Ordinarily the countdown of the final seconds of a football victory over Fresno State, especially one as milestone as last night's, would touch off a boisterous celebration from the nearly sold-out Aloha Stadium stands and on the field.

But as the uncertainty etched on players' faces and worry among the fans amply demonstrated, this 37-30 Warriors' win was anything but ordinary even in a series that has seen almost everything.

On a night when the Warriors had to retrieve an onside kick attempt with 1 minute, 31 seconds remaining to preserve the lead, the concern was more than win deep. With quarterback Colt Brennan, their Heisman Trophy candidate, long since in the locker room with what was later announced as a mild concussion after suffering a jarring fourth-quarter hit from linebacker Marcus Riley, the worry was palpable among the largest crowd to witness a Western Athletic Conference game in Halawa in 27 years.

The postgame rejoicing of being just one of two remaining unbeaten teams was noticeably subdued. The revelry understated. Even the unsightly confetti that usually covers the field was in comparative short supply.

The trademark post-game ha'a went unperformed. "It is hard to celebrate when he went out of there like that," said co-captain Michael Lafaele.

So, for the moment, the Warriors' first 9-0 start in the history of an all-college schedule at UH took a back seat. Bowl Championship Series rankings were left unspeculated upon. Satisfaction of a victory over rival Fresno State not fully savored. Nobody celebrated that Ty Detmer's NCAA record for career touchdown passes (121) had been tied and is surely living on borrowed time.

Instead, there were prayers, both individual and team, for the Warriors' leader, who went down with 10 minute 43 seconds left in the fourth quarter with 396 yards passing and two touchdowns while the crowd held its breath. Even Fresno State head coach Pat Hill went to the Warriors' locker room to address the team and check up on Brennan.

"Guys said prayers, hoping he'd be alright," said receiver Ryan Grice-Mullins. "Seeing a teammate go down like that is hard."

Especially this one. Brennan long ago earned a special place not only in the hearts of his teammates but of the state. People who little know the difference between a first down and a touchdown have come to rally around the youngster who gave up the promise of a lucrative draft position to return to UH and further its chances of a run up the national polls.

Brennan is, for many, the face of UH football this year, whether he has the state map dyed into his hair or not. As such a lot of people feel his pain and the cringe at what his loss would mean to the Warriors, especially now in the stretch run of this magical season.

"A lot of things go through your mind when you see a guy like that go down," said assistant coach Rich Miano. "The fact that we won this football game is huge because that (Fresno State) is a good football team but obviously people are subdued because of what happened to Colt. You worry about the health of a guy who turned down a lot of money to help build a dream season we're having. That's first and foremost."

Outside the south entrance to the stadium, fans who normally come for autographs also sought the latest news on the fallen quarterback. "What's happening with Colt?" they asked. "How's Colt?" they wondered.

Inside, Brennan eventually relayed words of hope to the media through athletic department spokesman Derek Inouchi: "I'm doing fine. I'd like to thank everyone for the support they gave out there. I'm looking forward to getting back on the field for next week's game against Nevada," Brennan said.

A whole state, in its thoughts and prayers, hopes he's right.

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