Wide receiver Jason Rivers scores on a 30-yard touchdown pass play to give Hawai‘i a 14-0 lead in the first quarter as Northern Colorado defensive back Stephen Michon tries to bring him down. Scott Morifuji | The Honolulu Advertiser   Hawai‘i quarterback Colt Brennan (drops back to pass as Larry Sauafea (73) blocks Northern Colorado defender Vinny Pallone (56) in the first quarter at the Aloha Stadium. Andrew Shimabuku | The Honolulu Advertiser

Brennan completed 34 of 40 passes.

Brennan only played in the first half, when he set three UH records and tied two others. His 19 completions in the first quarter and 31 in the half are new UH marks.

He was out of uniform in the second. Head coach June Jones also pulled several other starters.

By the end of the first quarter, when the 23rd-ranked Warriors constructed a 28-0 lead, the only suspense was whether they would surpass the 60-point margin predicted by oddsmakers.

The Warriors scored on six of their seven first-half drives. Brennan tied Nick Rolovich's school record of six touchdown passes in a half. By the end of the first two quarters he had tied former Southern California quarterback Matt Leinart for sixth place with 99 career scoring passes. Leinart and Brennan, both graduates of Mater Dei High School in California, are close friends.

The Warriors wasted little time in seizing control, going 80 yards in eight plays to take a 7-0 lead. The final 15 yards came on screen play from Brennan to running back Kealoha Pilares.

Pilares, who was the state's 2005 high school Offensive Player of the Year, was making his UH debut after sitting out last season.

On that opening drive, Brennan completed 6 of 7 passes; the incompletion was a result of slotback Davone Bess' drop.

Soon after, the Warriors regained possession when safety Keao Monteilh jarred the football free from running back David Woods. Cornerback Gerard Lewis recovered at the UNC 23.

Two plays later, Brennan found left wideout Jason Rivers wide open at the end of fly pattern, making it 14-0.

The Bears' next possession also ended on a turnover when Woods failed to control a handoff from Dominic Breazeale. Defensive tackle Michael Lafaele recovered at the UNC 40.

The Warriors drove to the UNC 5. Then Brennan, from the left hash, threw across to Bess in the right flat. Bess slipped away from Max Hewitt's attempted ankle tackle, and strutted into the end zone, extending the Warriors' lead to 21-0.

The Warriors needed three more Brennan passes to make it 28-0. Brennan collaborated with Ryan Grice-Mullins on a 28-yard pass, and then threw six yards to Leon Wright-Jackson, playing his first UH game since transferring from Nebraska. Brennan then threw 30 yards to C.J. Hawthorne, a converted cornerback, for his fourth touchdown pass of the game.

The Warriors extended their lead to 35-0 on Brennan's favorite short-yardage play — an out pattern to Bess. This one covered two yards.

It was 42-0 after Grice-Mullins caught a 26-yard pass from Brennan. He was the fifth receiver to catch a TD pass from Brennan.

The second half opened just as well for the Warriors. Michael Washington fielded a punt at the 20, drafted behind the wedge, broke free and sprinted the rest of the way for a touchdown.

After that, the Warriors brought in their reserve defense.

The opener answered several concerns for the Warriors.

The offensive line, which featured new starters at four positions, did not allow a sack when Brennan was in the game.

Brennan was pressured just twice. Once, he pirouetted away for a 4-yard scramble. A second time, Pilares, who was aligned on his left, scooted over to the right to block a blitzer.

Pilares and Wright-Jackson also fulfilled their high expectations. Both had big runs, and they showed they were more than adequate backfield blockers.

And the defense, under Greg McMackin, overpowered the Bears, who tried several combinations — and two quarterbacks — with few positive results.

Northern Colorado, which was 1-10 last season, recently received certification as a Division I-AA program. Teams at that level are limited to 63 football scholarships. The Bears have 60 scholarship players, and three of them were not available tonight because of injuries.

The Warriors leave Wednesday for consecutive road games against Louisiana Tech Saturday and Nevada-Las Vegas Sept. 15.