Owens gallops to national records
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
There are people who return gifts after Christmas and then there is Chad Owens.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
The University of Hawai'i return specialist's gift to his senior teammates was an NCAA record-setting performance in returns in yesterday's 72-45 win that spoiled ninth-ranked Brigham Young's perfect season.
Hawai'i's Chad Owens is escorted by David Gilmore, left, as he scores on a 100-yard kickoff return in the first quarter against Brigham Young.
"I knew we were gong to win," said Owens, a redshirt freshman. "Everyone said it was going to be a close game, but inside, I knew we were going to kill these guys. We were going to tear them apart because you could tell today we wanted it more. They didn't want to come down and play us. You could tell from the get go. I'm just happy the seniors went out the way they did. When I'm a senior, it's going to be the same for me."
Owens set NCAA records for single-game combined kickoff and punt return yardage with 342, shattering the previous mark of 284 by Minnesota's Tutu Atwell in 1997 against Iowa State; and kickoff return yardage of 249, edging Iowa State's Tyrone Watley's 248 also set in 1997.
He also tied an NCAA record for most combined punt and kickoff returns for touchdowns (one each) in a game. That also made him the first UH player to accomplish that feat.
"It's hard to believe," he said of the records. "But to me, every time I get the ball, there's going to be something big, something special is going to happen. It happened and I'm happy. But more so, I'm happy that we won."
Owens wasted little time in impressing the Cougars. He took the opening kickoff 64 yards on a right-side return to the BYU 32, where it took the Warriors two plays to score the first touchdown of the game, a 23-yard pass from Nick Rolovich to Channon Harris.
Owens said the return team noticed in scouting tapes that the Cougars kickoff coverage left BYU vulnerable.
"We watched them and our right return was set up perfectly because they line up four guys on one side and six on the other and they kick it to the four side," Owens said. "So what we did is we just cut it. We seal everybody in and there was a big seam."
It didn't take him long to find another seam. After BYU failed in its ensuing series following UH's first score, Owens returned a punt 74 yards for the second touchdown of the game, putting UH up 14-0.
But Owens wasn't done yet.
BYU closed to 14-10 on a 24-yard TD pass from Brandon Doman to Spencer Nead with 43 seconds left in the first quarter. It was the closest margin of the game. But Owens basically dropped the axe on the Cougars, when he returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards, his second goal-to-goal return of the season.
Mel de Laura, one of the football program's strength coaches, said Owens does squat jumps and squat lunges to strengthen his legs.
"You can't teach a guy how to run like him," de Laura said. "All you can do is get him stronger and keep him from getting hurt."
Owens, who is 5 feet 8 and 175 pounds, said he wants to work into the offensive starting lineup as a receiver and eventually make it professionally. "That's my dream," he said.
But most of all, he was happy the fans got their money's worth.
"They saw a great game, a great victory," he said. "It's probably the biggest win in history. I'm just happy I contributed and was a part of this win."
