Saturday, August 18, 2001
[ UH WARRIOR FOOTBALL ]
Chang finds it easier Not even the sight of University of Hawaii head coach June Jones walking around practice yesterday without a shirt on bothered sophomore quarterback Tim Chang.
to run-and-shoot with
the master around
Coach June Jones says he can see
that Chang and his teammates
did not take the spring offBy Paul Arnett
parnett@starbulletin.com"That's how much I missed him, I guess," Chang said, then smiled. "I needed him in the spring to help me grow as a person and a quarterback. Seeing him back here Thursday night was the best for me."
Not that Chang didn't receive proper guidance during spring practice. He did.
"But it's just not the same as having the guy who wrote the playbook, you know?" Chang said. "He knows so many little things about each play and what to do against every defense they throw at you.
"It takes years to learn this offense. I know so much more than I knew a year ago and I know I'm going to learn even more by the time I leave here. That's why I want to spend as much time with Coach Jones as possible."
Jones noticed right away at Thursday night's opening practice that Chang had progressed since he last saw him in the season-ending loss to Nevada-Las Vegas nine months ago. Chang is bigger, stronger and able to check through the progressions quickly and accurately.
Even Chang's years with St. Louis School's version of the run-and-shoot didn't prepare him for Jones' point of view of an offense that has served him well as an NFL and collegiate coach.
"It's like a chess game," Chang said. "The more you learn the more you realize how little you know. That's what we talk about sometimes as players. We can tell how much farther along we are this year than last as an offensive unit."
That should be cause for concern for the eight Western Athletic Conference schools on Hawaii's schedule. Last year, the Warriors finished first in the league and fourth nationally in passing, averaging 322.9 yards a game.
Chang was a big part of that. He threw for 3,041 yards and 19 touchdowns en route to being named the WAC's newcomer of the year. His primary targets were Ashley Lelie, Channon Harris and Craig Stutzmann, who combined to catch 191 passes for 2,587 yards and 19 touchdowns.
"And having all of those guys back should make us even more dangerous offensively," Jones said. "The last two years, we had to start from scratch with a bunch of new people. Now, we know what the plays are and it makes a big difference how much you can throw at them at one time.
"What I saw Thursday night and today was how much better the execution was on offense. Everybody is on the same page, which makes such a difference. We have quarterbacks who know what to do and receivers who know where to go. And that hasn't happened before."
Chang can attest to that.
"Me and Nick (Rolovich) had to learn as we went along," Chang said. "Now, we're a lot more comfortable and so are our receivers. Having Coach Jones back helps even more."
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Ka Leo O Hawaii
