Quotes from Tuesday morning

HA = Honolulu Advertiser
HSB = Honolulu Star-Bulletin
SPI = Seattle Post-Intelligencer
ST = Seattle Times
HN = Everett HeraldNet
NA = Nevada Appeal
SI = Sports Illustrated
OL = The Olympian
AP = Associated Press
KGMB = KGMB9.com


**** Special section about the idiots who stole UH helmets after the BSU game ***

About how someone tried to grab his helmet and run away with it after the game, Colt said:
"I held on to my helmet." (HA)

HA Note: "Some of his teammates were not as fortunate. At least six dark-green Warrior helmets were taken after fans stormed onto the FieldTurf to celebrate the Warriors' first outright WAC football championship. UH officials were able to retrieve helmets belonging to right tackle Keoni Steinhoff and defensive right end Karl Noa. But quarterback Inoke Funaki, linebacker Brashton Satele, wideout Greg Salas and running back Jason Laumoli were left bare-headed."

About how someone took his helmet, Steinhoff said:
"I dropped it on the ground when I went to tell my mom 'Hi' in the stands, and somebody swiped it." (HA)


About how he wants his helmet back, Inoke said:
"I miss it. I loved my helmet." (HA)

HA Note: "UH officials have asked for the safe return of the helmets. Although each helmet is valued at $200, the players want them back because it is too difficult to break in new ones. Satele has had the same dark green helmet for three years."


Hoping that his helmet is returned, Brashton Satele said:
"Hopefully, somebody will bring it back." (HA)


About when his helmet was stolen, Inoke said:
"I made my way eventually to the (makeshift) stage where the trophy was. I jumped up on the stage, waving my towel. I was up there for a while. I put my helmet down between my legs. All of the fans were on the bottom. Finally, after being up there for a while, I said, 'Enough, I'm taking it in.' I reached down and it wasn't there. I don't know where it went. I assumed somebody grabbed it. It must be on someone's wall right now." (HA)

HA Note: "The helmets are adorned with Warrior stickers for good plays."

About the Warrior stickers he earned for his helmet, Inoke said:
"I had a few decals. It wasn't as decorative as Colt's helmet. But there were a couple of marks on there. Maybe this next home game we might have to use our silver (road) helmets." (HA)


About the importance of the lost helmets, UH spokesman Derek Inouchi said:
"It's not the cost. But it's the fact that the helmets are fitted to the guys' heads and it takes some time to break them in." (HSB)


About how he wore his helmet as "protection" when the fans ran onto the field, but took it off to hug people that he knew, Colt said:
"When I saw people I knew, I took it off. I was hugging people. As I was going over to the podium, I was getting lifted up. Some guy kind of grabbed it, and held my helmet up. All of a sudden, I thought he tried to walk off with it. I held on tight. I wouldn't let him walk off with my helmet." (HA)

HA Note: "Still, Brennan did not come away unscathed. A fan told The Advertiser's Kalani Takase that he has Brennan's used mouthpiece."

***

*** Special section on UH's facilities and lack on funding ***


During the ESPN2 broadcast of the BSU game, ESPN announcer Sean McDonough said:
"If they (Hawaii) do get to a BCS Bowl game, let's hope they spend some of the money on facilities here because folks if you saw their practice field and their office building, you'd be amazed they could have this kind of success with their facilities in quite frankly an embarrassing state of disrepair." (KGMB)

KGMB Note: "McDonough must have been referring to Cooke Field. It is the university's artificial turf field but it is missing artificial turf. Cook is covered with soft black material that once served as padding under artificial turf."


About ESPN's comments on their facilities, JJ said:
"They were in our offices and made some comments and saw Cooke Field. It's not anything that isn't known. I came here not for the facilities and our players don't come here for the facilities. They come here because it's a great place to live and a great place to play football." (HSB)

"I didn't hear 'em. I know when they came in here for the (pre-game) interview, they were in our offices, you know, and made some comments, and looked out on Cooke Field. That was it. We didn't talk about any of that. It's not anything that isn't known already. There's nothing there." (HA)

Asked if he was embarrassed by the condition of UH's athletic facilities, JJ said:
"I came here not for the facilities, and our players don't come here for the facilities. They come here because it's a great place to live and a great place to play football. If we were recruiting to facilities, we wouldn't get anybody. Those are the same dorms I lived in in 1973." (HA)

Hoping the BCS money would lead to improved facilities, JJ said:
"Certainly I would think if you get to the big dance (BCS bowl game) it's going to help. The athletic department get some money. Hopefully that means Cooke Field would get some field turf." (KGMB)

KGMB Note: "If Hawaii beats Washington and is invited to a BCS bowl game, the athletic department stands to get in the neighborhood of $4.5 to $5 million. About a million could go to bowl game expenses, but everything after that is pure profit."


