Backup steps up to give UH offense much-needed spark
By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Columnist
While a handful of fans were forced to wait patiently for their favorite departing University of Hawai'i football players at Aloha Stadium's south tunnel exit last night, one man spoke the magic words to get through security.
"I'm Jason Whieldon's dad," said Matt Whieldon of Orange, Calif.
The Whieldon name was indeed magic, both at the gate and on the field, last night in the Warriors' rousing 37-29 upset of Alabama.
Whieldon, a name that has seldom been heard over the public address system in his two seasons as a backup quarterback since transferring from junior college, was cheered from the stands when he stepped into the game in the second quarter and then chanted in celebration as the heretofore backup left it in triumph afterward, stepping into an embrace from head coach June Jones.
So much for any talk of a quarterback controversy. Here's your Warrior starter by acclimation for Boise State this week: Whieldon.
Fittingly, perhaps, in a game shown on a Disney-owned network, Whieldon had a fairy-tale night, coming off the bench and throwing for 237 yards and four touchdowns and running for 31 yards and another score.
"He was awesome," said slotback Chad Owens.
"He gave them a lift; yeah, you could feel it," said Alabama linebacker Freddie Roach.
Whieldon passed, he ran, but mostly he inspired on a humid night when the Warriors desperately needed the spark he brought to the occasion.
For a quarter the Warriors went nowhere fast. Their first possession lasted just 9 seconds and the offense was out in three plays or, to borrow a phrase from UH Rainbow Wahine volleyball coach Charlie Wade, "uno, dos, adios." It wasn't until 2 minutes, 32 seconds left in the first quarter that UH finally got a first down by passing.
But Whieldon's appearance in relief of starter Tim Chang with 12:18 left in the second quarter and UH down, 14-0, brought a perceptible turn of enthusiasm and events.
The crowd roared its approval and a UH player or two pumped their arms into the air.
"I heard the cheers, but I didn't know if they were for me," Whieldon would say later.
They were. And there would be more.
"It felt like a dream out there," Whieldon said. "It was something I've always dreamed of. Every quarterback has."
But this one never knew if he'd ever get the chance after faithfully serving as a backup.
"We knew what he was capable of," said quarterbacks coach Dan Morrison. "It was just a matter of him being ready when the opportunity came."
After his 16-of-17 passing effort against Army, one was earned and it came on a national stage. And Whieldon, who would say he was too busy to be nervous after Jones briefed him on the sidelines, was ready.
"I wasn't sure how much I was gonna play," Whieldon said. "He (Jones) did say something to me about, maybe, going in for a series. I wasn't sure how much I was gonna play, so I was determined to make the most out of any opportunity and every play."
The roar of the UH faithful in a crowd of 37,024 ringing in his ears, says he did.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.
