In the final analysis, Hawai'i head coach June Jones said, quarterback Tyler Graunke played well in Colt Brennan's absence and was not deserving of the boos he received during Saturday night's 66-10 rout of Charleston Southern at Aloha Stadium.

"I didn't hear (the boos) when the game was going on, but I heard it on the (television) replay of the game, and that's kind of disappointing that people would do that," Jones said. "I don't know what would cause people to do that to kids."

During the first half, when Graunke was intercepted twice, there were loud chants of "We Want Colt!"

"I appreciate the love," said Brennan, who did not play because of a sprained right ankle, "but in all honesty, that wasn't fair to Tyler. Not at all.

"The fans don't see that a lot of mistakes that are pinned on the quarterback aren't necessarily the quarterback's fault," Brennan added. "The fans can't see that. The way our offense has been, and the success we've had, the fans can get a little spoiled.

"It's weird. Just because the offense, which is usually so high octane, was having trouble early on, people were saying things. It was funny to see how the game ended up. When the fourth quarter came (and UH was ahead 49-10), it was like, 'Geez, do we have to go through this whole fourth quarter?' "

Jones said he reviewed video from the game, concluding that "Tyler did a great job. If you go back and double check, three or four (incompletions) weren't his fault. He's a player. I'm proud of him. He battled through some rough adversity early. He threw some strikes later."

Graunke admitted it took him a little longer than expected to find his groove.

"It shouldn't have been 21-10 at the half," Graunke said. "It should have been 51-10 at the half. We didn't execute. I didn't execute. I would have loved to have come out and taken the life out of them early. It takes the life out if you can pick them apart early. We didn't do that, but I finally got it together."

Brennan said that every time the crowd voiced its displeasure, Graunke responded with a clutch pass.

"A lot of quarterbacks could have totally folded and buckled and succumbed to the pressure, but Ty wouldn't do that," Brennan said. "In fact, when things got bad, that's when Ty stepped up. It says a lot about him. That's what's awesome about Ty."

Of the jeers, Graunke said: "I probably deserved it. I would expect us to come out every Saturday for a home game and put up points early and put teams like that away. I didn't do that. It took me a little while. ... That's how football is. If you're not performing you're going to hear it from the fans. That's cool. I've seen worse than that."

But Graunke finished with 285 passing yards in three quarters, and he accounted for four touchdowns — three by passing and his 6-yard run.

"I probably didn't win everybody back," Graunke said, "but slowly and surely I will. I guarantee I will."

LEONARD'S DREAM

After watching linebacker Adam Leonard follow his blockers and then dive the final yard into the end zone to complete an interception return for a touchdown, Jones had one thought: "I was thinking of switching him to fullback after that run."

"Tell him to put me in goal-line situations," Leonard said. "I think Colt could hand them to me, and I could punch them in."

For now Leonard is continuing his goal of fully recovering from arthroscopic surgery in June. He had a torn meniscus in his right knee.

His rehabilitation involved running drills, but not football-related workouts. He entered training camp still not healed.

"It's still bothering me," Leonard said. "I don't think it will be 100 percent to where I don't feel (discomfort) for a while."

Leonard, who is considered to be the Warriors' best open-field tackler, has found motivation on the Internet. He said he recently was criticized on a Warrior fan's Web site for being out of shape.

"It kind of stings, but it doesn't hurt me," Leonard said. "It won't break me or make me to have fans feel that way. It makes me want to prove them wrong."

MOUTON 'THE REAL DEAL'

Cornerback Ryan Mouton said he believes his tweaked left knee is not seriously injured.

"I think I'll be fine," said Mouton, who received treatment yesterday.

Mouton scored on a 90-yard kickoff return against Charle-ston Southern.

"He's the real deal," Jones said. "He's a next-level player. He plays football like the big boys. He plays football with confidence."

RIVERS WAS RUSTY

Jason Rivers, who did not practice last week because of lower-back stiffness, aggravated the condition during the game. He did not play in the second half.

"Jason didn't have a great game, but it was from not practicing," Jones said. "I went against my rule of allowing a guy to play without practicing. But I'm glad he got in there a little bit. The bottom line is you've got to do what you've got to do to win games. Even with no practice, (Rivers) gives us the best chance. But it wasn't fair to put him in there without practicing."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.