LAS VEGAS — As she sought University of Hawai'i quarterback Colt Brennan for a post-game souvenir picture amid a crush of well-wishers last night, a fan gushed: "You're so amazing!"

Little did she or, indeed, the sold-out Sam Boyd Stadium crowd of 38,125 know just how amazing their hero of the moment really was.

Only later, when Brennan emerged from the locker room shorn of the yards of tape that tightly bound his black-and-blue right ankle, some in the crowd to oohing and ahhing, did many learn the startling truth about his virtuoso five-touchdown (three running, two passing) performance in the Warriors' 49-14 pillaging of Nevada-Las Vegas.

Only then did they begin to grasp the depth and wonder of his showing in helping to lead the No. 24-ranked Warriors to their first 3-0 start since the Holiday Bowl championship season of 1992.

By now, three years into his UH beyond-remarkable career, little Brennan does should probably surprise us. But, somehow, it does. Regularly.

One week he is throwing for 548 yards under a relentless rush, picking himself up off the turf amid four sacks and firing more touchdowns passes. The next Brennan is running for a career-high three touchdowns and nine times overall for 19 yards on a bum, aching ankle.

This one self-inflicted after turning the ankle during Friday's practice at Boyd Stadium. "I was out here (goofing) around before we started practice," Brennan recalled. "I jumped up for a ball and I heard a loud snap and pop. It looked like a golfball in 35 minutes but the trainers did a great job and took me into (the training room) right away."

Together they could — and did fool — an opponent that hardly had reason to suspect he was anything less than 100 percent. One that never thought it would come to fear his footwork as well as his celebrated handiwork.

On a night when the Warriors leaned uncharacteristically on their running game — 29 carries — to open things up for the pass, guess who was leading the charge — on one good leg? In a game where he completed 26 of 32 passes — including a streak of 13 in a row at one point — for 298 yards, who knew it was Brennan's running that would carry the day?

Not UNLV. "We didn't expect him to run so much," said Beau Bell, UNLV linebacker, said after a game in which Brennan spun away from pursuers and darted through openings.

Frankly, neither did Brennan's coach, June Jones, who said he considered inserting backup Tyler Graunke for the short yardage-and-goal situations Brennan faced from the one yard line (twice) and three yard line for eventual touchdowns.

Jones would say later that there was a hesitancy to bring in a new quarterback cold off the bench in a goal line situation, but there was also a belief in Brennan and, indeed, an admiration for what he was doing.

"I saw him this morning at breakfast and he was walking but he didn't think he could play without deadening it, so he did," Jones said. "He's a tough kid and he wanted to play."

That became evident every time he scrambled. Every time UH needed a couple yards or a score to help put away their fifth consecutive road victory over two seasons.

"I was pushing it," Brennan acknowledged. "And the truth is I can't feel my leg.Tomorrow, my ankle is fat, black and blue then, then the next couple of days will be rough days. I knew if I shot it up and hobbled around on one foot and made plays then it would do a lot for the team and the crowd. And, that's what I wanted to do."

In those situations, Brennan was as good as we've seen him in his UH stay. Which leads to the question: What more can Brennan do to amaze us?

Stay tuned. An answer shouldn't be long in coming.

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