Quotes from the local papers

About how he learned the skills needed for returning kicks by "playing backyard football" when he was in middle school, with his friends Calvin Dudley and Antoine ("Red"), Malcolm Lane said:
"We used to play 7-on-7. You need moves to break away from somebody playing touch (football). It's easier to shake somebody when it's tackle because (the defender) has to fully wrap you up." (HA)

HA Note: "Entering tomorrow's game against Idaho, Lane is ranked sixth nationally, averaging 30.08 yards per return. Florida State's Michael Ray Garvin leads with a 32.23-yard average. But in the last three games, Lane is averaging 41.29 yards on seven returns."

Praising Lane's job with kick returns this season, Ikaika Malloe said:
"He's doing a great job." (HA)

About how he takes 5 strides forward then picks an open path, Lane said:
"The wedge and the blockers up front do all of the dirty work. Those are the hardest jobs on the team. I just feed off of them. They hype me up. They make the play. All of the credit goes to the blockers." (HA)

About how his world goes silent when he hits the hole in a return, Lane said:
"I'm kind of in a blur. I don't hear anything. I'm so focused." (HA)

About how he notices the big blocks going on in the returns, Lane said:
"I'm running and I'm like, 'ooh, somebody is getting blown up.' It's like a big car wreck. I don't want to slow down and look. I have to keep running hard and looking for the next seam." (HA)

About how he knows when he's reached the second level during his return, Lane said:
"That's when it goes hoooo. That's when you start hyper-ventilating. When I get to the second level, I get excited. I need to relax more. Just like the Utah State (return). I started hyper-ventilating, and couldn't make it." (HA)

HA Note: "In that game, he fumbled on a 91-yard run, just shy of the end zone."

About how returning kicks has helped his game at WR, Lane said:
"Kick returns get me hyped. I always try to go hard every play. I like to get involved, and when I'm feeling more involved, I play a lot better." (HA)

About the heavy rain forecast during tomorrow's game doesn't change their game plan, Mac said:
"It doesn't matter. We've practiced in rain all year. The only thing that bothers a game plan is snow, and I know it's not going to snow. Rain doesn't affect anything as far as we're concerned." (HA)

About how he practices for tough conditions by pouring iced water onto a football before practicing snapping, long-snapper Jake Ingram said:
"If it rains, I've got to focus on what I've got to do. I've got to rely on my skills. If I do, the rain shouldn't be a factor." (HA)

Ingram added that:
"as long as I keep a towel and dry my hands, I'm all right." (HA)

Praising their UnderArmour shoes, Mac said:
"Shoot, we've got the best cleats in the world. Why are we worried?" (HA)

About how Richard Torres and Spencer Smith have been nicknamed "Allstate", Rich Miano said:
"They're the 'good hands' people." (HA)

About how Torres and Smith trained this week as the receivers for onside kicks, Miano said:
"They're good athletes who can catch the ball. And they're tough." (HA)

About how the NCAA allows the kickoff team to "overload" six players on one side of the tee, Miano said:
"That's how many are coming at you when the ball is in the air. You're exposed. You've got to catch it, and you're going to get hit. You can't put a skinny receiver out there and fair catch it. If the ball hits the ground, it's a free ball. Just because you're a receiver and have good hands, it doesn't mean you can field onside kicks. You also need courage." (HA)

About Torres and Smith as their onside kick recoverers, Malloe said:
"You have to be a special kind of guy. Those two guys have the mentality they'll go and get (the football) no matter what." (HA)

About how he depends on his blockers to create a pocket for him to recover the onside kick, Spencer Smith said:
"Hopefully, none (of the opposing players) will come through. If they do, I have to focus on catching the ball. If I get hit, I get hit." (HA)

About how he developed toughness as a state champion wrestler and judoka, Torres said:
"You've got to go up for the ball and pray. They're going to be gunning for you. You've got to trust the guys in front, that they'll clean those guys out before they clean me out. I've got to concentrate on the ball. I'm going to get hit, anyway. I might as well catch it." (HA)

About how his Dad would help him with his receiving skills by using a tennis racket to hit a tennis ball as high as he could, with Spencer trying to catch them like he was fielding a punt, Spencer Smith said:
"It went pretty high. If you catch a tennis ball, you can catch a football." (HA)

About how their game against the Warriors provides them an opportunity for growth, Idaho coach Robb Akey said:
"That's the opportunity it presents for us, continue our building process. I feel like we're much better right now than we were at the beginning of the season." (HSB)

Wanting his players to end their season strong, Akey said:
"I think this is a very important game for us. I want to be able to send the seniors out with a victory in their final go in a Vandal uniform, and for the rest of us coming back it would be a great launching pad going into our offseason and to help us continue in our building process." (HSB)

HSB Note: "The Vandals (2-9, 1-6 Western Athletic Conference) will complete the program's ninth straight losing season when they visit Aloha Stadium. Idaho has won just six league games in four years of WAC membership and saw two captains knocked out by injuries this season."

