NEW ORLEANS — Hawai'i's Colt Brennan was the only player wearing his helmet throughout the post-game handshakes and group prayer last night.

Who could blame him for taking precautions?

Brennan took a vicious beating from the No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs in the Warriors' 41-10 Sugar Bowl loss before a crowd of 74,383 in the Louisiana Superdome.

Though he lost the game, Brennan won the Bulldogs' respect.

Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford found Brennan, walking unevenly near midfield, and put an arm around him as he spoke into the earhole of his helmet: "Are you OK?''

That's what many wanted to know after watching Brennan get sacked eight times while suffering at least another 15 hits after releasing the ball in the Hawai'i (12-1) loss.

Georgia (11-2) delivered the knockout punch on the 201-pound Brennan with 12:43 left in the game when 6-foot-1, 290-pound defensive tackle Geno Atkins dropped him at the Hawai'i 37.

The score was 41-3 at that point, but Brennan was still battling, as he had throughout Hawai'i's season.

Brennan was literally pulled off the field by the Warriors' medical staff after spending an extended amount of time on the turf.

Could he have returned to the game?

"I wanted to,'' said Brennan, who had 22 of Hawai'i's Sugar Bowl-record 35 completions and 38 of the Warriors' Sugar Bowl-record 57 attempts.

The Georgia players marveled at Brennan's toughness.

"He's a tough guy, and he just kept getting up,'' said Bulldogs middle linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, who had eight tackles and an interception. "I respect him for that.

"He was cool, calm and collected. He was smiling and talking; he was a cool cat, and I respect him.''

Stafford said he was truly concerned for Brennan's welfare, having first-hand knowledge of SEC hits himself.

"It's tough to take some of those,'' Stafford said. "He got killed out there, but he's a great player and he had a great career.

"Hitting him was kind of our game plan.''

Georgia coach Mark Richt said he didn't know the Bulldogs would land that many blows on Brennan, but pressure needed to be a factor.

"He's an exciting player, and he's tough; I'd seen him take some tough shots on film,'' Richt said. "We've got the ultimate respect for him.''

Georgia safety Kelin Johnson said Hawai'i did everything the Bulldogs expected on offense, and Brennan lived up to his hype.

"He has courage, and he fought tall,'' Johnson said. "We were just so focused. We had curfew every night, and Hawai'i didn't.''

It's a safe bet Brennan needed little time to fall asleep in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

PAINFUL ENDING FOR QB

Brennan didn't flinch when asked if he had ever seen a pass rush like Georgia's.

"To be honest, no, it was the hardest, fastest team I've ever seen,'' he said, walking off the field immediately after the game, "but we just couldn't get into our groove. It wasn't necessarily the scheme. Tonight wasn't our night; it wasn't meant for us to be. I'm just extremely disappointed I had to end my career this way.''

SUPER SACK ATTACK

Georgia showed why it led the SEC with 34 sacks, utilizing its speedy, undersized ends and a variety of blitzes to get to Brennan.

The Bulldogs' eight sacks were a school and Sugar Bowl record.

MORE BOWL RECORDS

Georgia's 41 points set the school record for most in a bowl game, and the 31-point margin of victory was the Bulldogs' largest in a bowl game.

Kicker Brandon Coutu hit a BCS-bowl record 52-yard field goal that also ranked as a Georgia bowl record.

TURNOVER BATTLE LOST

Georgia scored 21 points off Hawai'i's six turnovers while the Warriors failed to capitalize off the Bulldogs' only turnover, an interception at the Hawai'i 4-yard line.

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