Jon Embree’s impressions of Bryant Moniz have come primarily through film study.

But what Colorado’s first-year head coach has seen reminded him of another Hawaii quarterback he’d watched up close.

Embree was an assistant coach with the Washington Redskins when Colt Brennan was vying for a spot on the roster and sees some similarities between the UH passers past and present.

“It was amazing the windows that Colt Brennan found to throw the football through and it was amazing how accurate he was. And this kid is a lot like that,” Embree said during his press conference on Tuesday.

Brennan ultimately didn’t last with the Redskins, which Embree attributed to “a numbers situation.” Now it’s Moniz, owner of the nation’s top passing numbers last season, who holds his attention as the Buffaloes prepare for Saturday’s season opener against the Warriors at Aloha Stadium.

“Unless we’re going to get 12 guys on the field, we’re not going to show him anything he probably hasn’t seen,” Embree said of the UH senior.

For his part, Embree will view the game from a head coaching perspective for the first time in his career and will make his debut against a UH team leaning heavily on Moniz’s experience.

Embree praised Moniz’s proficiency in running the UH offense, but among his main concerns is keeping the Warriors under wraps after the ball leaves the quarterback’s hands.

“When you don’t make the tackles, when an 8-yard gain becomes a 15-, 20-yard gain, that’s when you have problems,” Embree said, “and that’s when they start getting a little swagger, a little attitude in their offense and really get rolling.”

The Buffaloes return seven starters on defense, but are reloading at cornerback, where they are expected to start a true freshman — Greg Henderson — and a converted safety — Travis Sandersfeld.

Part of keeping the Warriors in check will be getting the Buffaloes offense in gear, the running game in particular. Senior Rodney Stewart is expected to carry much of that load after rushing for 1,318 yards last year, including 106 against the Warriors in Colorado’s 31-13 win in Boulder.

“We’re going to be ball control, run the ball, try to impose our will on guys. I think that will help our defense,” said quarterback Tyler Hansen, who contributed 200 passing yards and two touchdowns to CU’s win over UH.

“Especially against Hawaii, they’re a great, explosive offense. They can’t do much when they’re on the sideline and we’re going to try to keep them on the sideline as much as possible.”

As Embree, a former Buffaloes tight end, works to rebuild some of Colorado’s traditions that have faded in recent years, one of his first tasks will be trying to rid the program of a bothersome remnant of the previous regime. Namely, a 17-game road losing streak dating back to 2007.

The Buffaloes, coming off a 5-7 season that included the firing of Dan Hawkins as head coach, are scheduled to leave Boulder on Thursday and open the new era with what Embree has emphasized is “a business trip.”

“The only beach they’ll see is when they land and take off,” said Embree, a Colorado assistant when the Buffaloes played in the Aloha Bowl in 1993 and 1998. “They either have to get married and have a honeymoon there or maybe we’ll go back there for a bowl game, but it’s not about the beach.”