One third of the game

That’s how coaches often refer to special teams … one third of the game. While the number of plays involving kicking are normally way less than one third of plays from scrimmage in a game, the yardage covered by these plays and the fact that field goals and PAT kicks directly lead to points make that idiom ring true.

Also, special teams plays often lead to huge swings in momentum and that’s what we saw last Saturday when Hawaii came back with a 23-point fourth quarter rally that fell short against Oregon State, which beat UH 38-30.

Overall, the kicking game, coached by Chris Demarest, has been a plus for UH despite its 4-22 record since 2012.

In today’s paper I wrote about Josh Donovan and his unique family situation. He is among many unsung players performing on UH’s special teams.

“Josh is a very valuable member of our football team,” coach Norm Chow said. “Every day he gives us great effort.”

Chow was hired while Donovan’s father, Jim, was still athletic director. His daughter, Maile, was one of Josh’s teachers at Mid-Pacific Institute.

“My daughter wrote Josh’s letter of recommendation out of high school before we started coaching here,” Chow said in a text.

“Tracy and Jim are also very good friends with (Chow’s wife) Diane and me. They did a fabulous job raising two terrific kids.”

Chow said he is familiar with Tracy Orillo-Donovan‘s family because she is from Waialua, where he coached high school in the early 1970s.

Tracy Orillo was a multi-sport star in high school.

“They (Josh and Jackie) owe their athletic talent to their mom who was an extremely good athlete at Waialua,” said Jim Donovan, a former UH football offensive lineman and now the athletic director at Cal State-Fullerton.