About how his team has continued to work hard despite going 3-20 in their last 23 games, Akey said:
"We've got a good family atmosphere amongst them, they're working hard, they're paying attention to getting better. That has kept everybody going and that's the way we're working to handle this ballgame, paying attention what we can accomplish. That way things are more optimistic and you see what's there for you opposed to just focusing on the fact that it's the end." (HSB)

About how the bye week energized them, Aaron Bain said:
"I think we're coming back more energized. We took the bye off, but everybody's real antsy and we just want to play." (HSB)

About losing their top receiver (TE Eddie Williams) by far this season to a torn ACL, after losing preseason All-wAC safety Shiloh Keo to injury in September, Akey said:
"Eddie's been doing everything for us. That means some other people are going to have to step up and make some of those catches and blocks and runs he was making for us. Our football team has responded to those things. Any time opportunities open up you can't ask any questions, you just have to run and make sure it closes shut behind you. That's kind of the challenge we put out there to them." (HSB)

About how they are relying on freshmen and sophomores, Akey said:
"They're learning under the gun and those lessons get learned hard. But I think you also get paid back for those growing pains." (HSB)

About how their game with BSU was close at halftime, Akey said:
"At halftime it was a whale of a football game, and unfortunately we didn't play well in the second half. That was an emotional deal, but there's also a lot of emotion when you're talking about playing the final game of the year and for some guys the final game they're going to play here." (HSB)

About how their young DTs got a lot of reps due to injuries to their starters, DT coach Ikaika Malloe said:
"Vaughn had so many reps, Tuika had so many reps, I think it's paying off now." (HSB)

About how Keala Watson, Josh Leonard, and Fale Laeli will get more playing time since they are facing a team with a balanced attack instead of NMSU's pass-reliant offense, Dave Aranda said:
"They're fired up for it. They didn't get a lot of playing time in the last game. So they're very excited to be able to play their style." (HSB)

About freshman Vaughn Meatoga, who made his first career start at Utah State and got his first solo sack against NMSU, Aranda said:
"Vaughn is one of our more productive guys now, where at the beginning of the year in the Oregon State game we had to play him out of necessity in a sense, now we're trying to find ways to play him." (HSB)

About how their DL had just 2 sacks in their first 7 games, but they now have 9 sacks in their last 3 games (5.5 by David Veikune), Keala Watson said:
"In the first few games we were playing our gaps only and nothing else, just focusing on your job. The last couple games, guys have gotten more comfortable at their positions." (HSB)

About his commitment to UH, Kamalani Alo said:
"It's kind of tough thinking of college and making the decision of where to go. I was just fortunate enough to get a scholarship to UH." (HSB)

About how they moved Kamalani to safety (from OLB) due to his speed, Kahuku coach Reggie Torres said:
"We said we need to get him in the backfield so he can cover more ground. He's got great speed for his size, but that's not the only thing -- it's his work ethic. (The UH coaches) know he's a good athlete, but the thing that really got them was his work ethic." (HSB)

Looking forward to playing at Aloha Stadium, where his last high school game was a 22-20 loss to Kahuku in the state semifinals on the last play of the game, JoJo Dickson said:
"We lost in about 5 seconds. It was a big disappointment. I'm looking back and I want to go to the stadium and finally win something." (HSB)

About being the only Hawaii high school player to go to Idaho when Idaho offered a full scholarship and UH only offered a chance to walk-on and possibly grayshirt, Dickson said:
"All I wanted was to get a chance to play and (Idaho) gave me a chance." (HSB)

About how he's moved up from special teams to where the UH game will be his 4th consecutive start at LB, Leilehua grad Siavii said:
"Yeah it surprised me, but I just came over here with the mind-set to earn my position. It is kind of different -- there are like 7-foot guys out there on the field, but just playing ball and being yourself out there is pretty much the same." (HSB)

About how he worked to earn playing time as a true freshman, Kama Bailey said:
"I knew, just like Rob said, we had to come up here and work our butts off to get a position." (HSB)

HSB Note: "His 840 kickoff-return yards are the second most in school history, and he's also made his presence felt on offense, hauling in two 30-yard touchdown catches this season."

About how Kama has a great future with them, Akey said:
"Kama started out getting more time in special teams and then became our return man. He had two touchdowns as a running back in the Louisiana Tech game and I think he's got a great future." (HSB)

About how his 3 local players will be excited to play in Hawaii, Akey said:
"We're bringing them back to their stomping grounds, so I'd like to think they'll be excited about it. They're fired up to play in front of family and friends, so I'd expect them to play even better." (HSB)

About how he dresses in Idaho just like he did back in Hawaii, Siavii said:
"You know how back in the islands we would walk around with our jacket with no shirt. That's how it is today." (HSB)

About the weather in Idaho, Kama Bailey said:
"Of course it gets a little cold and you start shivering a little bit." (HSB)

About how his two teammates from Hawaii will have a big adjustment in their first first winter in Idaho, Dickson (who joined Idaho one year before Bailey and Siavii so he's been through one Idaho winter) said:
"They're gonna have to submit to the temperature when it drops. Right now they're lucky, but once the snow comes down, that's punishment day." (HSB)