Overview

In his three seasons as the Spartans' starting right cornerback, Owens was overshadowed by fellow cornerbacks Dwight Lowery and Coye Francies. But opponents paid him plenty of respect, rarely challenging him on deep routes.

Owens is regarded as one of the West's top coverage cornerbacks, evident by his ability to shut down the speedy wideouts or the much bigger and physical receivers with equal effectiveness. He started each of his final 37 games, allowing an opponent to catch just one touchdown on him during that span. He would go on to register 13 interceptions as a Spartan, the fourth-highest total in school history.

At Dorsey High School, Owens lettered three times for the football team. He paced the team with five interceptions during his senior campaign and was rewarded with first-team All-League honors.

Looking to stay close to home, Owens did not get much recruiting attention from UCLA or Southern California and opted to enroll at San Jose State in 2005. He played behind Trestin George most of the season at left cornerback, earning his first starting assignment vs. Nevada. He picked off a pair of passes and deflected two others while producing 35 tackles (18 solos).

With the arrival of junior college All-American Dwight Lowery in 2006, Owens secured the right cornerback position with Lowery taking over the left side. The two combined to pick off 13 passes, with Owens tallying four interceptions, along with five pass breakups. He also delivered 50 tackles (33 solos) that included a sack and caused one fumble.

Despite leading the Western Athletic Conference and ranking 12th in the nation with six interceptions in 2007, Owens only earned All-WAC second-team honors. He was one of the few bright spots for a defense that regressed from the previous season, as the secondary allowed 242.58 yards per game, 78th in the nation. He posted a career-high 75 tackles (41 solos) that ranked third on the team, also breaking up three throws.

With Lowery having graduated, he was replaced in the lineup by Oregon transfer Francies, who captured the headlines with his early season play. Still, it was Owens that opposing offensive coordinators feared most. They stopped throwing to his side for fear of the big turnover, resulting in the senior coming up with just one interception. But he also knocked down eight passes and was excellent in run support, making three stops behind the line of scrimmage, two forced fumbles and 68 tackles (40 solos), as the team captain finally received well deserved All-WAC first-team honors in 2008.

High School

Attended Dorsey (Los Angeles, Cal.) High School, playing football for head coach Paul Knox...Paced the team with five interceptions during his senior campaign and was rewarded with first-team All-League honors.

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Analysis

Positives: Plays bigger than his size. ... Good straight-line speed. ... Shows a late burst to recover if beaten initially. ... Flashes a good initial pop on the receiver. ... Aggressive in run support. ... Willing to fight through trash to make the stop at or near the line of scrimmage. ... Quick, active hands to break up passes. ... Good leaping ability and times his leaps well. ... Natural hands for the interception and can track over his shoulder. ... Mentally tough. ... Durable. ... Started 38 games.

Negatives: Doesn't back down from the physical challenge of bigger receivers, but simply is too short to handle their height in jump-ball situations. ... Adequate hip flexibility. ... Loses a step in his transition and isn't explosive out of his breaks. ... Allows separation and isn't big or strong enough to get back around the receiver to knock away accurate passes.

Injury Report

No major injuries reported.

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