[ UH FOOTBALL ]
McCown looking
forward to QB duelLike UH's Chang, the LaTech
senior ranks among the nation’s
most prolific passers
College is the best time of your life. Or, that's what college students hear from big brothers and sisters who miss being broke and not having any free time.
Cherish that dormitory mystery meat with the gray gravy. Enjoy the fretting about that 10-page paper that was due three days ago. Cherish going to practice every day and getting tackled by 300-pound defensive linemen in games while not getting paid for it.
Hawaii at LaTech
When: Tomorrow, 9 a.m. Hawaii timeWhere: Joe Aillet Stadium, Ruston, La.
TV: Live on KFVE (Ch. 5)
Radio: Live on KKEA-1420
Line: Pick 'em
Apparently, what is true for law students who use peach crates for chairs and undergrads who overdose on Red Bull while cramming for midterms is also true for professional quarterbacks in training.
Luke McCown hears it from Josh McCown every week. And he believes it.
Josh, the Arizona Cardinals backup quarterback, is somewhat envious of the record-setting Louisiana Tech senior, Luke.
"We talk a lot on the phone, and he'll be here for this game," said Luke McCown, whose Bulldogs (3-3, 1-2 WAC) host Hawaii (3-3, 2-1) for homecoming tomorrow. "He says college is better than the NFL because it's the last time you get to play with your friends. Yeah, the NFL is a great opportunity, but it's a business and no one is guaranteed anything. No one is guaranteed to even be on the team the next day."
Luke McCown is as close as there is to a sure thing when the next NFL Draft comes along. Forget the incredible passing numbers; McCown also possesses the height, intelligence and arm strength the pros crave, in addition to the pedigree (another brother, Randy, started at quarterback for Texas A&M).
And Bulldogs coach Jack Bicknell said McCown has improved on the one flaw in his game. Last year McCown threw 19 interceptions, often because he forced passes. This year? Seven picks in six games. Not perfection, but a marked improvement.
"I've only seen him force two balls all season," Bicknell said. "He's learned to make better decisions about getting rid of the ball or running it. He's a lot better at not just chucking it up there."
That's exactly what McCown did the first and only other time the Warriors and Bulldogs played. He was a freshman, and was intercepted four times as UH beat LaTech 27-10 at Aloha Stadium.
McCown was outgunned by another freshman football slinger, Tim Chang. Chang passed for 391 yards and two touchdowns, while McCown winged it for 255 yards and one score.
Both quarterbacks have improved immeasurably in the three years since, and both have passed for more than 10,000 yards in their careers.
TOP: DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
BOTTOM: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Quarterbacks Tim Chang (top) of Hawaii and Luke McCown (bottom) of LaTech have come up together in the WAC.
"(McCown) looks better than the first time we played them," said Hawaii safety Hyrum Peters, who played cornerback in the 2000 game. "It was a tough game. They were passing a lot, marching down the field like we can."
The next year, McCown led Louisiana Tech to the Western Athletic Conference championship, while Chang sat out most the year with a broken bone in his wrist and redshirted.
Last fall, McCown still passed for plenty of yards, but he had his interception problems and the Bulldogs faltered to a 4-8 record. Chang led Hawaii to a 10-4 mark.
Because there are 10 teams in the WAC but they play only eight conference games each year, teams get a two-year break from each other; that's why Hawaii and Louisiana Tech haven't played since 2000.
There are some who say tomorrow's game might last five hours and have close to 150 passes combined as two of the nation's top aerial shows try to outdo each other.
"It's going to be a fun game to play and watch," McCown said. "I remember how accurate (Chang) was in 2000 and how it seemed like he never missed. And how they had a great line."
McCown said the Bulldogs are a whole different animal than they were three years ago.
"Talent, lots of talent. That's the difference. Overall the talent here is 100 percent better," McCown said. "Our speed has doubled on defense. Our linebackers were undersized, now they're 6-1 and 230, 245, and fast. Our receivers are faster. We've got size and speed."
He might sound overconfident, but McCown is quick to praise Hawaii's defense.
"I know they cover well," he said. "They do a good job with their blitzes. They're disciplined and athletic. They're as fast as any defense we've played with the exception of Miami."
LaTech has lost to Fresno State and Boise State. Even if they win the rest of their conference games, the Bulldogs need a lot of help to win the conference. Boise State would have to lose three games. That doesn't seem likely at all, but McCown hasn't given up.
"I think we can still win the championship if we win the rest of our games and the right people get beat. Boise's the frontrunner. But two years ago we beat Boise, so it can be done," he said. "We still have a chance to get to where we want to be. But it's an outside shot and we have to be up to the challenge of each game as it comes."
McCown, who has played in 38 games, has only six left and two at home.
"I guess it has gone by pretty fast. Every day I wake up and I think, well, I only have a couple games left here. It's gone by incredibly fast. I'm going to try to focus on these six or seven games that are left," he said.
UH cornerback Abraham Elimimian said he looks forward to testing his skill against a future NFL quarterback.
"Man, I just know he's a baller. He's a good player," Elimimian said. "He doesn't put up stats like that for nothing. He's going to be playing on Sundays. We've just got to focus and it helps that we play against a passing team every day in practice."
Tale of the Tape
Numbers in parentheses are rank among active NCAA players
Tim Chang Category Luke McCown 4th-year junior Class 4th-year senior 6-2, 194 Height, Weight 6-4, 200 Waipahu, Hawaii Hometown Jacksonville, Texas 10,274 (3rd) Passing yards 11,221 (2nd) 61 (6th) TD passes 77 (1st)
