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RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM Hawaii slotback Chad Owens received second-team All-America honors and was named the Mosi Tatupu Award winner yesterday. The Tatupu Award goes annually to the nation's best senior special teams player.

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Owens sees double
when it comes to honors

Good things have come in pairs
this season for Hawaii's No. 2,
a second-team All-America selection

Chad Owens is already known as "Mighty Mouse," but he might want to add "Deuce" as another nickname.

Lately, good things have been coming in pairs for the Hawaii football player who wears No. 2.

"I just always wanted to get a single digit, I never had one, and I thought '2' was a pretty good number," said Owens, who switched from No. 82 as a freshman.

Owens became the first UH player to make one of the three All-America teams chosen by Associated Press (considered the most prestigious) since receiver Ashley Lelie made the third team in 2001.

"That's awesome," Hawaii coach June Jones said when told of yesterday's honors. "Chad is certainly deserving. The exposure he got on national TV the last two weeks of the season helped. His punt return was seen over and over. People are still seeing it."

Jones referred to Owens' fourth TD on a punt return this season, a 76-yard jaunt against Northwestern that helped the Warriors win 49-41. Owens also caught four touchdown passes in that game, and the punt return made ESPN's Top Ten plays of the year in college football.

Owens followed up that five-TD tour de force with four more touchdown receptions the next week in Hawaii's 41-38 win over Michigan State, which was shown on ESPN2.

"Someone must have noticed," Owens said. "Actually it goes back to 2001, the BYU game."

Owens, then a non-scholarship freshman, returned both a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns and set two NCAA return yardage records in the Warriors' 72-45 victory.

He credited his teammates for his 19 touchdowns this season (15 by pass reception and four by punt return, both tied for the national lead).

"Football's a game you can't play by yourself," Owens said. "Basketball one player can dominate, but in football you can't do anything without your teammates."

Freshman C.J. Allen-Jones was among those who helped block for Owens.

"I'm glad we were able to open up some holes," Allen-Jones said. "All you have to do is give him a little crease, and he's gone."

Owens is now tied for the school record with Ashley Lelie and Jamal Farmer for most touchdowns in a season, and he is UH's career leader in punt return and all-purpose yardage. Those records might be broken, but Owens joins select company as an Associated Press honoree and Tatupu Award winner.

"It's awesome to know you'll always be in the books," he said. "Hopefully some others will join me."

QB shuffle: UH starting quarterback Tim Chang was held out of most passing drills yesterday with a sore back. He and Jones both said the NCAA all-time career passing leader will be fine for the Dec. 24 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl against UAB at Aloha Stadium.

"He hurt it on the quarterback sneak," Jones said, referring to the 1-yard touchdown Chang scored to give UH the go-ahead points in the Michigan State win on Dec. 4.

Jones also said true freshman quarterback Taylor Humphrey decided to transfer to another school where he might have a better chance of playing time.

Second-year freshman Jack Rolovich and junior Kainoa Akina are Chang's primary backups. Junior Jeff Rhode and true freshman Tyler Graunke got some reps yesterday.

The Warriors offense completed its first five passes in 7-on-7 drills yesterday, with Rhode hitting a diving Patrick Olchovy for a long bomb on the fifth. Turmarian Moreland plucked the next pass out of the air for an interception to end the offense's field day.

Hula Bowl gets QBs: Texas Tech's Sonny Cumbie and Harvard's Brian Fitzpatrick have agreed to play in the Jan. 22 Hula Bowl on Maui. They join UH players Chang, Owens, defensive back Abraham Elimimian, defensive tackle Lui Fuga and offensive lineman Uriah Moenoa.

Hula Bowl executive director Dick Schaller said end zone seats will be available for $10, down from $25 last year. For ticket information, call (808) 874-9500.