Hawaii knows all about the headaches a dual-threat quarterback can induce.

Bryant Moniz hopes to have opposing defensive coordinators reaching for the Tylenol as well.

Although Moniz's primary duty remains executing the Warriors' throw-first philosophy, his mobility provides another dimension to the offense.

“;That's something I hope to add to the team and hopefully strengthen in the offseason because I think I can get a lot better running-wise and become a real dual threat,”; Moniz said. “;Whatever it takes to help the team.”;

Moniz ran for a season-high 76 yards, losing six on a sack, in a win over Utah State last week and enters Saturday's game against New Mexico State fifth in the Western Athletic Conference in total offense.

Though nimble on his feet, Moniz said he rarely strayed from the pocket in high school and junior college, and his 31-yard run last week “;was probably my longest run ever.”;

“;Even if I scramble, I try to look for somebody that breaks open,”; said Moniz, who had a 15-yard touchdown run at Idaho last month.

Moniz doesn't quite fall into the category with Nevada's Colin Kaepernick and Utah State's Diondre Borel, who run option offenses, but his agility figures to get the attention of those preparing to face the Warriors.

“;He picks up at least two, maybe three, big first downs running the ball,”; quarterbacks coach Nick Rolovich said. “;Third down is a big thing for defense coaches.”;

UH head coach Greg McMackin has been in that position recently, preparing schemes to contain Kaepernick and Borel the past two weeks.

“;Those are the kinds of quarterbacks you don't like to face,”; McMackin said. “;It limits the type of calls you can make if a guy can do both. You have to account for him.”;

Last week, the Warriors coaches called a keeper for Moniz that picked up 12 yards, and the threat of the run can take some steam out of the pass rush. But the staff is also pleased with his patience in going through his reads before tucking the ball away.

“;He looks downfield, and if he doesn't have anybody open, he takes it. He goes through his progression,”; offensive coordinator Ron Lee said. “;(Running is) his last resort,”;

Said Moniz: “;I want to be known for throwing the ball, not running the ball. That's what this offense is all about.”;

Wideout update

Jovonte Taylor has missed the last two days of practice while getting treatment on his arm. McMackin said Taylor is expected to be ready for Saturday's game.

In the meantime, Royce Pollard has been getting more repetitions in practice in his return from a stress fracture in his leg.

“;He's ready to go,”; offensive coordinator Ron Lee said. “;It doesn't look like it's hurting him, but maybe he's not ready to go 60 plays.”;

Lee indicated that whether Taylor, who has three touchdowns in the past two games, can practice today could determine how much time he sees on Saturday.

“;He needs to get out there (today),”; Lee said. “;He comes to the meetings, he knows what we're doing. But he needs to get the reps at full speed, and the timing with the quarterbacks is also critical.”;

Kicking job open

UH special teams coordinator Chris Tormey said the kicking competition is open between Scott Enos and Brian Blumberg.

Enos has handled all of the kicking duties so far. Tormey said the staff is evaluating both the kickoff and place-kicking jobs. Blumberg took most of the reps in the kickoff period yesterday, with backup safety Kenny Estes also getting a turn.

“;You have to look at the big picture, and consistency is a big part of it. We're going to go with the best guy whoever that is,”; Tormey said. “;We've been looking at everything and charting and we'll see how we look at the end of the week.”;

Enos is 8-for-13 on field goals this season, with two blocked kicks, and 25-for-25 on PATs. Of his 41 kickoffs, five have been touchbacks, with four going out of bounds.

“;Brian's a great kicker, and I feel like the job's always open to go out and compete every day,”; Enos said. “;We've been doing the same thing out there together, making each other better every day, all year long. So nothing's different.”;

Hit and run

New Mexico State won't have to pack very heavily for this week's trip since the Aggies are scheduled to be on the island for just over 24 hours.

The Aggies are scheduled to embark on their trip tomorrow afternoon and arrive in Honolulu in the evening. They'll play Saturday night and be back on a plane shortly after the game ends.

“;It's a business trip and that's why we're going to leave on Friday instead of Thursday,”; first-year New Mexico State head coach DeWayne Walker said in his weekly press conference. “;I just think where we are right now, it makes sense to go on Friday and keep it business-like more so than vacation-like.”;