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Sports Watch

By Bill Kwon

Monday, October 30, 2000

Chang learning,
excelling despite lots
of adversity

THERE'S no question June Jones believes that Timmy Chang is University of Hawaii's quarterback of the future.

And Chang will be a good one. Maybe the best ever before his UH career is over. He has already started putting up some passing numbers to lay the foundation for that claim.

Unfortunately, the future is now. And Chang is going through a learning experience with some hard knocks along the way. Most first-year QBs just stand on the sidelines with the coach, holding a clipboard.

But Jones insists that it's the best and only way for Chang to get better. It's to do it under the most adverse conditions.

With a team that's 1-6, there's no turning back on that commitment for Jones or Chang.

Just as Jones lives and dies with the run-and-shoot offense, so will Chang and the rest of his teammates.

The offense can light up the scoreboard, as witnessed in the 57-48 loss to San Jose State in one of college football's wildest weekends this year.

There were some wild, high-scoring games that had those betting conservatively on over-and-under bets ripping up their parlay sheets.

Miami beat future UH opponent Louisiana Tech, 42-31; Minnesota lost on a "Hail Mary" pass to Northwestern, 41-35; Texas Tech edged Kansas, 45-39; Mississippi State won, 61-35; and Ole Miss outlasted UNLV, 43-40, in OT.

Don't forget Oregon's 56-55 thriller over Arizona State.

That was in double overtime, so they had nothing on Hawaii and San Jose State, which ran up their numbers in regulation. And they've now scored a combined 208 points in their last two games. Surely, a record if the NCAA ever kept such esoteric facts.

The Spartans, or should we say their running back Deonce Whitaker, was unstoppable. He rushed for a career-high 278 yards on 34 carries, scoring three touchdowns, one on a 27-yard pass play.

With Whitaker running and Chang passing, the game resembled a track meet, with a little street ball thrown in. Fake punts. Two-point tries. Quarterback musical chairs, albeit out of necessity.

Chang threw a school record 64 passes, completing 34 for a season-high 403 yards and three touchdowns, before he was knocked out of the game early in the fourth quarter.

He showed a lot of courage on the play, holding the ball long enough for Craig Stutzmann to get open even though he realized he'd get drilled.

WITH Chang out, Nick Rolovich threw for two touchdowns, and with a safety, UH came from 22 points down to within two at 50-48 before Whitaker iced it for the Spartans with his third TD of the game.

"I hope we can play like that the rest of the season," said Stutzmann, who caught 12 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns. The 12 receptions in a game tied the school record set by Walter Murray in 1985.

"I hope he (Chang) will be all right because we need him next week," Stutzmann said. "He's a leader. He's a young guy, but I tell you what, everybody else in this room will follow him, will stick with him."

"There's so much to say about the guy, how brave he is," added junior tackle Manly Kanoa. "That play he showed how much he wanted to win. He put his body on the line."

"This (game) was a great turnaround for me and the team because I had a couple of bad plays and showed character by coming back," Chang said. "This is one of the few times I can say that I was proud of myself."

"He has what all the great ones have," Jones said. "He can come back from adversity, and that's what you need when you play quarterback.