After saying that UH's facilities are among the worst he's seen, Solomon Elimimian said:
"But facilities doesn't necessarily make the team. There's nothing we can do. We want great facilities, not for us, but for the guys coming behind us. We're not one of the worst teams in college football. We're up there. So we deserve better facilities." (HSB)

About feeling they deserve better facilities, Sol said:
"It's something that I think we deserve. We're not one of the worst teams in all of college football. We're actually up there, you know. So I think we do deserve better facilities. It's one of the worst that I've seen." (KGMB)

About their facilities and recruiting, Sol said:
"We tell them the truth. You can't hide it and they're going to see it," Elimimian said. "Hawaii has other things to offer. The best thing on our team is the guys." (HSB)


About how UH manages to compete despite having just a fraction of the funding of other schools, UH Associate AD John McNamara said:
"Compared to the other BCS schools, it's clear that UH has to manage its resources rather frugally. When you look at the finances of the other institutions and find us in their company, it is a credit to the hard work and dedication of the players and the coaches." (HA)

HA Note: "The University of Hawai'i reached No. 12 in the Bowl Championship Series rankings despite a football program that generated a measly $7.5 million last year, puny in the world of big-time college football where programs like Ohio State and Georgia bring in more than $60 million. UH ranks last out of this week's Top 12 BCS teams in both money earned and money spent on football, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education.

UH, Ohio State and West Virginia did not report overall football team expenses to the Department of Education, like the other nine universities did. But under operating team expenses, UH said it spent $2.17 million through June 30 — compared with overall team expenses of more than $16 million for much richer programs such as Georgia, the University of Southern California, Oklahoma and Boston College. And Virginia Tech and Florida spent more than $20 million apiece on overall team expenses. Overall, seven Top 12 BCS teams spent more than twice what UH earned in total football revenue."


About how UH is shut out of concessions revenue, Rep. Takai said:
"The only thing UH generates in revenue is sales of tickets," Takai said. "None of the beer, none of the hot dogs, none of the parking revenue. Many other schools have their own facilities and generate a lot of revenue from that."


About how they need to invest into their football program to be able to stay at this level every year, Takai said:
"Now that we have gotten to this level, we need to put our money into this program. If we're going to expect June Jones and his team to compete at this level year in and year out, they're going to need additional support, whether it's to the facilities which are clearly in desperate need of help, or whether it's corporate or public support." (HA)


Colt talked the Advertiser back in May about their limited resources:
"When we're winning, we get compared to big programs like Ohio State and USC. I wonder how analysts would look at our achievements if they realize what we have to overcome through facilities, resources and traveling." (HA)

HA NOte: "Dexter Kekua, chief financial officer of Heide & Cook, responded to Brennan's comments by offering to buy a year's supply of locker-room soap. Coach Jones declined Kekua's offer, saying that maintenance crews were already replacing missing soap dispensers and refilling them. But the memory still irks Kekua."


Still upset that UH didn't have soap in the showers, Kekua said:
"This is a Division I-A program. You've got to be kidding me. It just didn't make any sense." (HA)

HA Note: "Kekua has donated a pair of fans to use at practice and always provides misting sideline fans on game day whenever asked — for free. Kekua also always tells any opposing teams that he's out of fan inventory if they should call to rent fans for their side of the field. The success of the UH football team has inspired an entire island state, Kekua said, and it's only fitting that businesses like his try to help out. He's a huge fan of Jones' speeches and has implemented many of Jones' tactics — such as changing the design of Heide & Cook's logo, having each of the 157 employees undergo motivational training and changing the company's appearance by having Reyn Spooner redesign the company's work T-shirts for plumbers, sheet metal workers and air-conditioner installers."

