Quotes from the local papers

When someone commented that their 3rd comeback in the 4th quarter of road games was unbelievable, Cal Lee responded:
"Yes. Unbelievable might be a good word." (HSB)


About their defense in the Nevada game, and all of the risks they took to get the ball back for their offense, GM said:
"We really put our corners on an island because we played a nine-man front. At the end, the important thing was get the offense back the ball. In the last 6 minutes we got them three possessions. It's almost like San Jose State. They believed and they got the ball back three times. We were running man blitzes, filling up the box and two guys off the edge in case they ran bootleg. Our guys executed that perfectly." (HSB)


About how Nevada was going to try to control the ball with their running game, Desmond Thomas said:
"We figured they were going to run the ball all night." (HSB)


About Tyler's play, Desmond said:
"Maybe it wasn't as sweet and pretty as everyone wanted it. But he got the job done." (HSB)


About how Colt playing in the game inspired the team, Desmond said:
"It was huge for us. It made us think that he would lay his life on the line for us, go out there and give it his all. It really says something about our team." (HSB)


About why he played Colt, JJ said:
"I just wanted him to get in and throw a couple of passes. I knew with those type passes he wasn't going to have to hold the ball and risk any injury. There was another one I was going to have him throw, but Tyler was in the game." (HSB)


Asked about Colt's medical clearance status, JJ said:
"I have no idea if he was clear. I knew he wasn't going to get hit on those two passes." (HSB)


About playing such a limited role in the game, Colt said:
"I think now everyone sees how great this team, TEAM, really is. Hopefully it'll help us out in the rankings. I wanted to (keep playing), and when I threw that second pass I did not want to come out. But the thing is if I'd taken another shot I could've gotten another concussion. This was the game plan coming in and we executed it perfectly and it's an awesome feeling for this team right now." (HSB)


About their comeback wins vs. La Tech, SJSU, and Nevada, Bess credited their leadership and teamwork:
"It goes back to our leaders. As a whole, everyone is stepping up as one unit and we're playing with heart. When you know your role at the end of the day it pays off. We've had a great season so far, taking it back to LaTech and San Jose we just know not to give up. We've been in situations. We're so calm, collected and poised." (HSB)


About how he knew that the defense was going to give them a 3rd chance to come back at the end, JJ said:
"We knew we were going to get the ball one more time. These kids battle through all kinds of adversity. It's pretty powerful." (HSB)


About going to a 5-WR offense to start the game (Bain started), JJ said:
"They had two weeks to practice. My intent was to run empty. So I just wanted to have (Nevada) think about it for a while." (HSB)


Happy to have the spotlight on him now, Tyler said:
"I've been watching from the shadow of Colt the past nine or 10 weeks. It's good to get a little spotlight." (HSB)


About the tackle he made on 3rd down late in the 4th quarter to force Nevada to punt to them, setting up their final drive, Desmond Thomas said:
"I'm just going to fill that hole, and praise God, I made the play." (HSB)


Praising GM's defensive game plan, JJ said:
"Greg (defensive coordinator McMackin) had a pretty good game plan. We felt like we wanted to make them pass. They're one of the best running teams in the country. So we loaded up the box and had guys on (Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick)." (HSB)


About how he tried to operate during the game, especially their final drive, Tyler said:
"Just trying to get it out quick, be accurate, get first downs and stop the clock." (HSB)


About how they believed in their team, Tyler said:
"It's unbelievable how we played together tonight. (When Kelly lined up for his kicks) everybody was just saying, 'Gotta believe, gotta believe.' That's the motto for this team." (HSB)


About how their team wasn't allowed to gamble so they won a ton of stuffed animals at Circus Circus, Tyler said:
"Everybody won all of these big stuffed animals. You know how good Colt is. He won a lot of animals." (HA)


About how 2 players share each 3-seat row on their charter flight, Tyler said:
"The middle seat was filled with stuff Colt won. I was crunched up in the corner. It was tough to sleep." (HA)


About their flight home, Tyler said:
"it was fun for the first couple of hours. Then the next four hours were pretty miserable. I couldn't sleep." (HA)


About the game, Tyler said:
"Oh, man, it was an unbelievable game. I'm so proud of the guys. I'm so glad we got an opportunity to pull out a win on national television." (HA)

HA Note: "The night before the game, head coach June Jones summoned the players for a special meeting. It was then that Jones announced that Brennan, who had suffered a concussion in the previous game, would not start and only be used for a handful of specific plays. Jones then handed the offense to Graunke, a fourth-year junior who had made two UH starts. In an act of team unity, each player went up and expressed his faith in Graunke."


About how each player showed his confidence in him, Tyler said:
"That was one of the coolest things ever. I'm sure the fans were concerned, but our team has full confidence in me and Inoke (Funaki, the third-string quarterback). After that little team talk, I felt unbelievably special. This is a special team. We're 10-0 for a damn good reason, because we're a bunch of great football players who play together." (HA)


Praising Tyler, JJ said:
"Tyler is a player. I knew that from the first scrimmage (in August 2004). He's tough, very tough, and a competitor." (HA)


About how he took several big hits vs. Nevada, Tyler said:
"My (throwing) hand got hit on one. I hit it on somebody's helmet. That kind of hurt. My head got hurt on that third down, when I took the sack. I was slow getting up. I blacked out for a second. It was weird. I got, like, deja vu. I didn't think I was going to be straight-headed, but it came back to me real quick. I'm grateful for that." (HA)


About their game-winning drive, JJ said:
"It says a lot about the team to put together a drive like that. Everybody stepped up and made plays. We had a 13-play drive with no timeouts. That's unheard of." (HA)


About how he was calm during that final drive, Tyler said:
"Sometimes I get nervous and my body feels weird when I go out there. (On the final drive) I was super calm. I wasn't cold. I was real focused on the game. I just knew we were going to win. We didn't put up as many points as we should have, but everyone had this real positive attitude. It was real cool just being out there with everybody." (HA)


About his "Iceman" nickname, Dan Kelly said:
"It's an old nickname from back when I played club soccer. It's stuck with me from the time I was a freshman in high school. It died when I came to the rock, the islands, because no one else knew it." (HSB)


About his belief in Dan Kelly, JJ said:
"When he made the 49-yard kick at LaTech (to tie in the fourth quarter), I knew he had it inside of him." (HSB)