Sanchez gives Warriors special treatment

It’s not every day that a two-time Super Bowl champion stops by to talk shop.

So when Hawaii kicker Rigo Sanchez heard Jason Elam was on campus and wanted to sit down for a chat, he wasn’t about to keep the program’s career scoring leader waiting.

“I look up to (Elam). That guy is a star,” Sanchez said of the encounter a few months back. “He’s such a great guy, down to earth and I just asked him questions about what I can do to fix my mentality when I go out to kick and stuff like that.

“We had similar thoughts and he gave me great advice and just told me to keep at it. It was a motivator.”

Just as Elam did during UH’s Holiday Bowl season in 1992, Sanchez established himself as an all-purpose specialist last year while handling all three phases of the kicking game.

Sanchez, who was awarded a scholarship prior to last year’s season opener, connected on eight of 11 field-goal attempts and 23 of 24 extra points and drove 14 of his 22 kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks.

Sanchez also became the third UH punter to average over 45 yards per attempt, joining Chad Shrout (46.1 in 1997) and Alex Dunnachie (46.2 in 2012). With 74 punts last season, he’s one short of qualifying for the career average list and could threaten Elam’s school record mark of 43.51.

“I kind of had hopes to do either/or, but I never expected or thought I was going to do all three,” said Sanchez, an honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference pick.

Now wearing No. 1 — coincidentally the number Elam wore in his 17-year professional career — Sanchez said he focused on quality over quantity while honing his leg swing during an offseason that included a practice session with another former NFL kicker in Michael Husted.

Sanchez is part of an experienced base of returnees available to first-year special teams coordinator Mayur Chaudhari, who crafted the coverage and return schemes according to the abilities of the players.

“I’m not a big, ‘This is my scheme, you gotta do it this way.’ I don’t really believe in that,” Chaudhari said. “I obviously have some things philosophy-wise I believe in, but you have to know what your players can do.”

Junior receiver Keelan Ewaliko averaged 26.3 yards per kickoff return last year and scored on a 98-yard burst against Air Force. Running back Paul Harris also is a seasoned kick returner.

Nick Nelson was the primary punt returner last year before transferring to Wisconsin. Slot receivers John Ursua and Dylan Collie are the leading candidates this season.

SPECIAL TEAMS