No contest

The Warriors rout Northern Colorado in opener

STORY SUMMARY »

Colt Brennan passed for six touchdowns in the first half as 23rd-ranked Hawaii routed Northern Colorado 63-6 last night in the season opener for both teams.

Watching Colt How UH quarterback Colt Brennan did last night: Attempts 40 Completions 34 Yards 416 Interceptions 0 Touchdowns 6

UH won for the 11th time in its last 12 games going back to last season, when Hawaii went 11-3 to tie the school record for wins.

The Division I-AA Bears went 1-10 last season and were not the best test, but UH executed well enough to secure the win.

Brennan completed 34 of 40 passes for 416 yards (no interceptions). The first-string defense also dominated, allowing just 46 yards on 25 first-half plays for UNC. Linebacker Brad Kalilimoku, subbing for injured starter Blaze Soares, was in on a team-high nine tackles in the first half alone.

The Warriors led 42-0 after a first half in which Brennan completed two touchdown passes to Davone Bess and one each to Kealoha Pilares, C.J. Hawthorne, Jason Rivers and Ryan Grice-Mullins.

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Brennan, who broke the NCAA single-season TD passing record last year with 58, tied former high school teammate Matt Leinart of USC for sixth place on the career scoring passing list with 99. Brennan also tied or set five school records. He and most of the other starters didn't play after the first half.

UH's first score of the season came on the opening drive, as Hawaii went 80 yards on eight plays, with Brennan completing six of seven passes, including the TD on a 15-yarder to Pilares, a freshman running back from Damien.

Mike Washington returned a punt 80 yards for a TD on the first series of the second half, and UH led 49-0.

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FULL STORY »

This is what might happen if a 17-year-old kid plays a video football game against his grandmother.

Make that his great grandmother, who has no thumbs.

In a Madden-ing experience for Northern Colorado, but a coming-out party for Hawaii, the 23rd-ranked Warriors appeared to have all the cheat codes memorized. They routed the visitors 63-6 in the season opener last night at Aloha Stadium.

UH looks like it has made a seamless transition from the team that put a beatdown on Arizona State in the Hawaii Bowl eight months ago to cap an 11-3 season. But more will be known about how good this team might become when it takes to the road this week at LaTech and the following week at UNLV.

While last night's opponents proved to be the 60-point underdogs as advertised, UH still had to execute -- and the Warriors did, as well as they did last season in leading the nation in passing and total offense as well as scoring.

Plus, the defense and special teams stepped up, big time.

"I was pleased the guys came ready to play," Warriors coach June Jones said. "I knew they were ready to go. It was fun to do all phases -- kick return, punt return, offense, defense. It got a little ragged with the new guys, but I'm glad they got to play."

A crowd of 36,845 saw Heisman Trophy candidate Colt Brennan throw six touchdown passes in the first half, including at least one to all four of UH's starting receivers. He completed 34 of 40 passes (no interceptions) for 416 yards on his way to setting or tying five school records.

He found Davone Bess twice for TDs, and Ryan Grice-Mullins, C.J. Hawthorne and Jason Rivers once -- as well as running back Kealoha Pilares.

Grice-Mullins finished with nine catches for 130 yards and Jason Rivers had five grabs for 101.

"He's a fine, fine football player," UNC coach Scott Downing said. "He ran that offense and made good decisions. He's also got some good receivers and they deserve some credit, too."

The three-fifths-new offensive line also performed well -- Brennan, who led UH rushers with 23 yards on three carries, wasn't sacked and said he was touched behind the line of scrimmage by the Bears just once.

Jones said Brennan seemed "a little uptight" before the game. He certainly didn't play like it, completing 10 of his first 11 passes.

Brennan and the rest of the offensive starters did not return to the game after halftime, except for right guard Larry Sauafea, who stayed in at center.

"They would've been back in uniform if they made a run at us in the second half, believe me," Jones said.

Brennan said he wasn't trying to spread the wealth, but it was a byproduct of the receivers helping each other get open.

"It's just how it works," Brennan said. "They realize the more unselfish they are, the better the offense will be at getting them balls. If they do their jobs, everybody gets balls."

UH took the opening kickoff and went 80 yards in eight plays and never looked back. Pilares slipped through the line, took a quick short pass from Brennan and ran the rest of the 15 yards for UH's first score of the season and the first touchdown of the freshman's career.

The defense was as good as the offense, shutting down the Bears for 46 yards in the first half and 182 overall. Coordinator Greg McMackin's group also came up with two turnovers in the first quarter leading to scores.

"We always like to set the tempo early," said cornerback Gerard Lewis, who recovered a fumble caused by Keao Monteilh and Brad Kalilimoku.

Kalilimoku, starting in place of injured Blaze Soares, led UH with nine tackles.

"Just trust in the next person and do your job," Kalilimoku said. "We gotta hold our ground and do our job, too."

Defensive tackle Mike Lafaele also came up with a loose ball, this one off a bad exchange in the Bears' backfield.

"Our job is to make big plays and get the ball back to the offense," Lafaele said. "Everybody came out ready to play and that was the end result."

UNC managed one first down in the first quarter, while Brennan's 16th completion of the game broke the school record for one quarter.

Special teams added to the carnage in the second half, as Mike Washington went 80 yards with a punt return, giving Hawaii a 49-0 lead at 13:08 of the third. Malcolm Lane took a kickoff back 94 yards for another TD, making it 56-6, Warriors.

"They're still little babies on the team and we're still the big dogs," Grice-Mullins said. "But I'm glad they got to shine."

Lane's score was after NCU's Mike Vlahogeorge scored on a 5-yard keeper with 10:22 left in the game, capping a 38-yard drive set up by Max Hewitt's interception of Tyler Graunke. Keenan Jones, who later intercepted a pass, blocked the extra-point try.

UH second-year freshman Greg Salas got his first career TD on a 24-yard pass from Inoke Funaki to complete the scoring.