After eating the Thanksgiving food his mother prepared, University of Hawai'i slotback Ryan Grice-Mullen rewarded her with one of his best performances — although it might not have been a fair trade.

"She cooked it and burned it," Grice-Mullen said of mother Sheila Pinkney's cooking.

Grice-Mullen had a team-high 139 receiving yards last night in a 41-24 loss to Wisconsin at Aloha Stadium, giving him 1,061 yards for the season.

It made him the second receiver this season to surpass 1,000 receiving yards, the first time two players passed the mark in program history. Fellow slotback Davone Bess had 34 last night, adding to his team-high 1,082.

"I try not to let individual records get in my way," Grice-Mullen said. "With a loss like this, you don't think about it."

He said he tends to have his best performances in front of Pinkney: she was in attendance for his career-high 188 yards against Boise State.

Hawai'i quarterback Colt Brennan said it is "fun" to watch the duo play, and that their youth is what drives them to be successful.

"I saw how hard these two worked over the summer," Brennan said. "They got their chance and took the torch and ran with it. It's a real joy to throw to them."

Brennan pointed out the work of wide receivers Ross Dickerson and Chad Mock also, saying it was because of their work that Grice-Mullen and Bess were open. In Hawai'i's system, the slotbacks are the main receivers, and Bess and Grice-Mullen have produced for the Warriors.

"It's huge; it's such a threat to defenses," Brennan said. "To have two guys with over 1,000 yards, it's a tremendous asset, because it makes the defenses work hard."

But Grice-Mullen isn't satisfied.

"We need to put more points on the board," he said. "That's the stat we want to build up. That's how we get wins."

He said getting up the field, making moves, and getting into the end zone are needed improvements.

Bess said he is a true believer in the saying, "If you work hard, it pays off. We're young, we just have to stay humble."

With Bess and Grice-Mullen both freshmen, and Brennan a sophomore, Hawai'i coach June Jones said, "It's going to be pretty exciting around here with these three guys," calling them, "very gifted kids."

Bess had two touchdowns, but his 34 yards were his lowest of the season since his 26 against USC in the opener.

He had a couple of spectacular catches called back last night; a one-handed grab because he was out of bounds, and the other when he was called for offensive pass interference on a play in which he was injured.

Before last night's game, Bess had five straight 100-yard games.

"It is frustrating," he said. "It kind of bothers me because I was counting on keeping the streak going."

Bess injured his upper glute in the third-quarter play and did not return, but said he would receive treatment over the weekend and should be at practice next week.

Grice-Mullen received an IV at halftime to replenish fluids.

"The last two series (of the first half), I was running a lot," he said. "I think the humidity finally got to me. I didn't want to (get an IV), because I'm afraid of needles. Now all I want to do is sleep and go hang out with my mom."

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com.