Quotes from the local papers

About how Mouton has to practice by tomorrow in order to play vs. NMSU, JJ said:
"I told him if he can go by Wednesday, he'll play. If he can't, he won't." (HA)


Mouton said that the pain has subsided in the back of his right knee but he wears the knee brace:
"really for security purposes, to get my confidence, to let me know I can run. It helps." (HA)


About his knee, Mouton said:
"I'm just testing it out right now. I just have to get cleared. Hopefully I'll know some time today or tomorrow and see what the doctor says." (HSB)


Mouton said that the brace restricts his movementes, but:
"it's feeling more and more like normal." (HA)


About how Mouton's return would help their D, GM said:
"He's a real good cover guy. He would definitely help us. But we're not going to put him out there until he's ready." (HA)


About how Mouton will just play CB and not return kicks when he comes back, Lane said:
"I'd love to see him return kicks, but cornerback is his first position. We need him to be healthy. He's a great player." (HA)


About his competition with Lane for most kickoff return TDs (Lane has 2, he has 1), Mouton said:
"I'll be all right. I'm giving him a head start." (HA)


About Daniel Libre, who practiced at 1st team RB yesterday, Colt said:
"I like the fact that he's a great athlete. You can see that early on. All he really needs is experience and confidence to start to excel and get better." (HA)

HA Note: "Libre took the scenic route to Manoa, from Konawaena High to Menlo College to limbo."


About how he didn't know what he was doing for awhile, Libre said:
"I needed to figure out what I wanted to do. I was moving too fast, and I didn't know where I was going." (HA)

HA Note: "After sitting out a semester, he enrolled at Kapi'olani Community College. He then transferred to UH, joining the Warriors as a cornerback. Libre then moved to running back and, last spring, to slotback. But he was never an easy fit as an inside receiver. He pleaded for a chance to play running back. The only opening was as a member of the scout-team offense, which practices against the starting defense every day."


About how Libre has done a good job with the scout team against the #1 D, GM said:
"He did a good job against us. Everybody likes him. He has good field vision. He can see the holes open up." (HA)

Libre, in fact, had problems with his vision during the summer. His eyesight went from 20/20 to 20/blurry.
About how his vision went from 20/20 to blurry during the summer, Libre said:
"I was struggling really bad to catch the ball. I had no depth perception. It was bad." (HA)

HA Note: "He could not wear contacts because they irritated his eyes. He said his goggles would steam up. At the urging of head trainer Eric Okasaki, Libre decided to undergo LASIK surgery. Libre's grandparents founded Aloha Laser Vision (previously known as Faulkner Eye Care)."


About how the LASIK surgery has helped his vision, Libre said:
"I feel great. My vision is super." (HA)


RB coach Wes Suan said that Libre has to make a decision on RB vs. slotback:
"I think he can be a pretty good receiver. He works hard, and he has the intangibles we like to see. I think the line is longer as a running back than as a slotback. But players have to make that decision. They have to do their own evaluation." (HA)


Hoping to stay at RB, Libre said:
"I'm more comfortable there. I feel I can do more there than as a slotback." (HA)


Blaze said that his shoulder is fine and that for NMSU he will be:
"100 percent." (HA)


About how the bye week helped their team, Bess said:
"Everybody's fresh, fresh legs, it's good to get that break. But we have to get back in the groove now." (HSB)


About the importance of the blocks their WRs make for each other, RGM said:
"A lot of the time our blocks make the difference between a 10-yard gain and a 60-yard touchdown." (HSB)


About how they love to see their blocks when they review the game film, Hawthorne said:
"We get excited in there when we see someone make a killer block." (HSB)


Proud of how his WRs block for each other, JJ said:
"They're probably the best blocking group that I've had. The last two or three years they've taken a lot of pride in helping their buddies. We just talk about it and they pay attention to detail and do it. We don't have blocking drills, but they do a great job of understanding what we ask of them." (HSB)


About how their blocking comes naturally, Hawthorne said:
"Ryan and Davone, they both have a few pancake blocks and Jason is probably our most physical guy, so I think he's excellent at making blocks, especially downfield. We don't practice it much, but it's instinctive. We understand the more we help each other out the better it's going to be in the long run." (HSB)


About their blocking technique, WR coach Ron Lee said:
"It's really positioning. It's not a physical type of block, it's more of screening and let the backs or receiver run off the blocks. Nothing fancy, just getting there and sticking your nose in his chest." (HSB)


Grinning when talking about their big blocks, Bess said:
"I had one against LaTech and my guy actually flew, and Ryan had one against San Jose State where his guy was pretty much out for the count." (HSB)


About getting in a big block, RGM said:
"You just react, and when you see an open shot you just take it." (HSB)


Feeling that the computers are not being fair to UH right now, Karl Benson said:
"The computers right now are not treating Hawaii favorably. I think that is going to change as they finish the season playing teams that are going to have winning records." (HSB)