By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist

EL PASO, Texas — When University of Hawai'i football coach June Jones looked at quarterback Shawn Withy-Allen last night he would see more than just one of the stars of the Warriors' 31-6 victory over Texas-El Paso.

Beyond the fifth-year senior's long, shoulder-length locks, enduring persistence and Midas touch in passing for two touchdowns and running for another, Jones would glimpse not for the first time the reminders of a familiar fairy tale, nearly 30 years old.

"To tell you the truth, he reminded me a little bit of myself," Jones acknowledged. "I think I know some of the satisfaction he's feeling because I've been there, too, and I'm happy for him."

Indeed, three years ago in a heart-to-heart talk between coach and quarterback, Jones told Withy-Allen how he had waited five years through three schools before getting his chance to play quarterback at Portland State in 1974.

"I told him, that as I watched him, that he reminded me of me: his work ethic, his smarts, his want-to. And that's kinda how it has been," Jones said. "He worked hard and he didn't complain, which is what you have to do in football."

Withy-Allen said, "I went into his office one day and asked him where I stood. I asked him, 'Do I have a shot at playing Division I-A?' He told me how I might never get my shot with so many good quarterbacks here. And he told me how it had been for him and how he had waited and worked for his shot. That helped me a lot and I decided to stay and keep working. I was fifth string, fourth string, then third string, then ..."

And when Jason Whieldon quit the team last week, Withy-Allen, whose arrival at UH predated the current coaching staff, moved into the backup spot.

A limited package of plays had been scripted for the backup in the second quarter and with the Warriors clinging to a precarious 7-0 lead, Withy-Allen, who had yet to throw a pass in five seasons at UH, got the chance to run them. After an incompletion, he ran for seven yards and, then, on third down and 3, completed a pass to Nate Ilaoa that went for 25 yards and a touchdown.

"After that first series they kept giving me a little more (time), then a little more and it was like ... well it was how I always hoped it could be," Withy-Allen said.

"The players know how long Shawn has worked for this and we're all happy for him," said defensive back Hyrum Peters.

For two years at UH, Withy-Allen had held a clipboard and had been a human shield, standing adjacent to Jones on the sidelines so the opposition couldn't see the signals to the quarterback. Withy-Allen even played special teams.

"I came here to play quarterback but I wanted to help the team win anyway I could, even playing special teams, if it would help," he said. "But my heart was always at quarterback."

And, last night his emergence in the Warriors' victory would be a heart-warming tale for both the quarterback and his mentor.