Last weekend, most of the Mainland rolled back the clock to standard time.

This week, Hawai'i head football coach Greg McMackin moved his calendar ahead to playoff time.

"We're starting a five-game playoff," McMackin said of today's 5:05 p.m. game against Utah State at Aloha Stadium.

It was a reference to the five remaining games of a regular season on the blink.

The Warriors, 2-6 overall and 0-5 in the Western Athletic Conference, need to finish with a winning regular season to earn a berth in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl. More importantly, they need a morale boost.

To be sure, it is a pretty-please wish for the Warriors to win out. They have lost six in a row, their longest winless skid since the 0-12 1998 season.

But their next three opponents — Utah State, New Mexico State and San Jose State — have a combined WAC record of 2-9. UH's past five WAC opponents are a combined 18-6.

"Our backs are against the wall," defensive tackle Vaughn Meatoga said. "We can't afford any slip-ups. Once we remember how it feels to win, I'm sure everybody will get that confidence back."

The Warriors have appeared to have regrouped on offense after losing quarterback Greg Alexander, wideout Rodney Bradley and right tackle Laupepa Letuli to season-ending injuries.

In the same number of starts — four — Bryant Moniz and Alexander have comparable numbers. Alexander threw for 1,433 yards and nine touchdowns against four interceptions. Moniz has 1,202 passing yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions.

Moniz threw a momentum-siphoning pick in the end zone in last week's 31-21 loss to Nevada. Moniz saw left wideout Kealoha Pilares break sharply toward the pylon. Earlier, Moniz connected with Pilares on the same route at midfield. But this time, Nevada was in a zone, and the safety stepped into the passing lane.

Quarterbacks coach Nick Rolovich said the mistake is correctable, and that Moniz should be able to decipher the coverage the next time.

The Warriors also have tried to limit Moniz's workload in practices this week. Two weeks ago, Moniz had noticed that he was suffering from arm fatigue. It is estimated that Moniz averages between 100 and 150 passes each two-hour practice.

Moniz's last full season was in 2007, when he was a freshman quarterback at Fresno City College. He transferred to a Hawai'i community college in January 2008. He did not play football last season.

After joining the Warriors the past January, Moniz began throwing every day. But during spring practice, he first noticed that his right arm felt "tired."

Moniz plans to participate in an arm-strengthening program during the offseason. For now, he is taking fewer reps, allowing backups Shane Austin and Brent Rausch to take expanded turns.

"He's going to be fine," Rolovich said, noting Moniz consistently scores high on post-game reviews.

Moniz said: "Everything is going good except for the losses. It's like, what am I doing wrong? How come we're not winning? I'm sure the wins will come."

One area Moniz has worked on is becoming a smarter runner. He has proven to be an elusive scrambler — he averages 5.22 yards after he breaks or dodges a tackle — but now he often will conclude his rushes with a slide.

"We always talk about getting down, not taking hits," said Moniz, who suffered a mild concussion two weeks ago when he was struck on the back of the helmet following a sack. "In high school, I'd just lower my shoulder and take on anybody. It's a different ballgame now. There are bigger guys. You have to play smarter."

The Warriors still are understaffed on defense. Their most versatile defensive back, Richard Torres, has a pulled left hamstring. Torres is the free safety in the 4-3 base, and a nickelback when five defensive backs are employed. Torres has participated in light workouts. While he is hopeful of playing today, the likelihood is he will be used only in emergency situations.

Right cornerback Jeramy Bryant will not play because of torn biceps in his left arm.

"It's frustrating to not be able to play with my team," Bryant said. "I want to practice every day. I want to play in the games."

Kawika Ornellas replaced Bryant at right cornerback.

Torres' injury opened the way for several players. Jordan Gomes, a walk-on, even has earned a berth in the rotation.

"I always have to be ready," Gomes said. "In times like this, when I'm called, I have to step up and perform."

McMackin said the Warriors have had a good week of practice. They had an extra session when they worked out for an hour on Monday. That day usually is reserved only for conditioning drills.

Yesterday, with the Rainbow Marching Band practicing their homecoming routines in the background, the Warriors had a light — and light-hearted — practice.

They finalized their goal-line plays, and worked on special-teams assignments.

Chris Tormey, who coordinates special teams, was back at practice. He departed Wednesday to attend his sister's funeral in Oregon. He returned yesterday.

The Warriors ended practice with the linemen forming the offense. Left guard Ray Hisatake, serving as quarterback, threw a pass to right guard Raphael Ieru.

After that, the team gathered at midfield. In the huddle, it was announced that Ieru would serve as honorary captain for today's game. That set off rousing cheers.

As its usual Friday routine, the team went to the movies last night. After that, it was back to the Waikíkí hotel, where they had meetings.

"Our focus," McMackin said, "is on this game."