About changing their branding like JJ did with the Warriors, Kekua said:
"We wanted to change our persona, give us a stronger look. Coach Jones changed uniforms and got rid of the old 'Bows. Look at how people are calling him a super genius." (HA)


About how he hoped that the BCS money helped their athletic facilities (BSU got $4.5 mil last year and netted $3 mil after bowl expenses), JJ said:
"If you get to the big dance, it's going to help because the athletic department gets some money. Hopefully, that means Cooke Field gets some FieldTurf." (HA)

HA Note: "The athletic department shares its financial troubles with the rest of the other nine UH campuses on every major island. A newly ruined science building and dilapidated dormitories on the main Manoa campus are just a few of the items on a long list of other big-ticket needs."


About how the BCS money will be spent by the Chancellor, and not just given to the Athletic Department, McNamara said:
"If we are fortunate enough to advance to a BCS game, the revenue from that opportunity is not going to cure all the financial ills. The athletic department does not exist in a vacuum. We're part of an entire university system, and our needs and priorities should not take on any greater urgency than any other department in the system. That money is to be spent at the discretion of the chancellor." (HA)


About how UH has already benefitted from the team's success this season, McNamara said:
"With this type of national success and acclaim, you tend to see increases in season ticket sales, donations and admissions applications to the university. We can't put a price on the exposure that four straight national telecasts has delivered, not only to the football program but to tourism, to the entire state of Hawai'i. Everything has been touched in some way. Everybody has greater pride in being a citizen of Hawai'i." (HA)


About how he's seen a 10% increase in business on football game days compared with last year, Robbie Acoba (owner of Eastside Bar & Grill) said:
"As a whole, everybody has benefited." (HA)

HA Note: "UH's football financial "numbers show that we have more work to do," he said. "But the kids and the coaches have given 200 percent and have shown the rest of the nation what Hawai'i is about." "


About how he follows one of JJ's favorite sayings, Kekua said:
"It's not how many times you get knocked down. It's how many times you get up." (HA)

**************************************************************

About how he isn't surprised that they are close to getting a BCS bowl spot, JJ said:
"Yeah, I envisioned it. I talked about it during the first press conference I had. This has been a dream season. Hopefully we cam keep it going." (NA)

About how he didn't celebrate the BSU win for long, JJ said:
"After the game I went to Murph's, (celebrated) a little, then back to it." (HSB)

About the importance of winning the U-Dub game, JJ said:
"We knew before the season that we were going to have to win them all. All we have to do is take care of business." (SI)

Praising Washington, JJ said:
"They played the hardest schedule in the country and had Ohio State at halftime and lost to USC by (a field goal). They beat Cal at home, at their place, so they're pretty good. They beat Boise, probably more handily than we did. They can play." (HSB)

JJ said that QB Jake Locker and RB Louis Rankin:
"might be the two best athletes we have played this year." (ST)

"I think that their quarterback and their running back might be the two best athletes we've played this year." (HN, OL)

After comparing Ranking to Cal running back Marshawn Lynch, a first-round draft pick by the Buffalo Bills, JJ said:
"He's very explosive, and the quarterback is as good as anybody. People can talk about Tim Tebow all they want, but the quarterback at Washington is the real deal." (HN, OL)

Praising Locker, JJ said:
"Everybody can talk about [Florida QB Tim] Tebow all they want, that quarterback at Washington is the real deal." (ST)

"This guy's faster than anybody we've played, including any running back we've played. (And) their running back (Louis Rankin) is probably the best running back we've played, too. That guy's scary on tape." (HSB)

Praising Colt, JJ said:
"He should have won the Heisman last year. He threw for more yards and touchdowns than [Ohio State's Heisman winner] Troy Smith and [Michigan's] Chad Henne combined." (SI)

Praising their fans at the BSU game and hoping they will be just as loud for Washington, JJ said:
"The crowd was into the game and hopefully they'll be into the game this week. It's obviously helpful to the players to have that kind of crowd. It changes the momentum at different times of the game." (HSB)

About how they will be prepared for Washington, JJ said:
"No. I can tell already from today. Everybody understands. If we don't win the game it's not going to be because we're not ready to play, I'll tell you that." (HSB)


About their defense in the BSU game, GM said:
"We missed one gap. After that, everybody played really smart." (SI)

About the championship rings he has won before, GM said:
"I was fortunate to get a few (rings). Miami's was nice. We got some good ones at Texas Tech." (HA)

HA Note "Defensive coordinator Greg McMackin has been named the lone member of the screening committee to choose a ring commemorating the Warriors' WAC championship. McMackin also was the UH defensive coordinator in 1999, Jones' first season as UH head coach, when the Warriors won a share of the WAC title."


