Tuesday Quotes for the UH-BSU game

About their nationally televised game vs. BSU for the WAC title, George Lumpkin said:
"It's outstanding. This is great, especially for the kids. They've worked so hard. They worked hard in the summer when nobody was making them. And they've played hard." (HA)

HA Note: "For 35 years, George Lumpkin has been a member of the University of Hawai'i football team. He played two seasons as a defensive back, then served 33 of the next 36 years as every sort of coach on defense. He has watched players, coaches, mascots and nicknames come and go. Now, at last, he is preparing for the Warriors' first winner-take-all game."


About the BSU game, Rich Miano (All-WAC safety for UH in the 80s and an 11-year NFL vet) said:
"I would think this would be the biggest regular-season game in the history of the program. It's for the undisputed WAC championship." (HA)

HA Note: "The Warriors shared the title in 1992 and 1999, but have never won a championship outright."


About how the rivalry with BSU has escalated, Miano said:
"For us coaches, players and fans, Boise is the BYU of the '80s." (HA)

HA Note: "Quarterback Colt Brennan, who has recovered from a concussion and will start, said the game is a culmination of three years of hard work. The core of the team — Brennan, slotbacks Davone Bess and Ryan Grice-Mullins, linebackers Adam Leonard and Solomon Elimimian — were first-year Warriors during the 5-7 season in 2005."


About how many of their core players went from 5-7 as first-year Warriors to 10-0 now, Colt said:
"Just to think about where we were our first year, what we've come to now, to be sitting here at 10-0, I mean, it's been a journey. Now it's time to have fun and play this football game, which is probably the most anticipated football game for us all season. I mean, you can't even sleep. You can't even get through the day right now. It's that exciting." (HA)

"The struggle has just been to get here, to get to this point. Everyone has been wanting to play Boise with the last two years - how crazy those games have been, how well we've done and come away with losses. We're dying to play Boise. To be here finally, it's a relief." (Idaho Statesman)


About how BSU has earned respect due to their 5 WAC titles in a row, Solomon Elimimian said:
"You have to give respect where respect is due. They're the champs, and we want the title. They're a great team. We're going to have to battle them. May the best team win on Friday." (HA)

HA Note: "The teams are entering with different approaches. The Broncos, as they have done all season, are limiting access to Boise writers. Hawai'i media will not be granted interviews with Bronco players. The Warriors' practice yesterday was open to the public. About a dozen fans waited for Brennan to sign autographs."


When BSU's limited access policy was brought up to him, JJ smiled and said:
"Hope you (reporters) appreciate what you have over here." (HA)


Trying to treat this game as if it was a normal game (at least when he talks with the media), JJ said:
"Make it what you want. For us, it's the next game. Next week's game will be big, too, just like last week's game was big. All of them are that way." (HA)

Admitting a little more about the importance of the game, JJ said:
"We were hoping to get it to this game and this situation all year, just like they were the same way, so it'll be a heck of a football game." (HSB)

About the Nevada win and their other close wins, JJ said:
"Great football teams are able to do that thing, two overtime wins and a last second game against Reno, that's what great things do and this team has all the makings of a great team." (KHNL)


About how it was decided early last week that he would play no more than a limited role in the Nevada game, Colt said:
"We tried to keep (the status) as secret as possible. The truth is, I could have played (the entire game). I was 100 percent physically in what I could do. But I didn't know how my brain was going to react to good, solid shots. ... If anything happened, and I'd taken a good enough shot to the head, I would have had another concussion. And two concussions in six days would have meant I couldn't play for the rest of the year." (HA)


By missing most of the Nevada game, Colt said:
"I can be 100 percent this week." (HA)

"That's why I sat out last week - so I could be 100 percent for the rest of the season. Now I don't have anything to worry about. I'm as close to 100 percent as possible." (Idaho Statesman)


Expecting Colt to play in their game, BSU coach Chris Petersen said:
"Coach Jones, they run their offense, they do what they do. We're pretty confident Colt is gonna get in there." (HSB)

Praising Colt, Petersen said:
"He's a special player. He's just got a great knack for finding receivers. He's one of those guys that's got 'it.' " (IS)


About how they can't rely on their past successes to win this game, Petersen said:
"We're just worried about, this is a completely different (Boise) team than in the past. This is about this year and now, and we're just totally focused on playing our best against Hawaii." (HSB)

About how they have to score a lot of points against UH's tough D, Petersen said:
"Hawaii, they score a heck of a lot of points (NCAA best 48.0). We're going to have to get some things done on offense, which is so challenging because Hawaii's playing as good defense as anybody out there." (HSB)

About Colt and Ian Johnson are just part of their teams, with both missing games this season, Petersen said:
"If you're gonna be a good team it's not about one guy. Certain positions get a lot of attention, but if you're gonna have a really good team, you're gonna have a lot of good players. At certain times, guys get banged up, and other guys gotta step up and carry the flag, and I think both teams have had that happen." (HSB)

About the importance of this game, Petersen said:
"I think we've got two really good teams here. It's hard for me to say what one of us deserves. I just got to believe it's going to work out for both teams whatever happens. I just tell our guys if we play to the best of our ability and take care of business, we're going to play somewhere good." (AP)


About his Dad's reaction to his game winning FG against Nevada, Dan Kelly (named WAC Special Teams Player of the Week) said:
"My sister said my dad actually brought out, for the first time in a few years, the 'Fat Man Dance.' It's a dance nobody can describe that he does in the living room when something exciting happens. My sister said he broke it out right after my field goal. It's entertaining. I can still picture it in my head. But it's something you have to see to get a full essence of." (HA)

