News from the local papers

About how they had overcast skies with gentle breezes during their practice in Atlanta yesterday, Dan Kelly said:
"Let's hope this weather now translates over to the Florida game. Coach has us prepared for the worst. If we get the second-to-worst (weather), hey, we're better off." (HA)

Pleased with their practice yesterday, Mack said:
"We got a lot of things done. I thought they were loose and in good spirits. Their attitude is great. They ran around good." (HA)

"The team is in good spirits, everybody felt good and I think they adjusted very well. Practice was sharp and I thought the trip was good. We lifted weights here today and (Georgia Tech head coach and former UH offensive coordinator) Paul Johnson has opened up everything for us, so it's worked out really good for us." (HSB)

HA Note: "The final drill was six 50-yard sprints. All but one of the 66 players competed in the sprints. Kelly did crunches on the sideline. The Warriors have used the same itinerary for this trip as they did in 2005, when they trained in Atlanta for two days in preparation for the season opener against Alabama."

About how they are more focused this year than they were against Alabama, Sol said:
"A couple of years ago, the guys were star-struck a little bit. A lot of young guys kept looking around and around. ... The Sugar Bowl was a big stage. It definitely will help us." (HA)

Mack said that the Warriors are:
"humble and hungry. That's what we talked about. ... There's a lot of inside confidence on this team, a lot of winners on this team. We just need game reps. It's time to get some game reps. That's what we need to do." (HA)

HA Note: "Slotback Rick Taylor, who was a high school teammate of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, is not on the 66-player travel roster. But Taylor paid his own way, and will attend the game as a spectator."

HA Note: "Aaron Bain is the primary backup to punt returner Michael Washington. Ryan Henry was a candidate for that position, but now it appears he will redshirt. Others expected to redshirt are slotbacks Miah Ostrowski and Dustin Blount, wideout Mike Tinoco, quarterback Steele Jantz, defensive linemen Geordon Hanohano and Haku Correa, linebacker Paipai Falemalu, and cornerbacks Steven Christian and Lewis Walker."

About how Florida will not travel to Aloha Stadium, Urban Meyer said:
"(There's) no chance the University of Florida will ever go to Hawai'i and play... as long as I'm here."

"I'll go visit Hawai'i and take a look around out there and hang around out there but we won't play out there." (HA)

Asked why they won't play in Hawaii, Meyer said:
"because there is no reason for us to. We don't recruit Hawai'i. To be honest with you, we have a challenging enough schedule. I know what they are like over there on that island. I know what those fans are like, too." (HA)

HA Note: "UF has not played a non-conference regular season game outside Florida since 1991."

About how he and Mack are against them making any more road trips to the Eastern time zone, JD said:
"It just doesn't make sense for us." (HA)

About why playing UH in their home opener made sense for them, Meyer said:
"I (did) it for a lot of reasons. I want to make sure our guys have a good first game. I think any time you schedule a team like Hawai'i in the first game it makes your off-season that much more productive and focused because when you have a smaller school team — you can't say (Division) I-AA after what Appalachian State did (to Michigan in 2007) — but ... our focus has been much greater because of who we are playing in this first game and what Hawai'i did last year ... the way we speak about them." (HA)

About UH, Meyer (who was the head coach at Utah) said:
"I know Hawai'i very well. I've played over there several times. I want to say at least four times. I've played Hawai'i off the island a few times. I've coached Polynesian players. I've watched them (the Warriors) play." (HA)

About playing Florida, Mack said:
"I think it's great to play the best. They're the fastest offense in the country, they have the Heisman Trophy winner and they probably have 10 first- and second-round draft picks on their team. It's exciting to play a team like that -- you find out where you are real fast." (HSB)

About the running threat that Tebow poses, Mack said:
"It's like putting another (running) back in the backfield. So they have an extra back that you have to account for." (HSB)

About how they faced a running QB last year in Washington's Jake Locker, David Veikune said:
"That's a huge challenge when the quarterback is a dual threat. It's really not a big difference (in speed between Tebow and Locker), but Tebow's arm is more accurate." (HSB)

About facing Florida's speed, Adam Leonard said:
"We're going to trust in the system we've got and I feel we have good speed on our team. I don't feel we're totally outmatched.They've got some speedsters, bu t I'm just thankful we're not running track, we're playing football." (HSB)

Praising UH, Tebow said:
"They've got a pretty strong defense. They do a lot of good things. They've got a good coordinator who puts their defensive packages together pretty well. They mix some of their blitzes really well. We'll have to be very sound in our protection with changing calls and different things like that. That's really one of their strengths." (HSB)

About his approach to this trip, Sol said:
"We're not here to do anything but compete. We're not here to fraternize or take pictures. We're here to play football." (HSB)

HSB Note: "In 2006 the Warriors performed like themselves in Atlanta, as they did last night, with a crisp, efficient practice. But at Bryant-Denny Stadium the day before the game, it was more like 10-year-olds on a field trip to a toy factory than a college football practice."

About playing at Florida, Peoples (who is from Tampa) said:
"I've been there (The Swamp) plenty of times. Games, camps. I've never been a Florida fan, more of a Florida State fan. Florida overlooked my dad (Auburn star and NFL running back George), so the Peoples family has never been big fans of Florida." (HSB)

About how he is more ready to play now than he was against Alabama, Peoples said:
"The difference between this scenario and Alabama is I didn't have the mental maturity then. Now I've been out here a while and I've seen a couple of things. Now I'm ready. If I get in there I'm going to do exactly what I've been told to do." (HSB)

About how their Sugar Bowl experience and vets who played at Alabama will help them prepare for Florida, Sol said:
"We have a lot of guys who played in the Sugar Bowl, a lot of guys who played against Alabama. I don't see us being star-struck. We know what we're here for." (HSB)