UH football
Injury will keep Chang out

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

University of Hawai'i quarterback Tim Chang has a possible hairline fracture in his throwing wrist, an injury that could prevent him from playing for up to six weeks.

UH coach June Jones said Nick Rolovich will start in place of Chang in Saturday's road game against Southern Methodist in Dallas.

An X-ray series yesterday showed a "suspicious line" across the scaphoid bone in Chang's right wrist, said Dr. Darryl Kan, the UH football team's surgeon.

Yesterday afternoon at The Queen's Medical Center, Chang underwent a magnetic resonance imaging, a procedure that uses magnetic fields to produce a picture of the body's interior. The MRI was inconclusive, UH officials said last night, and Chang will be examined again today.

If there is a hairline fracture, Chang will undergo surgery tomorrow to insert a screw across the scaphoid bone. After such a procedure, Chang will not be able

to throw a football for two to three weeks, said Dr. Robert Atkinson, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in hand injuries.

"And that's at the earliest," Atkinson said. "If Tim Chang were a lineman, I'd say, yes, he could play in two or three weeks. But because he's a quarterback, and he relies on a range of motion, it's hard to say when he can play again."

If a screw cannot be inserted, Chang's right wrist will be placed in a cast, Atkinson said. "Then, basically, he could be out for most of the season."

Without surgery, Kan estimated, Chang could miss up to six weeks.

Even if there is no fracture — sometimes a "line" is, in fact, a shadow — with the amount of swelling and pain, Chang will not play against Southern Methodist, Atkinson said.

The scaphoid is a small bone that bridges the two rows of bones in a wrist. Atkinson said the scaphoid "acts like a link in a bicycle chain."

He said a scaphoid injury is common for "young males who fall on their hands," as Chang appeared to do when he was knocked down after releasing a pass in a 27-24 loss to Rice Saturday night. Chang leads the nation in total offense, averaging 349.7 yards per game.

An initial X-ray did not show a fracture. But Kan said that is because the portable X-ray machine at Aloha Stadium is not as detailed as those used at The Queen's Medical Center, where Chang was examined yesterday morning.

Atkinson said the scaphoid "is a small bone, but it can lead to big problems," such as arthritis, if an injury is not treated properly.

Jones said Chang will be treated in Honolulu and not be included on the team's 60-player travel roster.

Jones said Rolovich, who is recovering from a sprained middle finger on his right (throwing) hand, is healthy enough to start.

"I'll do whatever the coaches tell me to do," said Rolovich, a senior.

Jared Flint, who did not play last season after undergoing shoulder surgery, is the top backup to Rolovich.

Shawn Withy-Allen, now listed as No. 3 on the depth chart, has not been added to the travel roster. Jones said he might take only two quarterbacks to Dallas.

Chang has played too many games to be eligible to redshirt.