University of Hawai'i left slotback Davone Bess yesterday was named to the Rivals.com 2005 Freshman All-America Football Team.

"I'm honored and thankful for the opportunity to be on the team," said Bess, who is third nationally in receptions with 12.7 per game. "I guess hard work pays off. I tried to work hard to get to where I am. But I wouldn't be in this position without my teammates — without Colt (Brennan, the quarterback), without the other receivers and running backs, without the blockers."

UH coach June Jones said: "It wouldn't surprise me if he was named to a regular All-American team. He's a good player. He's certainly had a year worthy of that."

The honor completes Bess' emergence from a difficult background. In 2003, a week away from leaving for Oregon State to play football, Bess was arrested after he picked up two friends who had burglarized a store. He spent 15 months in a juvenile detention center before being released in September 2004. Two months later, Bess, who is 5 feet 9 1/2 and 187 pounds, signed with UH.

In spring practice, Jones recalled thinking, "He's a special player."

This season, Bess has amassed 85 receptions and 14 touchdowns in breathtaking style, sometimes leaping for one-handed grabs.

"I have not seen so many plays that you just go, 'Wow,' in one season by one player," Jones said. "He has tremendous concentration. He probably has a 45-inch vertical jump. He probably works harder than anybody."

Bess has not been healthy since suffering an upper-glute injury in August. In last week's game against Wisconsin, Bess aggravated a back injury.

The last time he's been healthy? "I can't remember," said Bess, who will start Saturday against San Diego State. "It's been a while."

As for the honor, Bess said: "Our program doesn't get much publicity, so I wasn't expecting it. I'm happy to get it."

NATE'S JUST 'GREAT'

During Friday's postgame news conference, and then again Monday and yesterday, outside linebacker Tanuvasa Moe implored teammates, coaches and the media to show love to running back Nate Ilaoa.

"He inspires me," Moe said. "He gets a lot of bad press, but he still goes out and plays. I've seen that 'he's overweight,' but he keeps his mouth shut and goes out and plays. ... I was sure after he started doing great, people's views would change. But I still haven't seen anything good written or said about him, so I had to say something. I hope it gets out that he's a great person and a great football player."

Told by teammates and reporters about Moe's comments, Ilaoa said: "He's always had my back. It's not my place to say anything. But I'm glad he said that. My family and close friends were happy he spoke up about it."

On the second day of training camp in August, Jones criticized Ilaoa, a 5-foot-9 senior, for weighing 249 pounds. People familiar with the situation said Ilaoa had been told to limit his offseason running to help heal his injured knee and shoulder.

"I can't go back into last spring or summer and lose all of the weight to gain people's respect back," Ilaoa said. "I'm doing what I have to do now."

Ilaoa appears to have lost nearly 30 pounds, and now weighs about 220. "I haven't weighed myself since the tragedy, since everyone was on me about my weight," he said. "I'm out there running every day. You're going to lose weight, regardless."

In the past four games, Ilaoa has emerged as one of the Warriors' best threats, averaging 8.43 yards per touch. In the past two games, he's averaging 11.3 yards per carry. Now, talk-show callers and message-board posters are asking: Why doesn't Ilaoa get the ball more?

"Carries don't mean that much to me," said Ilaoa, who has a total of 11 rushing attempts in the past two games. "Would I love to carry it more? Of course. Everybody wants to run the ball in football. Everybody's dream is to run and score touchdowns. There's a lot more to football than that. There's the whole structure of what a team is trying to do."

On Sunday, Jones said Ilaoa was incorrectly blamed for missing a block that led to a sack. "He was trying to cover for someone," Jones said.

Ilaoa said: "Everybody who watches games thinks I'm missing blocks or this or that. That's what they see, so obviously that's their opinion. Everybody thinks I'm getting winded. Football players do get winded, especially after long runs. But it doesn't last long. (Wisconsin running back) Brian Calhoun got winded, and he came out, but I don't see a lot of people in Wisconsin getting mad about him coming out.

"People think they're taking me out because 'he's winded.' They automatically think, 'Oh, he's still fat.' People can have their opinions. I know what's going on with me. I'm trying to take care of what's on my side."

Ilaoa is seeking a medical hardship that will allow him to play as a sixth-year senior in 2006.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.