Let's see now, where were we again?

Oh, yes, before the Oregon State defense and left end Dorian Smith so rudely intruded Saturday night, sacking Colt Brennan six times and chasing him around the Halawa night, we were talking about the Hawai'i quarterback's pursuit of the NCAA single-single season record for touchdown passes. Before OSU quarterback Matt Moore tried to steal the show with three touchdowns passes, it was Brennan hot on the heels of passing history.

Consider it history postponed, not denied. Not yet, anyway. Not as long as there is a bowl game to be played and there are passes to be thrown.

Because while a Top 25 ranking, a 12-victory season assuredly and some other things might be off the table now after a 35-32 loss to the Beavers, the chase of David Klingler's 16-year-old record continues. The drama builds heading into the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl on Dec. 24.

At last check — and the folks in section E of Aloha Stadium had the count posted on the rail — the number of TDs Brennan needs to break Klingler's mark of 54 in a season remains at two.

While it would have been fun for Brennan to have broken the mark against Oregon State, there is an element of irony that says doing it against Arizona State on Christmas Eve would be kind of fitting, too. Plus it gives ESPN the opportunity to talk about it some more.

For ASU was the victim when Klingler set the record in 1990, besting Jim McMahon's mark of 47. Klingler threw seven TD passes in that game, a 62-45 bombardment of the Sun Devils. You have to like Klingler's attitude at the time. "I don't like close games," he told the Associated Press. "I'd like to just go out there and get it over with quickly, but they forced us to keep scoring."

So, on a 716-yard passing day — that was a record, too — when ASU asked for it, Klingler kept giving. Right up to the finale, a 95-yard strike that produced TD No. 54.

Klingler, whose probation-slapped Cougars were not permitted a bowl game that year, set his record in 11 games. But don't imagine for a moment that he got cheated on playing time or tosses. While Brennan has played more games, the Hawai'i Bowl will be his 14th, Klingler will end up having thrown more passes. Klingler's 643 pass attempts are 126 more than Brennan has launched so far. Brennan just made the most of his tries, completing 72 percent, compared to Klingler's 58 percent.

If you were ASU, looking forward to having Brennan break the record against somebody else, then Oregon State didn't do you any favors Saturday night, either.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.