Before walking off the football practice field yesterday, University of Hawai'i left slotback Davone Bess turned and yelled to quarterback Colt Brennan, "Aren't you Brad Pitt?"

"You're better looking than Brad Pitt," right slotback Ryan Grice-Mullen shouted.

"That's right," Bess added.

Later, Brennan shook his head, smiled and said, "They'll say anything."

Brennan's new-found popularity is a result of his gritty play this season and his position as the distributor of the nation's second-best passing offense. In the Warriors' four-wide attack, Brennan is like the little old lady who lives in a shoe, he has so many receivers ...

"I'd love to give each of (the receivers) the same number of throws, but I have to go through my reads, and see what's open," Brennan said.

In last week's 49-28 rout of New Mexico State, during which three Warriors each amassed at least 125 receiving yards, there were numerous requests in the huddle.

"That whole game, (left wideout) Chad Mock was, 'I want a touchdown. I need a touchdown,' " Brennan said. "That whole game I was trying to get him one. He finally got one. But that's what I love about the receivers. They all have big hearts, and they want to make plays. That's what it's all about."

This season, nearly every opponent has aligned in a two-deep zone — the safeties dropping back to prevent long passes — forcing Brennan to throw screens, shovels or to the flats. The thing is, the receivers are parlaying short passes into long gains with their post-catch runs.

The Warriors' yards-after-catch (YAC) average is 6.37. YAC is measured by calculating the difference between the spot where the ball is caught and the spot where the play ends. Catches made in the end zone are not factored.

Grice-Mullen leads the receivers with a YAC of 7.29. In two games, Mock's YAC is 6.14.

"We'd like to be known as the receivers who make big plays," Grice-Mullen said. "We don't want to be the receivers who catch the ball and get tackled on the spot. Yards after catches are important to us. We thrive on it. We always want to get 5, 7, 15 more yards after every catch."

Bess said: "Any receiver can catch a ball. Whether you can make a difference after catching the ball is what's going to separate you from the average receiver."

The success of UH's starting receivers is surprising relative to their experience and health. Bess, a freshman, enrolled at UH in January. He is suffering from a groin injury. Grice-Mullen, a second-year freshman who was recruited as a defensive back, replaced injured slotback Jason Ferguson. Mock, a fourth-year junior, played at an NAIA school (Avila University in Kansas City) for two years before transferring. Dickerson, a fourth-year junior, moved from slotback. He has a sprained ankle.

"They're not that fast," said Ron Lee, who coaches the receivers. "They're not burners."

Still, the four starting receivers appear to run faster during games.

"When people talk about game speed, they're talking about a player understanding what he has to do," Lee said. "If you're 4.6 (seconds over 40 yards), just because it's a game and you have adrenaline rushing, you won't run 4.4. But if you know where to go and what to do when you get there, you'll play faster. You won't hesitate. These guys know what to do, so they're playing faster."

Mock also said using the technique of catching footballs only with their hands, instead of using the body, allows a receiver to make plays without breaking stride.

"It's easier when you're making a catch at full speed," Mock said. "Our coaches always emphasize: catch the ball and get up the field. That's what we try to do."

INJURY UPDATES

Nate Ilaoa, who leads the Warriors with 179 rushing yards, yesterday competed in contact drills and is expected to play in Saturday's road game against San Jose State.

David Farmer, who is an aggressive backfield blocker, started last week. Ilaoa, an adequate blocker, is a more elusive runner than Farmer.

Running back Bryan Maneafaiga is expected to miss his fifth consecutive game because of a pulled left hamstring. He did not practice yesterday.

Cornerback Kenny Patton, who is suffering from injuries to his right shoulder and left quadriceps, said he did not know if he will play this week. Neither injuries nor a knee surgery has kept Patton from playing this season.

Also, it appears wideout Jordan Slye is making progress toward reinstatement. He has been held out of the past two games because of a glitch in his transcripts. Slye played at Washington as a freshman and Compton College last year.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.