loss to Boise State two weeks ago and led the Warriors to three scores in the second half of last week's win.

“;The Florida game was tough—there was a lot to think about,”; Alexander said. “;Now it's just go out and play, and I can just focus in on the job and let my instincts take over.”;

Said quarterbacks coach Nick Rolovich: “;He's grown a lot in the offense. He knows what he does wrong in film (sessions), so we can concentrate on deciphering or talking about opposing defenses rather than teaching the offense.

“;We only opened a few pages of the playbook for him (against Florida), so now this thing's pretty wide open. ... He knows where his guys are going to be a lot more than seven or eight weeks ago.”;

Thomas to start

As with Alexander, Desmond Thomas is also preparing for his shot in a starting role at free safety.

Thomas is expected to share the spot with Keao Monteilh, who will also be the Warriors' first nickel back.

“;I'm very humbled about it. I just want to go out and try to make plays and do my responsibilities,”; Thomas said of his first starting assignment of the season. “;I'm grateful for the opportunity and want to make the best of it.”;

Thomas started seven games last year and has 19 tackles and an interception this season while rotating into the secondary in passing situations as part of the Warriors' nickel packages.

“;He's practiced hard, he's started before and made plays for us and it's Desmond's turn to start,”; UH defensive backs coach Rich Miano said.

Cornerback-turned-receiver Ryan Mouton will also see action at nickel back in his second week as a two-way player.

Pilares on travel squad

McMackin said running back/slotback Kealoha Pilares will accompany the Warriors on the trip to Utah State while recovering from a sprained foot. McMackin said the trainers will continue to work with Pilares, UH's leading rusher, during the 10-day trip. Pilares suffered the injury against Boise State and sat out last week's game. He may not be ready for Saturday's game, but is hopeful of returning for next week against New Mexico State.