Tim Chang

Record-breaking QB
delivered when
times got tough

The new set of questions will come soon enough for Tim Chang.

Can he throw the long ball?

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Is he durable enough?

Does he have the presence to command respect in an NFL huddle?

Were his incredible numbers mostly a product of a quarterback-friendly offense?

Chang will attempt to answer them at college All-Star games and the NFL combine in the coming months.

For now, though, the quarterback who threw for the most yards in NCAA football history can take a minute -- not much more, though -- to catch his breath after a five-year roller-coaster ride of a college career.

In 2004, Chang answered a lot of questions.

First, he broke the record, with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Jason Rivers in a victory over Louisiana Tech on Nov. 6 at Aloha Stadium.

Then Chang -- with a lot of help from touchdown-maker Chad Owens and many others -- led a battered and crippled team out of the depths of what midway through looked like a lost season.

Chang, playing the best in a prolonged stretch in his career, was on the money with his passes, as the Warriors won their last four games and finished 8-5.

He set NCAA career records for passing yards, total offense and interceptions this season. The first-team All-Western Athletic Conference choice enjoyed his best year.

Whatever he'd lost in 2003, when Chang was booed and benched, he recovered this year. The Saint Louis School graduate seemed to understand he'd never have another senior season of college football, that there would never be another chance to stand and deliver with his Warrior teammates.

"It doesn't seem like there isn't a game next week," Chang said after last Friday's Sheraton Hawaii Bowl win, in which he threw for four touchdowns and ran for another.

But there are two next month: the East-West Shrine Game, and the Hula Bowl Maui. And if the scouts like what they see, it could lead to many more in the future for Chang.