There's just no stopping UH receiver Colbert
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
At an optimistically listed 5 feet 7, University of Hawai'i football player Justin Colbert can be easily overlooked.
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It nearly went unnoticed last week when Colbert became the sixth receiver in school history to amass 2,000 career receiving yards. Colbert, a senior from California, was a member of head coach June Jones' first UH recruiting in 1999.
Senior Justin Colbert is fifth all-time on the University of Hawai'i receiving list with 2,028 yards on 150 receptions.
"I didn't know I passed the 2,000-yard mark," said Colbert, who was told of the milestone by UH media relations director Lois Manin yesterday. "Holy smokes, it's a lot of routes."
Colbert, who starts at left wideout, runs about 70 routes every game and hundreds more each week in practice. In UH's run-and-shoot offense, the quarterback does not choose a receiver until the play develops, meaning Colbert has to run hard every play as if he were the chosen one.
"The shortest route we have, I figure, is 5 to 7 yards, and it can change depending on the defense," said Colbert, who ranks fifth on the school receiving list with 2,028 yards on 150 receptions. "I never know how far I'm going to run until the defense gives me a look."
Even on running plays, Jones said, "it's nonstop. We ask him to run hard all of the time."
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Colbert said: "If you go half speed, (defenses) kind of get a tendency to see what you're going to do. If you go half speed on running plays and full speed on passing plays, they're going to know when you're going to run a route. I always try to go full speed."
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Ron Lee, who coaches the UH receivers, marveled at Colbert's endurance.
"He's a machine," Lee said. "He never gets tired. His energy is endless. He's in fabulous condition, just fantastic shape."
Even though Colbert can run 40 yards in under 4.4 seconds, he did not win a starting job until his sophomore year, when he proved he was a 75-play sprinter.
"No school in America asks the receivers to run as much as our receivers run," Jones said.
Jones, who has taught the run-and-shoot for 25 years, said newcomers often are concerned about the amount of running that is demanded. But after going through the taxing conditioning program, Jones said, "they don't remember not doing it. They work themselves into shape. We've had guys come in (to training camp) at 185 pounds and by the middle of the season they're playing at 165 with (low) body fat."
Colbert, who weighs 170 pounds, often stays after practice to catch passes from the ball-throwing machine. Yesterday, between drills, he rode a stationary bike on the sideline.
"Nothing's wrong," he said. "I wanted to keep my legs loose."
"He's very dedicated," Lee said. "He's as fast at the end of the game as he is at the beginning."
Quarterback Tim Chang said Colbert has become "one of my favorite targets. He plays hard every down. He gets open and he's so fast. He catches the ball and does great things for us."
Colbert has started 30 consecutive games, dating to the 2000 opener against Portland State, and has caught a pass in each of the last 18 games.
As for his small physical stature, he said, "I'm a tough guy, man. I've had to battle the odds since I was little as far as not being big enough to play this and that. I've always proven people wrong. It's not your size that counts, it's your heart, and I have a big heart."
