RUSTON, La. » Louisiana Tech coach Sonny Dykes and player after player said they felt embarrassed by their performance Saturday night against Hawaii.

The Bulldogs had talked this week about the confidence they had in themselves entering WAC play after coming so close to upending Southern Miss (4-1), Houston (5-0) and Mississippi State (2-3).

But the Warriors quickly knocked the home team down a notch and continued that effort throughout the evening en route to a 44-26 victory, and their passing offense gave Tech as much reason for shame as arguably any other aspect of the game.

"That was kind of a disappointing performance, obviously," Dykes said. "I’m a little bit embarrassed about the way our team played. I think Hawaii played well, and obviously you’ve got to give them credit. They came in here, and they were a much more mature football team than we were tonight in a lot of different ways."

Bryant Moniz gave the Bulldogs’ defense fits as he completed 34 of his 55 passes for 410 yards and four touchdowns.

The senior quarterback tallied 279 of those yards in just the first half on 20-for-33 passing, and Dykes credited the Hawaii offensive line for giving him time to operate.

But even when Tech did break through and give chase, Moniz often slipped away and maintained the upper hand.

"The times when we did get pressure, the quarterback did a good job of scrambling and making plays," Dykes said. "That’s kind of what he does."

Moniz’s top target on the night, fellow senior Royce Pollard, finished with a performance that was arguably more impressive — and frustrating for the Bulldogs’ defense.

Pollard’s first-half performance alone — seven catches for 177 yards and three touchdowns — was the best against Louisiana Tech this season.

The San Diego native finished with 10 receptions for 216 yards and three touchdowns — all of which matched or broke career highs.

"He’s just a good player, a great player, and he wanted it more than us as a secondary," senior cornerback Terry Carter said. "That’s all … They ran a couple of different routes, but I thought going in with our game plan, we had a great game plan, and we just didn’t execute it well."

Carter blamed many of Pollard’s receptions on him and his defensive teammates giving the Warrior too much cushion off the line, but even in tight coverage, the receiver made what Dykes called "more competitive plays" to haul in the football.

Pollard and the other Hawaii receivers, seven of whom caught passes, seemed to have consistent success with numerous routes, including some crossing patterns that junior cornerback Chad Boyd said caught the Bulldogs somewhat off guard.

"During film, they weren’t as much of a crossing team," Boyd said. "It just so happened they did a lot of things like that in the game. It caught us by surprise a little bit. I think the delayed draw play actually helped them open that up after they gashed us a couple of times."

Louisiana Tech’s veterans have seen numerous productive passing attacks after years facing Boise State, Hawaii and other similar offenses, and this year’s squad has had high praise each week for the opposing quarterbacks, from Southern Mississippi’s Austin Davis to Houston’s Case Keenum to Moniz.

After Saturday’s game, the Bulldogs called Moniz and the rest of the Warriors one of the top attacks they’ve ever attempted to contain.

"One of the best," Carter said. "I compare ’em to the Houston team and the Hawaii team we played last year. One year I really didn’t play the Boise team because I was hurt, but I compare them with those two teams. They’re up there with the top."