Warriors bound for Hawai'i Bowl
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
For the University of Hawai'i football team, the magic number is 2004.
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Against the odds, common belief and a Big Ten opponent that was poised to run away, the Warriors answered all doubts to pull out an improbable 41-38 victory over Michigan State and earn a berth in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl.
Hawai'i quarterback Tim Chang completed 29 of 49 passes for 416 yards against Michigan State last night.
"It's the best feeling in the world," said UH slotback Chad Owens, who caught 13 passes for 283 yards and four touchdowns. "It's just the best feeling. I'm so happy. I know I don't look happy, but I'm so happy I'm at a loss for words."
After suffering a 70-14 loss to Fresno State last month, the Warriors won their final three games to finish the regular season 7-5 and meet the bowl requirement of a winning record.
They did it the hard way, overcoming deficits of 21-0, 28-14 at the half and, with 14:05 to play, 31-27.
But Tim Chang led the charge of teammates who refused to lose. The fifth-year senior completed 29 of 49 passes for 416 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran 1 yard for the go-ahead score with 9:22 to play.
"The guys have so much heart," Chang said. "They sacrificed so much, being down 21-0. It showed the character of these guys. We've been down all season. We had a losing record most of the season. We're not going to have a losing record this season. We're going bowling."
Owens caught scoring passes of 51 and 9 yards in the third quarter to help the Warriors close to 28-27 with 2:02 remaining in the third quarter. But Justin Ayat's extra-point kick was nullified because of a holding penalty. After the Warriors were assessed a false-start penalty, Ayat was forced to attempt the PAT kick from 35 yards. Kevin Vickerson, a 292-pound defensive lineman, blocked the attempt.
Michigan State's DeAndra Cobb fielded the ensuing kickoff at the 2, then sprinted the rest of the way for an apparent touchdown. But the Spartans were called for holding, and for the second time in the game, a Cobb touchdown was vaporized.
"I was ripped off," Cobb yelled as he jogged toward the MSU locker room at the end of the game. "I was ripped off twice."
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Michigan State was awarded possession at the UH 49. Four downs later, Dave Rayner kicked a 49-yard field goal, extending the margin to 31-27 with 14:05 to play. But the Warriors had not exhausted their comebacks.
Slotback Chad Owens gets a lift from Warrior teammate Samson Satele after scoring on the first of his four touchdown receptions.
"I told myself, it needed to be done," Owens said. "We were going to go out and get it done."
Chang mixed the offensive plays, calling stretch runs for Michael Brewster and crossing routes for Owens and fellow slotback Gerald Welch.
The drive appeared to hit a glitch when, in Cobb-like fashion, Brewster's 21-yard scoring run was nullified because of a holding penalty.
But on third and 11 from the MSU 22, Chang rolled to his right, headed up the along the sideline and then cut back, ending a 22-yard scramble with a slide.
"We had a lot of man coverage," Chang said. "When you have a lot of man coverage, a lot of the guys are running off. I picked the spots where I could run, and I was fortunate to get first downs and keep the chains moving and keep our (defense) off the field."
Chang, who was not sacked, finished with 32 rushing yards.
The 32nd yard proved to be the difference. After advancing to the 1, UH coach June Jones summoned 260-pound running back West Keli'ikipi, who earlier scored on a run from that distance. Instead, Chang kept the ball, but his progress was stalled by the Spartans' interior linemen. Chang then bounced toward the right side and found an opening and the Warriors' first lead of the game.
"I was lucky," Chang said.
He then closed UH's scoring with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Owens.
The Spartans, though, wouldn't quit. They took the ensuing kickoff and drove 59 yards in nine plays for a touchdown to pull within a field goal. Jason Teague's 1-yard run and Dave Rayner's PAT made it 41-38 with 1:31 to play.
Freshman linebacker C.J. Allen-Jones then recovered Michigan State's ensuing onside kick, and UH was able to run out the remaining time to secure the comeback.
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"It was all about determination," UH cornerback Abraham Elimimian said. "We were down, but we knew we weren't out."
UH slotback Chad Owens, left, finds the end zone for the fourth time despite the effort of Eric Smith.
Indeed, it was Michigan State's motivation that was in question entering this non-conference game. In their last game, two weeks ago, the Spartans lost to Penn State, ending their hopes of qualifying for a postseason berth. This week's rallying cry was: Break even for the seniors.
The Spartans (5-7), spurred by resourceful quarterback Drew Stanton and an offensive line averaging 310 pounds per blocker, set the tone with power runs and play-action passes. They were able to solve UH's switching defenses. The Warriors opened in a nickel package, with the 185-pound Elimimian serving as an outside linebacker. Later, they switched to a basic 4-3 scheme.
Stanton threw for 330 yards and one touchdown despite playing with partially torn ligaments in his right (throwing) shoulder. He is expected to undergo surgery during the offseason.
The Spartans rolled up 403 yards in total offense by the intermission — their second most productive 30 minutes in school history. But they were held to 195 yards in the second half.
"We didn't play too well in the first half, but we came back," Elimimian said. "We talked about it at halftime. It's do or die. We came back. It feels good. We fought through so much adversity.
"People counted us out so many times, but they didn't count on our heart. People didn't think we'd go to a bowl game. Guess we proved them wrong."
Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8051.
