Owens has big day in loss
Advertiser Staff and News Services
SAN FRANCISCO — Once again, Chad Owens proved he's big enough to play football at the next level.
Paul Sakuma • Associated Press
Owens, who walked on to the University of Hawai'i and became a standout for the Warriors, caught eight passes for 134 yards and one touchdown, but his West team lost to the East, 45-27, yesterday in the 80th East-West Shrine Game.
Former Hawai'i quarterback Tim Chang was a fan favorite after the game.
The 5-foot-9, 174-pound Owens ran a streak pattern to pull in a 52-yard TD pass from Sam Houston State's Dustin Long with 6:04 to play in a game featuring collegiate seniors auditioning for NFL scouts.
On the West's next possession, former Hawai'i quarterback Tim Chang threw a 36-yard dart to Owens over the middle. But that possession ended when Chang threw incomplete on fourth down.
Chang, the NCAA's career passing leader, did not have the success that his Warrior teammate did. He completed 7 of 20 passes for 81 yards with one interception.
Chang had to remember how to take snaps under center after spending his career in UH's four-receiver shotgun offense.
"It's something I've got to get used to," Chang said, "especially if I want to go to the next level."
Like the Chang-to-Owens hookup, the East capitalized on familiarity with the passing game as Louisville's Stefan LeFors and Purdue's Kyle Orton exploited the West secondary.
LeFors completed 10 of 17 passes for 165 yards, including touchdown passes of 36 and 37 yards to former Cardinals' teammate J.R. Russell.
Orton was 5 of 10 for 145 yards, including a 23-yard TD pass to former Boilermaker teammate Taylor Stubblefield. LeFors also hit Stubblefield with a 7-yard TD pass.
Paul Sakuma • Associated Press
"It's nice, because we already have a connection," LeFors, the game's offensive MVP, said of Russell. "We've been doing it for the past five years. ... (Coach Joe Tiller) didn't do that on purpose. He didn't call plays for us, but if things break down a little, you know who to look for. J.R. came through, as well as Taylor did for Kyle."
Chang, who was 7 of 20 for 81 yards, including a 36-yard strike to ex-UH teammate Chad Owens, was sacked in the second quarter.
Tiller helped to make all of the East stars look awfully good for the dozens of NFL scouts in attendance. Stubblefield had seven catches for 128 yards as Tiller's squad racked up 553 yards, and the teams combined for 1,013 yards in the highest-scoring matchup since 1979.
"Both of them are very good quarterbacks," Stubblefield said. "You could tell they were going to have impressive games. I just tried to keep getting open."
Southern Illinois' Brandon Jacobs rushed for 102 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown run, for the West, and Utah's Paris Warren caught a TD pass from Oregon State's Derek Anderson.
Duke safety Alex Green was named the defensive MVP for the East.
GRIDIRON CLASSIC
LSU's Randall leads South over North
LADY LAKE, Fla. — LSU quarterback Marcus Randall hopes the NFL scouts took note that he's a quick study.
After being introduced to a new offense five days ago, Randall completed 7 of 11 passes for 88 yards to earn MVP honors after leading the South to a 24-21 win over the North yesterday.
"That just shows my knowledge for the game is real," said Randall, who passed for 2,765 yards and 18 touchdowns with the Tigers. "I know how to play this game."
In a second half that saw four lead changes, UNLV running back Dominique Dorsey's 28-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter provided the difference.
For the North, Hampton receiver Jerome Mathis scored on a 26-yard reception and a 38-yard run off a reverse.
