Davone Bess is catching on quite nicely in his first season with the University of Hawai'i football team.

Bess tied a school record with 14 receptions yesterday, although the Warriors lost to Fresno State, 27-13.

"It still boils down to this being a team sport and we didn't win the game, so I can't be satisfied," said Bess, a freshman slotback.

Still, it was quite an individual performance.

Bess' receptions went for 158 yards — his highest total this season — and he scored Hawai'i's only touchdown on a 15-yard strike from quarterback Colt Brennan.

Bess also made two spectacular one-handed catches. The first one came off a tipped pass; the second one came on an overthrown pass that he had to dive for.

"Davone Bess was unbelievable," Hawai'i head coach June Jones said. "He's a pretty spectacular player. As I've been on record saying, he might be the best one we ever had."

He is now in the record books with one of the best. His 14 receptions tied the record set by Chad Owens in 2003.

"I feel like I'm one of the go-to guys," Bess said. "But at the same time, I'm just trying to do what I have to do to help this offense."

If anybody thinks his one-handed catches were lucky, his teammates will say otherwise.

"He was making it look easy," Brennan said. "He does that stuff all the time in practice. It's kind of like an every day thing.

"Sometimes when he drops one, we'll kind of yell at him to put two hands on it. Then, all of a sudden, you put him in a game situation and he makes two unbelievable catches with one hand."

Receivers coach Ron Lee added: "Davone has got unbelievable hands. He does things like that all the time in practice."

But it was a catch that Bess didn't make that bothered him the most.

Trailing 20-13 late in the fourth quarter, Bess said he was held by a Fresno State defender, preventing a potential touchdown catch.

The officials ruled that the pass was tipped, so no interference penalty could be enforced.

"If he wouldn't have held me, it would have been a touchdown," Bess said.

The play came on fourth down from Fresno State's 6-yard line. The Bulldogs took possession and went on to score the game-clinching touchdown.

"It's real frustrating for us to get that close and not get it in there," Bess said.

But Bess said he will maintain his practice pace, which includes catching extra passes before practice, and on off days.

"I go out every morning at 6 o'clock and catch as many balls as I can — just to be ready," he said. "And Mondays is our day off, but I still go out there and catch 200 balls."

The practice has paid off as Bess now leads the team with 64 receptions and 767 receiving yards.

Bess, who is listed at 5 feet 10 and 187 pounds, has five 100-yard receiving games this season, including a streak of three games in a row.

"Somebody once told me there's no such thing as luck," he said. "Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. I got the opportunity and I prepared for it. I just have to continue to do the same thing."

Lee said: "The best part is he's a freshman and he's still learning."

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.