More quotes from Friday morning

KGI = Kauai Garden Isle News
ST = Seattle Times
SPI = Seattle Post-Intelligencer


About Colt not being a finalist for the Davey O'Brien Award for the nation's best QB, Willingham said:
"There's still somewhat of a perception that there is a major difference between the (Western Athletic Conference) and (BCS conferences)." (SPI)


Praising Colt's throwing ability, Willingham said:
"He has a wonderful knack of knowing where his people are and has a unique release that he can almost release it underhand to get it to people." (SPI)


About how Tebow has his Heisman vote, with 4 less TDs than Colt (on 105 fewer attempts) and 7 more rushing TDs than McFadden, CBS Sportsline writer (and Heisman voter) Dennis Dodd said:
"You got a guy in Florida that did what Colt did last year, shattering the record for touchdowns in a season. He's Hershel Walker as quarterback. Fifty-one touchdowns? He's my No. 1 guy right now." (SPI)


About how he thinks that Colt was better last year, Dodd said:
"I don't think Colt is a runaway winner at all. I thought he was better last year on an 8-3 team than this year with a 11-0 team because he hasn't been as efficient and he hasn't played in all the games." (SPI)


About how Colt should be a Heisman finalist if they go undefeated, JJ said:
"If we win (all 12 games), he'll be impressive because there's no way we can win unless he is." (SPI)


About how he got through the crowd after the BSU game to give him his WAC Champion shirt, Kenny Estes said:
“I had to wrestle my way through the crowd to get to him. I saw (my family) in the stands before the game so I kind of knew where he was.” (KGI)


Proud of his son, Clarence Estes said:
“I was so elated for him. After the game, he came up to me and presented me with one of the WAC Champions shirts. I’m so proud of him.” (KGI)

KGI Note: "But just the week before, the freshman out of Waimea High School was faced with a dilemma. Coach Dennis McKnight approached Estes, who had just gotten out of class, and explained to him that the coaches wanted him to suit up for the WAC game against Fresno State. Estes was on the team under redshirt status. Suiting up would mean giving up that year of sitting out and joining the team on the field to play special teams."


About how Kenny called him about giving up his redshirt status, Clarence said:
“(Kenny) called me one day and said ‘Dad, I have a dilemma. They want me to play.’ I told him that he ought to feel privileged. It says a lot about his part on the team and I said to him ‘If the team needs you, you have to go.” (KGI)


Kenny said that he thought about it for an hour before agreeing:
“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to give up my redshirt status or not. But I really wanted to play.” (KGI)


About how he practiced all summer, sometime staying late to work with Rich Miano, Kenny said:
“This whole time (practicing) I was trying to prove myself to them. I guess they noticed.” (KGI)

KGI Note: "Estes suited up for the game that week, but status as an active player was short. He hurt his shoulder and could not play the next couple of weeks. The time off, though, was just the right amount of time as Estes expects to suit up tomorrow for the sold-out Washington (4-8) game at Aloha Stadium."


About how the attention the team has been getting doesn't affect him, Kenny said:
“It doesn’t really affect me, the fact that everyone’s talking about Hawai‘i. It feels kind of normal.” (KGI)


Happy to be with the Warriors, Kenny said:
“Before I signed, people were all telling me about their experiences in college. And they were all true. It’s just like they said. The game is faster and the playing is more technical.” (KGI)


Not regretting giving up his redshirt status for the 1 game he was able to play, Kenny said:
“The time I play against Fresno is what I’ll remember about this season." (KGI)

KGI Note: "Estes is one of five Hawai‘i players who claim Kaua‘i as his hometown: wide receiver Jett Jasper, defensive tackle Vaughn Meatoga, and defensive linemen Keala and Keahi Watson."


About the Kauai Warrior group, Kenny said:
“I think it’s great. Jett’s a great guy and I know Vaughn. He used to practice with us in Waimea in the summer." (KGI)


If he wasn't playing college football, Kenny was asked what he would be doing:
“I was actually thinking about running track for the University of Oregon. I wanted to run maybe the 100, 200 or maybe the 4-by-1 relay. When I was over at Waimea, coach Walker was going to help me, but I didn’t know if I would get a scholarship from Oregon so when UH said they’d give me a scholarship, I kind of took the first opportunity I could get.” (KGI)


Asked if he had a favorite football team or player growing up, Kenny said:
“Not really. I didn’t really watch a lot of football. I just like playing it.” (KGI)

Asked what he does in his spare time while he's home in Kauai, Kenny said:
“Fishing. I like to go fishing on the Westside or ride my bike. Sometimes I ride my Harley with my Dad.” (KGI)


About how he misses the Seattle weather, Adam Leonard said:
"Putting on that coat and carrying around an umbrella, I enjoy that. But I'm getting used to Hawaii." (ST)


JJ praised Adam this week, calling him:
"maybe the best player in the [Western Athletic Conference] on defense." (ST)

ST Note: "Not bad for a player few schools thought worthy of a scholarship after he suffered two knee injuries that caused him to miss most of his senior season at Rainier Beach in 2004. Leonard said he was talking to coaches at Dixie College in Utah when they showed his film to coaches at Hawaii, who offered him a scholarship the next day, a few weeks after signing day."


About how Washington never offered him a scholarship, even though he talked to both coaching staffs (they changed from Gilbertson to Willingham that offseason), Adam said:
"It would have been great to be home but I didn't want to go to a school that didn't want me. It hurt, but I'm not a guy that dwells on the past. I'm just happy I ended up here." (ST)


About how people who study them know they are a good defense, Adam said:
"But if people watch our film and study us, they know we are a good defense. It might not show in all the key stats. We're not going to be defined by outside people. We're just going out there each week competing." (ST)

Tyson Kafentzis, the 9th member of his family to play for UH, said about UH:
"It's like one big family over here." (ST)

ST Note: "Hawaii linebacker Tyson Kafentzis, a junior from Richland, is the ninth member of his family to play for the Warriors. Tyson is the son of Mark Kafentzis, a former Richland High star who began the migration when he transferred there from Columbia Basin College in 1980, later helping lure brothers Kent, Kurt, Kyle and Sean to play there as well."

Note: Tyson's older brother Landon played at Hawaii in 2004-05.

ST Note: "He said he has "about a thousand" cousins, many of whom are young football players, and figures the family name at Hawaii will continue someday. Like many of the other family members, he wears No. 8 for Hawaii."