[ SPECIAL TEAMS ]
The quiet kid from Georgia pinned
down 'Bama with his foot
Why he's good
Kurt Milne will never be mistaken for Mat McBriar, the former UH punter who kicked 60-yarders with ease. But Milne is an excellent finesse punter. He can make a ball die on the 1-yard line, along with the opponent's hopes.In all of the excitement of last year's victory over Alabama, it shouldn't be lost that Milne -- as well as Omega Hogan, who downed the punt for UH -- was a huge factor in one of Hawaii's biggest football wins ever.
Kurt Milne
>> WAC Special Teams Player of the Week, Dec. 1, 2003
>> Had 19 punts inside the 20-yard line last season
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X-factor
Senior kicker Justin Ayat, a freshman All-America according to Football News in 2001, lost his way last season, missing eight point-afters before being benched in favor of freshman Nolan Miranda. Ayat needs to regain the form that saw him make 55 of 56 PATs in 2002.A couple of additions should help the Warriors; special teams coordinator Mouse Davis has been around the block once or thrice, and 27-year-old JC transfer Bryce Runge will be expected to do just one thing perfectly: snap the football for punts and kicks.
Also, backup punter Tim Wright was practicing kickoffs during fall camp. HE'S BACKD
Three years ago, Chad Owens was accorded freshman All-America honors by the Football Writers Association of America for returning kicks and punts. But with his emergence as a starting receiver, coach June Jones decided to use him on special teams only sporadically in 2002 and 2003.
This year, Owens is back as the deep man, as Jones promised him he'd allow him to handle returns his senior year. It should be a big plus, unless Owens gets hurt.
Style file
Owens estimates he has 10 tattoos, courtesy of his brother-in-law, Paul Manabe. They even draw the attention of opponents during games. "Yeah, I get some comments," Owens said. "They say it's pretty sick." For those of you over 25, "sick" means "cool."Ones to watch
The top players with the probable starter listed first:
Kicker
| NO. | PLAYER | HT. | WT. | CL. |
| 47 | Justin Ayat | 6-0 | 201 | Sr. |
| 26 | Nolan Miranda | 5-8 | 163 | So. |
Punter
| NO. | PLAYER | HT. | WT. | CL. |
| 25 | Kurt Milne | 6-0 | 196 | So. |
| 40 | Tim Wright | 6-4 | 210 | So. |
Kick Return
| NO. | PLAYER | HT. | WT. | CL. |
| 2 | Chad Owens | 5-9 | 177 | Sr. |
Snapper
| NO. | PLAYER | HT. | WT. | CL. |
| 61 | Bryce Runge | 5-11 | 236 | Jr. |
Special Teams Coordinator
Mouse Davis, 71, who is also an offensive assistant, was Jones' coach at Portland State and is a legendary developer of the run-and-shoot offense.
www.hawaiiathletics.com
