Posted on: Friday, October 15, 2004
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By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist
EL PASO, Texas — Four years ago on the AstroTurf field at the Sun Bowl, the Texas-El Paso defense had its way with a wide-eyed freshman quarterback from Hawai'i making his college debut, intercepting him twice and harassing him often in a half of nightmarish football.
Two years ago, the Miners forced Hawai'i to pull the same quarterback, then a redshirt sophomore, from the game for ineffectiveness, bringing on Shawn Withy-Allen to help secure the outcome.
Tomorrow, for the last time, Tim Chang returns to the Sun Bowl, the scene of some of his greatest struggles as a Warrior.
Before Chang moves on to the final 853 yards needed to break Ty Detmer's NCAA career passing record and all that will surround it in the coming weeks, it would be nice to be rid of the pebble in the shoe that the Miners have become for him.
Yet, in three meetings with UTEP since 2000, Chang has managed to complete just 43.6 percent of his passes. Next to Boise State, nobody has held Chang to fewer (four) touchdown passes or seemed to confound him more.
For all his brilliance against Fresno State and Tulsa, the Miners have been the dark, flip side of Chang's resumé. As he told the El Paso Times, "Maybe, UTEP's got my number or something. I have yet to play a good game against them."
Actually, he had his moments in a 426-yard, three-touchdown 31-15 victory last year at Aloha Stadium. But away from home it has been a horror story. Talk about your inauspicious beginnings, his first play here was a false start.
But that was as a freshman seeing his first action and even the Miners recognized it as such. "They had some nice things to say (after the game)," Chang remembered. "They knew I was a freshman and told me, 'good luck in the future.' They said, 'you'll be good in a couple years, hang in there.' "
Well, he has hung in there. And there is no doubt he has improved much, the statistics in pursuit of Detmer's record suggest as much. And, now, there is the added bonus that the UTEP staff that came after him with five- and six-man rushes is gone.
So, now would be an appropriate time to put it all together, for both his and the Warriors' sake. For Chang, in his farewell tour around the WAC, this is the final shot at evening a score with the Miners.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.
For of all the Western Athletic Conference teams he has history with — and Chang has played 30 WAC games — it is the Miners who have been a major problem. Curiously so since the Miners, heading into this season, had won just one Division I-A game each of the three previous years.
Tim Chang
