Being sidelined for the first scrimmage of fall camp was pretty frustrating for University of Hawaii receiver Chris Gant, yet still not as agonizing as the ensuing review session.
"The toughest part was going over the film the next day and not being in there," Gant said.
Having returned from an ankle injury that kept him out last week, Gant turned in several of the highlight plays in the Warriors’ scrimmage Thursday at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
Gant, a redshirt junior, went in with the second offense and caught five passes for 90 yards, including the first touchdown of the afternoon at Earhart Field.
He connected with backup quarterback Jeremy Higgins on a 21-yard reception down the left side for his first catch of the day and came back with a 16-yard gain on the next play. That series ended with an interception, but Gant capped the next drive with a 21-yard touchdown catch down the sideline on fourth down-and-3.
"It was good just to be back out here with my teammates and the ball came my way and I just tried to make plays," Gant said.
Gant returned to full duty on Wednesday after spending most of the previous week’s practices on crutches with a sprained ankle. He said there was also a chipped bone in the ankle and he continues to work with the medical staff to get back to full strength.
"(Wednesday) he came back and performed well in practice and today, obviously, he made some big plays and looked real good," UH offensive coordinator and receivers coach Tommy Lee said.
"All spring he did a great job, down at the end he kind of leveled off. But coming into fall camp, he came back with a renewed attitude and has been doing well. … He’s got decent speed and he’s got some quickness. He’s a real fast-twitch guy, that’s the kind of guys you look for who can stretch a defense."
Gant was listed second at Z receiver (which lines up on the strong side of the formation) behind Scott Harding entering fall camp. He has since moved to the X receiver.
Gant had hoped to contribute last year after transferring from Moorpark College in California. But it took awhile to learn the various reads in the run-and-shoot offense and the decision was made to have him redshirt.
He had the benefit of spring practice to familiarize himself with head coach Norm Chow’s pro-style offense, now "I’m back out there and I’m comfortable and ready to go," he said.
Gant looks forward to making his UH debut close to home, having grown up about 5 minutes from the L.A. Coliseum, where UH will play USC on Sept. 1.
He recalled going to USC practices when Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and LenDale White were headliners. A greeting from their offensive coordinator at the time also sticks out in his memory.
"I met Coach Chow a while ago," Gant said. "I don’t know if he remembers me. I was just a little kid."
