San Diego State's usually stingy defense is known as "The Dark Side."

"We lighted it up," quarterback Colt Brennan said in the celebration of Hawai'i's 49-38 victory last night at Aloha Stadium.

Before a crowd of 23,035, Brennan threw for 326 yards and five touchdowns, including three to freshman slotback Ryan Grice-Mullen, to help the Warriors close the 2005 season with a 5-7 record.

"I'm glad everybody stepped it up for the seniors," Grice-Mullen said. "It's a good win for the seniors. It's a nice way to go out, and a good start for next year."

The outlook is less promising for the Aztecs, who also finished 5-7, their seventh consecutive non-winning season (and fourth under head coach Tom Craft). The Aztecs are the only member of the 6-year-old Mountain West Conference not to appear in a postseason bowl. Craft's job, with a year remaining on his contract, is rumored to be in jeopardy.

But San Diego State was not prepared to go gently into the offseason. The Aztecs, who built a 14-point lead in the first half, entered with one of the nation's best pass defenses, allowing 211.2 aerial yards per games. They had relinquished just five touchdown passes in their first 11 games.

But the Aztecs could not keep up with the Warriors, who opened with a new look (road silver helmets and pants), rotation (backup Tyler Graunke started at quarterback and rotated with Brennan through the first two series) and a big-and-bigger running attack.

For the first time, Nate Ilaoa, whose heftiness has drawn critical attention from UH coach June Jones since training camp, was the Warriors' "speed back."

The 5-foot-9 Ilaoa, who is anywhere between 225 and 245 pounds, rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown and caught seven passes for 60 yards and a score. After receiving nine touches in last week's loss to Wisconsin, Ilaoa received 22 touches and put up 201 yards.

However, Ilaoa was dwarfed by 6-foot, 351-pound Reagan Mauia, who converted from nose tackle to running back two weeks ago. Mauia powered his way for 56 yards and a touchdown in 10 carries, and provided added backside blocking for Brennan, using sumo-like hand thrusts to ward off pass-rushers. Mauia made crucial blocks against blitzers on two of Brennan's touchdown passes to Grice-Mullen.

The Warriors rushed for a season-high 262 yards.

"We knew we were able to run the ball against them, and Nate had a great game," Jones said. "And I think everybody here saw what Reagan Mauia will be like when he loses 80 pounds."

The Aztecs had limited options, none of them good. Drop back to cover the Warriors' four receivers — or even the fifth, when Ilaoa sneaks for screens or shovel passes — and the running lanes open. Focus on the backs, and the result is Grice-Mullen's 63-yard, pass-and-sprint against a thinned secondary. And even when the Aztecs tried to close the running gaps, it was difficult to slow Ilaoa and Mauia.

Mauia broke three tackles on his up-the-gut scoring run.

"I just wanted to make it happen for the team," said Mauia, who played offensive guard in junior college last season. "I'm an ex-lineman. That's where I'm from."

Grice-Mullen said: "Once we all play our game, I feel we're unstoppable. We have so much ammo. We keep loading and loading. If everybody does (his) job, I feel we'll come out with victories."

Meanwhile, when the Aztecs weren't shooting themselves in the foot, they were tripping over their laces. They squandered one scoring opportunity when Lynell Hamilton fumbled at the UH 13 in the first quarter.

The Warriors also scored 21 points in the final 2:50 of the first half, turning a 21-7 deficit into a 28-21 lead. During that surge, Ryan Keomaka intercepted Kevin O'Connell at the welcome mat of the end zone, and one series later, the Aztecs lost possession when O'Connell's pitch ricocheted off running back Brandon Bornes.

Ilaoa's two touchdowns — 11 yards off a shovel pass from Brennan, and 25 yards off a draw — extended the Warriors' lead to 49-24 in the fourth quarter.

The Aztecs closed to 11 points on Jeff Webb's 16-yard scoring catch and Hamilton's 2-yard touchdown run.

But the Warriors ended the Aztecs' final hopes by breaking up a fourth-down pass with 2:21 remaining.

It didn't matter, because the Warriors' offense, with Brennan at the controls, was difficult to slow.

"Coach Jones wrote it up great," Brennan said. "Everything they did out there, I saw in practice. I got so fired up in the first half. I was hitting everything, and it was because it was just like Coach Jones said it would be. He put me in a position to have a great game. He said we'd play well if we executed, and we executed."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.