Quotes about UH's Texas players

About how he never would have thought that Ryan Mouton would go to UH, his Dad Ron Mouton said:
"I really thought he'd be the one to stay close to home. But he made the decision to go to Hawaii and it was a great decision." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Ron Mouton looked out at the field at Rice Stadium and spotted his son, Ryan, who was a football star at nearby Katy High School. Ryan was in a Hawaii uniform. Mouton, a highly regarded cornerback, is one of five defensive backs at UH from Texas (one, safety Erik Robinson, is not on the current road trip)."


About why the Texas players fit in at Hawaii, GM (who coached at Texas Tech) said:
"Football is king in Hawaii and football is king in Texas. They regard it the same way. Texans and Hawaiians have a fighting spirit and independent attitude. They're winners and competitors and fun to coach." (HSB)


About their players from Texas, JR (who recruited them) said:
"They're used to being coached hard and pushed from the time they're young. You won't find better character kids." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Coach June Jones determined that remaining on the mainland would give the Warriors the best chance of winning the two games rather than flying back and forth from Hawaii two weeks in a row. It created a happy by-product for the Texans (as well as several other players from the South) as family and friends got to see them here and in Louisiana. All four of the players from the Lone Star State said they'd never expected to play college football at Hawaii."


About how he never expected to play for UH, Newberry said:
"Not in a million years. I was going to go to Tulsa (from Trinity Valley CC and Ryan High School in Denton), but visited Hawaii and I loved it." (HSB)


About going to Hawaii, Patek said:
"I never really thought I'd actually go to Hawaii. I'd seen it on TV and it was beautiful, but I never pictured myself there. I visited and I loved everyone I met. It's a close-knit team. Plus, I had nowhere else to go. They told me they thought I could play." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Patek, a linebacker at Blinn, successfully shifted to safety with 55 tackles in 2006, starting all 14 games last year and both this fall. Mouton, who was Patek's teammate at Blinn, is the most gifted of the four. He led Katy High School to the Texas 5-A state championship as a senior, and Texas A&M and Kansas both wanted him. But he wasn't yet ready for Division I."


About why he went to a JC instead of straight to Texas A&M or Kansas from high school, Mouton said:
"I was kind of hurting in the grades area, so I went the JC route. It was a great experience, and I learned that the academics have to come first. If they don't, it doesn't matter how much talent you have. You can't think your talent alone will take you where you want to go." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Mouton returned four kickoffs for 93 yards against La-Tech, and is getting increasing playing time at cornerback."


About how he was going to go to DII Eastern New Mexico State before JR offered him a scholarship, Lewis said:
"I got a couple letters, phone calls (from other Division I schools). But scholarships, none." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Recruiters considered Lewis and Newberry short, Patek out of position and Mouton an academic underachiever. But all four have erased the doubts."


About looking for productive players even though they might not fit the classic mold for each position, JR said:
"When you're recruiting, you have to decide if you go with production, or if you go with pretty. Like when you're 16 years old, pretty will get your heart broken." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Jones isn't surprised the players from Texas have fit in well nearly 4,000 miles from home and in a totally different culture. Jones, who coached the Houston Gamblers and Houston Oilers, said football players from Texas and Hawaii share a bond."


Not surprised that the Texas players have fit in well in Hawaii, JJ said:
"It's very similar. In Texas football is life. In high school it's what you live for, and it's also very important in Hawaii. The cultures are different obviously, but the two states have the same kind of spirit." (HSB)


Patek, who has gone to high school games in Hawaii, compared the two states:
"There are faster players in Texas but bigger players in Hawaii. A lot of people say high school football in Texas is like a religion. In Hawaii it's the same thing, it's football this and football that. It's a big draw." (HSB)