Eastern Illinois Panthers vs. Hawaii Warriors | Football | August 31, 2002

#BRADDAHHOOD #HawaiiFB *** HONOLULU - The University of Hawaii football team answered all questions surrounding the 2002 season opener by trouncing Eastern Illinois, 61-36, tonight at Aloha Stadium. A loyal crowd of 39,958 (38,019 turnstile) endured early traffic and the temptation of Pay-Per-View to see the Warriors play their best opening game since June Jones took over in 1999. Jones started quarterback Timmy Chang, who suffered a fractured pinky finger two weeks ago, to end all inquiring minds of who will lead the Warrior offense. Chang, who got off to a slow start by throwing his only interception of the game in the first quarter, bounced back to finish 19-of-30 for 374 yards and three touchdowns. He threw to a group of untested receivers who answered the game day call. Senior Justin Colbert led the pack with three catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns. The Panthers struck first on a 19-yard run by tailback J.R. Taylor and held a 6-3 lead after the first quarter. But the Warriors took command by scoring 30 unanswered points in the second quarter and added a 28-point second half to keep the game out of reach. Junior Jason Whieldon also saw situational action at quarterback. The rookie out of Saddleback Community College went 5-of-10 for 79 yards and one score in his first Division I action. The Warrior defense struggled to contain EIU quarterback Tony Romo, but recorded 10 tackles-for-loss (-41), including four sacks (-20) and two interceptions returned for touchdowns (Hyrum Peters and Abu Maafala).