On a December afternoon 10 years ago, Billy Ray Stutzmann’s brother became a matinee idol.

“We were sitting around the 50-yard line,” Stutzmann said of Hawaii’s 72-45 victory over Brigham Young at Aloha Stadium in 2001. “It was one of the best games I’ve ever seen.”

With a comfortable lead, Craig Stutzmann caught a scoring pass, then punted the football into the stands.

“I thought that was the greatest celebration ever,” Billy Ray Stutzmann said. “I was 10 years old, and I got to see my brother do all of that. I had so much fun watching my brother play in that game.”

Now it is Billy Ray Stutzmann’s turn to be the Warriors’ wizard of ahs. The younger Stutzmann, also a slotback, has drawn raves the past two weeks.

Against Fresno State, Stutzmann scored on a 69-yard, catch-and-dash play, UH’s longest touchdown reception of the season.

This past Saturday against Tulane, quarterback David Graves escaped pressure and threw high to Stutzmann, who soared behind a Green Wave defender for the reception.

“That was a great catch,” offensive coordinator Nick Rolovich said.

Stutzmann said the play was a result of three years of practices. Stutzmann and Graves are both third-year sophomores who ascended from scout team to starting roles.

“That was like a normal scramble drill,” Stutzmann said. “Me and Dave work on that all of the time. Once he gets out of the pocket, he looks downfield.”

More and more, Stutzmann has become the target. This season, he has been the primary receiver a team-high 129 times. He has 71 receptions for 860 yards and four touchdowns. More important, Stutzmann has become an aggressive receiver.

During the offseason, he gained 10 pounds, and now carries 175 pounds on a 6-foot-2 frame. He has worked to be more physical, particularly on routes through the density of zone defenses.

Stutzmann has a yards-after-catch average of 6.26. His yards-after-contact average is 2.79.

“He’s taking over the role,” Graves said of Stutzmann’s in-traffic catches.

Becoming a go-to receiver, Stutzmann said, “is something I’ve dreamed about since I signed the paper to come here.”

Stutzmann gets another chance Saturday, when UH and BYU meet at Aloha Stadium for the first time since that 2001 game. (The teams last faced each other in 2002 in Provo, Utah.)

“My whole household knows about the history (of the UH-BYU rivalry),” Stutzmann said.