"It's like any other award, it's nice to look at after the season is over, but we want to focus on what's at hand." (KHNL)


About being named WAC Offensive Player of the Week, Tyler said:
"It's a great honor. I'm just trying to do my job, play my role, not get too selfish out there. I don't need to do much. I just try to get it to the athletes, and watch them score touchdowns." (HA)

"I'm not all about individual accomplishments or anything like that, as long as we get the victory, but it feels great to be recognized." (KHNL)


About being cleared to play in the BSU game, Pilares said:
"I'm trying to get my leg stronger. I want to play without a brace." (HA)


About how they have to be discliplined against BSU, Bess said:
"They're real disciplined, so we need to play disciplined ourselves, so we just need to know when to, and when not to do certain things and hopefully everything will pan out and we win it." (KHNL)

About setting the WAC career reception record (he has 266 now), Bess said:
"I'm happy, thankful. I give credit to my teammates, and to coach Jones for putting me in positions to make plays." (HA)

HA Note: "But the record isn't safe. Teammate Jason Rivers trails by nine."


About how he will play in the BSU game despite a fractured rib, Fale Laeli said:
"I thought it was a spasm, but a spasm usually goes away. The thing kept on when I talked and breathed." (HA)


About how Laeli let him know he would play, GM said:
"He called me and said he'll be OK. We'll probably be light on him but he'll practice (today)." (HSB)


About how Keala Watson replaced Laeli and made a key forced fumble and recovery late in the 4th quarter in the Nevada game, GM said:
"We've been playing 10 linemen, so Keala came in and we didn't miss a beat. He came out of the stack, went in on the hit, and got the fumble, which was big time. Keala played really well." (HSB)


About Michael Lafaele, who had to come out of the Nevada game for awhile when he was undercut on a play, GM said:
"He's fine, he's fine. He actually, I think, had his best ballgame. He went off the ball, and I think what he did really disrupted Nevada's offense." (HSB)


About Jake Ingram being named their special teams player of the game, Dan Kelly said:
"If you break down what we do, (holder) Tim (Grasso) and Jake have to be perfect for me to have a chance to be consistent. Day in and day out, those guys are the essence of perfection." (HA)


About the coaches giving him the special teams award, Ingram said:
"I was surprised. I thought all three of us could have gotten it." (HA)


About how they don't get much free time in Hawaii, Ian Johnson said:
"You really don't see the beach. Your every 5 minutes are planned out to a T. Until after the game, you don't have any free time to go sit in the water, to go look at one shop. They strategically place us so you can't get to the beach without them knowing." (IS)

IS Note: "Past Bronco teams have had a little more time in Hawaii and have visited Pearl Harbor or other tourist destinations. This year's team won't do any of that, Petersen said. The team also doesn't have much special planned to observe Thanksgiving. Players will be able to see their family members who make the trip, but the day will be treated like any other."


About restricting their outings on this trip to Hawaii, Petersen said:
"We're going over there not for a vacation. We're going over there to play a game. That's one of the traps teams can fall into. Hawaii is a beautiful place. You think it's time to relax and enjoy the people around you. That's playing right into their hands." (IS)


About having a regular 7-days between games (while BSU is on a short week and lost a day), Colt said:
"We're going to be extremely comfortable." (IS)


About how they dropped 2 spots in the coaches' poll and 1 spot in the BCS after their blowout win over Idaho, Ian Johnson said:
"Did we seriously drop? That's why we always say we don't control what (the polls) do. I thought that (question) was a joke." (IS)

About the importance of the UH game, Ian said:
This game is really huge. We've done everything to get to this point. This is the pinnacle of our season right now ... the little turning point of whether we finish it off strongly or not. This is the biggest thing for us right now." (AP)


About the UH-BSU game, Idaho coach Robb Akey said:
"It's going to be a tremendous football game played by two real good football teams that have handled themselves throughout the course of the season. That ought to be one hell of a game." (IS)

IS Note: "No. 17 Boise State (10-1, 7-0 in the WAC) and No. 14 Hawaii (10-0, 7-0) rank one-two in the conference in scoring offense, scoring defense, total offense and total defense - with the Broncos tops in the defensive categories, and the Warriors leading the offensive side."


About the importance of this game, Karl Benson (who had earlier said that the 1996 WAC Championship Game between BYU and Wyoming was more important in WAC history than this game) said:
"It is the biggest game in WAC history. I'm anxious to be in Hawaii for that game. It has all the buzz and all the hype that we were expecting it to have." (IS)


About the UH-BSU game, Utah State coach Brent Guy said:
"It's a huge game and it will be in the national spotlight like a lot of those Friday night games are for us." (IS)


About how the entire conference hopes that a WAC team makes it into the BCS (getting $7 mil for the conference), Guy analyzed the WAC's chances:
"It's going to be harder for us to state our case with a one-loss team. Certainly, I think an undefeated team will go and deserve to go." (IS)


Asked to pick a winner, Guy declined and said:
"It comes down to Boise State running the ball and how well Hawaii can stop the run and get the ball back for (quarterback) Colt (Brennan)." (IS)


About the keys to the game, NMSU coach Hal Mumme said:
"There's two things: Colt's health and then playing in Hawaii is always tough." (IS)


About the UH-BSU game, Fresno State coach Pat Hill said:
"This is the premier matchup (in the WAC). I think it's great for our conference and it gives the country a chance to see two outstanding football teams. It'll be great to watch. I'm looking forward to watching it Friday night." (IS)