NEVADA-LAS VEGAS | SEPT. 15

LAS VEGAS — "Aaaaaurgh!"

Quarterback Colt Brennan let out a wake-the-comatose scream as the adhesive athletic tape was ripped from the skin of his black-and-purple sprained right ankle following Hawai'i's 49-14 football rout of Nevada-Las Vegas Saturday night at Sam Boyd Stadium.

"Look at how bad that looks," Brennan said, pointing to the deep bruise coursing from his ankle to the right side of his right foot. Brennan suffered the injury during Friday's walk-through practice.

"There's no doubt I probably injured it more because I did play on it," Brennan said. "But there's no way I wasn't going to play."

For Brennan, it never hurt so good.

Brennan ran for three touchdowns and threw for two to help the 24th-ranked Warriors complete a sweep of the two-game, 12-day road trip. They are 3-0 for the first time since 1982.

The Rebels fell to 1-2.

Brennan completed 26 of 32 passes — two were dropped — for 298 yards in three quarters. By not playing in the final quarter, his streak of consecutive 300-yard passing games ended at 14. But he set the NCAA record with his 29th 200-yard game in a row.

He also ran nine times for 19 yards.

"I felt bad I had to run him on some quarterback sneaks (for touchdowns)," head coach June Jones said. "But sometimes you've got to take it for the team. He sucked it up and played good."

There were concerns about Brennan's availability. He suffered the injury while playing catch with wideout C.J. Hawthorne.

"I was having fun," Brennan recalled. "When I jumped up to try and catch a football, my ankle gave out, and I heard a loud pop. Within a couple of minutes, it just swelled up."

Brennan limped across the field, where he was met by athletic trainers Eric Okasaki and Brian Wong.

Brennan was taken to the training room, where he was treated with ice packs.

"I knew right away something wasn't right," Brennan said. "(The trainers) attacked (the injury) all night and all morning and all afternoon. They did a great job to make sure I could play."

Make a difference. Donate to The Advertiser Christmas Fund.