AIR Force head coach Fisher DeBerry was feeling pretty good about his team's chances after cutting Hawaii's lead to 14 points at the 10:05 mark of the fourth quarter. Owens beat DeBerry at
his own gameTrue, the Falcons hadn't shown they could stop the Warriors on offense.
But if the Falcons could manage a stand on the ensuing series, DeBerry thought, a tight finish was in the making.
But that's before Chad Owens returned the kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to seal Hawaii's 52-30 victory, the second time this season Air Force has yielded a touchdown on a kickoff. If you know DeBerry and the way he coaches special teams, then you know his pain.
"That kickoff return came at a critical time of the game," DeBerry said. "With as much time as there was remaining, and as well as we were moving the football, we were right back in it. But when we gave that up, it made it so much easier for them to regain control of the game.
"To me, we lost this game with those two turnovers in the first half. We probably get 14 points there if we hold onto the ball. But we just didn't make plays."
Owens' return for a score marked the first time in nearly 10 years Hawaii has taken a kickoff back for a touchdown. The last time it happened was in 1992 against Wyoming. Darrick Branch returned a kickoff 92 yards for a score in the game that sealed the WAC title for the Rainbows.
Rescue help: UH head coach June Jones came out of the locker room at the half to give plaques to the three rescue helpers at the scene of his February car accident. Jones has said time and again that Alan Powers, John Kanaulu and Jeff Kurashima were key in saving his life.
Jones ran into a pillar off H-1 on Feb. 22 and was near death when the fire rescuers arrived at the scene. Their work under pressure helped stabilize Jones as he was rushed to Queen's Medical Center.
"Without those guys, I wouldn't be standing here now," Jones said.
Injury update: Travis Laboy reinjured his tender left ankle and left the game in the fourth quarter. The defensive end is day-to-day and has an opportunity to play in the Brigham Young game in two weeks.
So does Nate Jackson, who injured his shoulder early in the second half. He had it taped in the third quarter and returned to play some over the final minutes of the game. He is also listed as day-to-day.
The two-week layoff comes at a good time for the Warriors. They have several players nursing injuries. Outside linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa is hopeful to return from a stress fracture that has sidelined him the last four games. Jacob Espiau is playing hurt, as are defensive lineman Mike Iosua and outside linebacker Keani Alapa. Middle linebacker Chris Brown left the game with a contusion on his arm, but returned in the fourth quarter.
Offensive show: The last two weeks have produced some of the most unusual numbers in the history of the program. On the bright side, the offense has scored 104 points, including 12 touchdown passes by Nick Rolovich. The Warriors also have produced 1,117 total yards, including 1,005 through the air.
On the downside, the defense hasn't done that well. For the second consecutive week, a team has racked up more than 600 yards in total offense. Miami (Ohio) had 616. Air Force managed 603. But the bottom line is, Hawaii won both games.
Paul Arnett can be reached at: parnett@starbulletin.com