University of Hawaii football player Bubba Poueu-Luna is capable of running 40 yards in under 4.5 seconds.
He can cover 100 meters in 10.5 seconds.
He is so quick, the old joke goes, he is fast asleep.
And now Poueu-Luna is hoping to prove he can make a speedy recovery from a slow start to the season.
"Bubba has the speed and quickness," said Chris Demarest, who coordinates UH’s special teams. "He needs to be more consistent."
Since being designated the deep returner on kickoffs two games ago, Poueu-Luna is averaging 33.8 yards per runback. That would rank second nationally — behind Stanford’s Ty Montgomery’s 35.2-yard average — if Poueu-Luna had enough returns to meet the NCAA minimum of 1.2 attempts per game. He has six returns in UH’s first six games.
Poueu-Luna would have played more — and earlier — if his season’s graph line did not resemble a string of Ws. In the opener, Poueu-Luna, aligned as a receiver, sprinted 19 yards on a reverse. His next carry was for a 1-yard loss.
Against San Jose State, his first kickoff return went for 54 yards. His next two returns were for 18 yards each.
Against UNLV, he opened with an 86-yard return. The Rebels pooched the next two kickoffs, then drove a third to the offset returner. On his next return, Poueu-Luna was stripped of the football. He recovered the fumble.
In last week’s scrimmage, Poueu-Luna caught a 40-yard pass, then fumbled. Later, he caught a pass and raced the rest of the way for a 60-yard touchdown.
"That’s Bubba," head coach Norm Chow said after the scrimmage.
Demarest said Poueu-Luna will continue to be the No. 1 kickoff returner when the Rainbow Warriors play Colorado State in Saturday’s homecoming game.