About how they need to have big rings because GM said it has to be:
"big on a kid, because they have big hands. It has to be something worthy of what they've accomplished, you know, a lot of bling." (HA)

HA Note: "Na Koa, the football team's booster club, will pay for the rings."


About their rings, Hercules said:
"It needs to have a big ol' '1' on it." (HA)


RGM considered the Warriors' fashion plate said:
"They should let me design it. I'll put a little flavor to it. That seems like a fun project. I don't want a puny ring. I want something big and shiny." (HA)


About how he won't do anything for the ring until after the Washington game, GM said:
"We won't do anything until after the Washington game. That's the most important thing. We're not thinking of rings at this point. " (HA)


About 30 pounds during the offseason under GM's orders, Michael Lafaele said:
"No rice. Being from the islands, I grew up on that stuff." (SI)

SI Note: "The faster, leaner Warriors wreaked havoc in the Boise State backfield with three sacks and six tackles for loss; they now have 37 sacks, seven more than they had in 14 games last year."


Regretting his somersault in the BSU game, Bess said:
"It was a way of expressing how I felt. I wasn't trying to showboat. I was trying to solidify me getting into the end zone and making a statement. I was disappointed because it was kind of selfish on my behalf, and I made my team back up when they kicked it off. It happens." (HA)

Note: Bess and Patek were named UH's top players in the BSU game.


Looking forward to playing in the Hula Bowl, Michael Lafaele said:
"I'm kind of looking forward to that one. When I got the invitation I was pretty excited." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Hawaii wide receivers C.J. Hawthorne and Jason Rivers, defensive tackle Mike Lafaele, and guard Hercules Satele have committed to play in the Jan. 12 Hula Bowl."


Hula Bowl Executive director Neil Stratton said that more Warriors may be invited:
"We'd like to have 50 Warriors on the West squad, but of course we can't do that. Obviously Colt (quarterback Brennan) we'd love to have. We hope that he will be willing, but we have to be patient about it." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Brennan has accepted an invitation to play in the Senior Bowl, which is considered the premier college football all-star game. It is rare for top prospects to play in more than one such game."


About why he chose Nebraska instead of his hometown Washington, LWJ said:
"They didn't know who the head coach was going to be, so that drew me away." (HA)

About not playing in the BSU game because JJ said he wanted his best 2 pass blocking RBs in the game, LWJ said:
"It was just the situation. I just have to wait." (HA)


About how he didn't celebrate much after the BSU game, Colt said:
"To be honest with you, the party was that game. It was awesome. I went out after I got some food after the game and I hit the wall and I had to go to bed. I think now we've got just one more week left and it's time to get ready for Washington." (HSB)

About the potential reward available if they beat Washington, Colt said:
"It's sky high with what's kind of in front of us right now. There's a lot of excitement going on." (HA)

About not overlooking Washington, Colt said;
"Considering that Washington has played the toughest schedule in football and they have the record they have, that's not bad. They can play with anyone in the country and I'm sure that they'll come out here ready to play. They have the talent to play with us, they have the talent to beat us. So it's really exciting because it's a big game for us and this is definitely a team that we cannot overlook." (HN, OL)

About how facing Washington is a good test for them, Colt said:
"It's a great steppingstone, probably, to the competition we'll have if we do beat Washington. I think it's set up really well. Washington is a good football team. They kind of remind me of our first year (in 2005). We had all the talent, but we just didn't put it together yet. We played with a lot of good teams that year. We've got to get this victory and then we can start thinking about what's in front of us and show what we can do." (HSB)


About how they need to beat Washington, Sol said:
"It feels good to start getting some (team) recognition. Then again we don't want to have a big party and this week lose to Washington. That's going to be embarrassing. That's just going to prove everybody right. 'Hawaii's not a great team, losing to a 4-8 Washington.' Their quarterback's a great quarterback and they've got a great running back. We were happy, but at the same time it can be gone in a second." (HSB)

About how they are focused on Washington, Sol said:
"Today. I think today is like 'We gotta play Washington now.' The coaches have their game faces on now. Every game from now is going to be the most important game of the season." (HSB)


Asked about the difference in their schedule and UH's schedule, Tyrone Willingham said:
"I don't know if I really measure the difference between the two. To me it's all football and regardless of what league you come out of, you've got to play your best and execute. I think some years ago there might have been a distinct difference between the teams, but I think right now it's all football, and everyone has some talented players and everyone has good athletes." (HN, OL)

