During his three-year Hawai'i football career, quarterback Colt Brennan has rewritten the NCAA record book.

Now, he has helped edit the Western Athletic Conference's menu of football awards.

At the urging of Brennan, the WAC created a special award for the league's top unit — an honor that was presented yesterday to the Warriors' record-setting offense.

"That is awesome, dude," Brennan said when told of the award, which was announced in conjunction with the release of the 2007 All-WAC football team.

Eleven Warriors were named to the All-WAC first team: Brennan, slotbacks Ryan Grice-Mullins and Davone Bess, center John Estes, left guard Hercules Satele, defensive end David Veikune, defensive tackle Michael Lafaele, linebackers Adam Leonard and Solomon Elimimian, cornerback Myron Newberry, and kicker Dan Kelly.

Left wideout Jason Rivers was the lone Warrior on the second team.

June Jones was named Coach of the Year, and Brennan was selected as the Offensive Player of the Year.

But after learning he was the candidate for the offensive award, Brennan approached WAC commissioner Karl Benson after UH's 35-28 victory over Washington Saturday night. Brennan asked if the award could be shared with the entire Warriors' offense.

"I said, 'If there's any way we could collectively win this award, I'd really appreciate it,' " Brennan recalled saying.

Estes said: "Colt is so unselfish. He would do anything for this team."

The WAC, as it turned out, listened, creating an "Offensive Unit of the Year." Brennan and the starting receivers — Bess, Grice-Mullins, Rivers and right wideout C.J. Hawthorne — were mentioned specifically. The Warriors lead the nation in scoring, averaging 46.17 points per game.

"The way the game of football goes, the quarterback sometimes just gets too much love," Brennan said. "I missed two games this year. I got knocked out of two games. Those are four games we won not because of me. There's no way I can honestly take a single award. I knew just because of the way the season went, the way it ended, people would want to give me a lot of credit. But the credit goes to the O-line and especially that receiving corps. And Tyler (Graunke, the backup quarterback) stepped in and won a game. They were the most valuable offensive unit in the WAC. I'm grateful the WAC recognized that, and glad they created the award."

Bess said: "We give a lot of credit to Colt. He lobbied for us to get the award. At the same time, we give a lot of credit to our teammates and our coaches for putting us in positions to make plays."

Bess, Grice-Mullins and Rivers each had more than 1,000 receiving yards, the second trio in NCAA history to surpass that milestone in the same season.

Bess, a junior, has 101 catches for 1,213 yards and 12 touchdowns. Grice-Mullins, also a junior, has 100 receptions for 1,335 yards and 12 touchdowns. Rivers, a senior, has 82 catches for 1,069 yards and a team-high 13 touchdowns.

"Everything we do, we do as a team," Grice-Mullins said.

Estes made an easy transition from right guard, where he played last season and through spring practice.

"I think center is my natural position, anyway," said Estes, a third-year sophomore. "I give a lot of credit to coach (Dennis) McKnight. He helped me out, and gave me a lot of great advice."

Satele, a fifth-year senior, has become an efficient pass-blocker. He also is skilled in serving as the lead blocker on sweeps.

"All of the hard work from the summer has paid off," Satele said. "Look at our season. It's been a lot of fun."

The Warriors defense also succeeded, adjusting to a new coordinator (Greg McMackin, who returned to Manoa after an eight-year absence) and scheme (4-3).

In last year's 3-4 alignment, Veikune had to fight off double blocks. In the 4-3, Veikune, a junior, used his quickness and strength as a rush end. "I'm thankful for the recognition," said Veikune, who does not start but leads the Warriors with seven sacks.

"This scheme gives me more opportunities to make plays," Veikune said.

Lafaele, who will graduate Dec. 16, has overcome a variety of injuries to anchor the defensive line.

"The D-line does a great job of keeping guys off of (the linebackers)," said Elimimian, a junior who has a team-high 127 tackles.

Leonard, a junior who has 100 tackles and four interceptions despite playing with a fractured right hand, said: "I feel blessed for the opportunity to make plays."

Newberry, a senior, has four interceptions, matching Leonard for the team lead. In UH's defensive schemes, Newberry often is left isolated to cover an opponent's best wide receiver.

"I set a goal for myself to get All-WAC," Newberry said. "I guess it happened. It's a great honor. I worked my butt off all spring and all summer to try to get to where we are now."

Kelly, the self-styled "Iceman," kicked the game-winning, 45-yard field goal against Nevada. He successfully converted his first 50 point-after kicks this season. Kelly played the regular season with a sore right ankle.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.