Chang sets Hawaii records in victory over Tulsa

HONOLULU (AP) _ By the time Hawaii coach June Jones called for Timmy Chang to hand the ball off, the quarterback already had thrown the ball 48 times. <br><br>``I was happy when coach called it,''

Sunday, October 20th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

HONOLULU (AP) _ By the time Hawaii coach June Jones called for Timmy Chang to hand the ball off, the quarterback already had thrown the ball 48 times.

``I was happy when coach called it,'' Chang said. ``I wanted to give the running backs some love and make sure they know they're wanted and needed out here.''

Chang threw for 403 yards and four touchdowns to lead Hawaii over Tulsa 37-14 Saturday night, extending the nation's longest losing streak to 17.

Chang was 34 of 49 and became Hawaii's career leader in passing and total offense. The third-year sophomore has 6,267 passing yards, breaking Dan Robinson's mark of 6,038 yards set from 1997-99. His 6,216 total yards broke Garrett Gabriel's record of 6,181 yards set from 1987-90.

``Those personal records got to take a back step to what me and the team have planned, and that's winning,'' Chang said.

The Warriors (5-2, 4-1 Western Athletic Conference) went up against the WAC's top pass defense team to open up a 23-0 halftime lead. In building the lead, Hawaii threw the ball 39 times while running it only once in the first half, a 4-yard keeper by backup quarterback Shawn Withy-Allen.

``That was by design. We wanted to throw the ball this game,'' Jones said. ``They were 30th in the nation in pass defense but we thought it was because late in the game, teams were running out the clock on them.''

The first handoff to a running back came late in the third quarter, when Josh Galeai took a handoff for 3 yards.

For the game, Hawaii threw 63 times for 513 yards, with 66 yards coming on 11 carries. Britton Komine, who had 238 yards in receptions last week against Nevada, had nine catches for 140 yards, with Justin Colbert adding 103 yards on seven receptions.

``We did what we had to do win,'' Jones said. ``We got a little off there at the end, but it was a fun game, a high tempo game.''

Tulsa (0-7, 0-3) struggled offensively, punting six times and scoring twice in its 11 possessions.

``We couldn't get anything going,'' said Tulsa quarterback Tyler Gooch, who completed 23 of 40 passes for 233 yards.

Hawaii wasted no time in getting on the board, scoring on its first two possessions on a 25-yard field goal by Justin Ayat and Chang's 10-yard pass to Clifton Herbert.

``When we start clicking, and I think we're starting to hit that roll, nobody can stop us,'' Herbert said.

Chang's 22-yard pass to Jeremiah Cockheran and an 18-yard pass to Galeai made it 23-0 at halftime.

Chang hooked up with Herbert again _ this time on a 2-yarder _ to make it 30-0 in the third quarter before the Golden Hurricane responded with a 5-yard scoring run by James Kilian.

In the game, Chang broke the 400-yard passing mark for the first time this season and the third time in his career.

``Timmy keeps getting better and better. He does a lot of things you can't coach,'' Jones said. ``He has very good instincts. As he keeps getting better and more accurate vertically, I think his best football is ahead of him.''

Tulsa coach Keith Burns said he wanted the defense to pressure Chang and force some turnovers, but the Golden Hurricane failed to sack Chang and forced one fumble and no interceptions.

``Timmy's an outstanding quarterback, a good athlete and a very good leader,'' Burns said. ``That's the difference in him now. I knew he was a good quarterback and athlete, but I think his leadership skills now have really started to develop and mature.''

Withy-Allen threw a 41-yard pass to Nate Ilaoa early in the fourth quarter to close out Hawaii's scoring. Withy-Allen completed 7 of 12 passes for 110 yards.

Tulsa had the final score of the game on a 1-yard run by Uril Parrish.

For the Golden Hurricane, they will wait another week to hopefully snap their streak.

``At some point we'll win and when we do, we'll get several,'' Burns said. ``If you watch our team, they've got a great attitude. There's no lack of character. Obviously we want to win, but I like the way they come to work everyday.''