"Regardless of what league you come out of, you gotta play your best and if you execute, you have a chance to do that. I think some years ago there might have been a distinct difference between the (conferences), but I think right now it's all football and everyone has talented players and good athletes." (HSB)

Asked about the irony of the team with one of the hardest schedules playing one with one of the easiest schedules, Willingham said:
"With the schedule that we had, I didn't have a chance to reflect on that." (HN, OL)

About how their team has a chance to beat a ranked team this week and spoil UH's season, Washington coach Ty Willingham said:
"It's a great role to be in. But I like every role; every role offers an opportunity. And the key is, can you embrace it, can you envision yourself being successful with it. And if you can, it's a lot of fun." (HSB)

"I think our guys felt like we left a little on the table Saturday and (this week) it's against a ranked team seeking something special and we have an opportunity to be involved in that." (SPI)

"It doesn't matter what title, what role you carry into this ball game. We're facing a very good football team and I think everyone knows that. I think our players know that. But if that helps get us to the end result that we desire, we'll try to use it and make good use of it." (AP)

"There is still a sense of challenge for us, because I think our guys feel we left a little bit on the table Saturday and we've got a ranked team that is seeking something special and we have an opportunity to be a part of that." (AP)

About how their leaders will have the team ready for UH, Willingham said:
"I think the leadership of our team will kind of get to our guys. Obviously, it is a different environment. I don't have a head count for the number of guys who this will be their first time out of the continental United States. So, it will have some of those. But hopefully the way we'll do things will allow them to focus on winning the football game first, then see the beauty of Hawaii." (HSB)

About facing UH, Willingham said:
"They're undefeated, playing very well, have one of the premier players in the country, so it would be the ultimate challenge for us, especially coming off a very tough loss last week and to an arch rival (42-35 to Washington State). But I think our young men have the character and the courage and the leadership from within their peers to get it done." (HSB)

About how the key to stopping UH is putting pressure on Colt, Willingham said:
"You don't have to worry about the run. You can think pass and go play. This one is just pretty much going to be pass." (SPI)

SPI Note: "The Huskies' worst games against the pass this season were against Arizona (510 yards) and Washington State (399), which are ranked eighth and 10th in rushing offense in the Pac-10, respectively."


About facing UH with their chance for a BCS spot on the line, Willingham said:
"This will be a championship environment for them. Hopefully this puts us in a mind-set that, with ranked opponents, this is the kind of environment we should be in, and that we should be playing these kinds of ball games." (SPI)


About how they have to put pressure on Colt, senior DT Wilson Afoa said:
"As a D-line, we have to get a fanatical pass rush." (SPI)

SPI Note: "Afoa is one of four Huskies players with ties to Hawaii and one of three born there. The Honolulu native said the atmosphere at 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium could factor into the outcome. The game is sold out and tickets are going for as much as $800."

ST Note: "The other Huskies making a homecoming are sophomore defensive end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim of Waikoloa, walk-on safety Jay Angotti of Honolulu and true freshman Kalani Aldrich of Hilo. It is the final college game for Afoa, who also finished his high-school career at Aloha Stadium. His Saint Louis High team played there to win a state title in 2002. Afoa, Aldrich and Te'o-Nesheim had scholarship offers from Hawaii but elected to come to Seattle."


About facing UH at Aloha Stadium, Afoa said:
"You're basically going against the entire state of Hawaii when you're in that stadium. Their fans are crazy. For us to go in there, we have to not fall for the hype and go play football." (SPI)

"Basically you are going against the state of Hawaii when you are in that stadium." (ST)


About turning down UH's scholarship offer, Afoa said:
"I wanted to get outside the islands and experience something new." (ST)


Afoa, who never got a chance to play in a bowl while at Washington, said about hoping to ruin UH's BCS chances:
"We have a chance to spoil their BCS bowl. And that's a goal for us." (ST)


About treating the Hawaii trip as a business trip, LB Dan Howell said:
"All of us are pretty well trained. Every trip is a business trip. We really expect no fun, to be honest with you, except for the game." (HA)


About how the jump in computer rankings (#22 to #14) got UH to #12 in the BCS, Karl Benson said:
"That (computer ranking jump) is what really got Hawaii to No. 12. Hawaii is not flying under the radar screen. The last three years they have been very successful. Obviously their offensive system is built around the quarterback. Timmy Chang started it, and Colt (Brennan) took advantage of that. Hawaii has a brand of its own." (NA)