Q&A with Coach McMackin in ESPN 1420 Magazine

Note: This interview was from before the season began

EMAG = ESPN 1420 Magazine

Asked how he would assess last season, Mac said:
"Well, last season was very fast. It was like a blur. I got hired three weeks before the [recruiting] signing date. I knew what I was getting into. I knew we had a tough schedule, and I knew we lost our top offensive players. But I'm really proud of the team and the coaches because we were 1-3 at one time. I said at a press conference that I believed in our players and coaches, and that we were going to a bowl game. It looked very unlikely at that time, but the coaches and plyaers stayed together. We went through some adversity, and we made it to the Hawaii Bowl.

I was disappointed in the bowl game. Obviously, Notre Dame played their best game and we didn't. Still, it gave us something to build on for this year. We've lost two bowl games in a row - to Georgia and Notre Dame - and our goal is to win our next bowl game." (EMAG)

Asked if last year's team struggled to be "humble and hungry" (something he always tells his team to be), Mac said:
"I borrowed that from Under Armor because I thought that was what the team needed. We were at the top, but we needed to stay humble and hungry. I don't know. I thought we won some games we shouldn't have, and we lost some that we shouldn't have.

I probably took that Notre Dame loss as hard as any game I've ever coaches. I really felt we could compete with them. But like I said, they played their best game, and we didn't. I'm responsible for that. I took the loss really hard, because I knew everybody in Hawaii wanted us to kick their tail, and we didn't." (EMAG)

Asked if having a season under his belt has made a world of difference, Mac said:
"This year has been so much better because we've had more time to work on things. I hired a couple of new coaches that have been very valuable. Gordy Shaw is an outstanding offensive line coach, and we've really improved in that area. Last year, we had problems with personal fouls and holding penalties, so we've been working very hard with officials and teaching the right techniques. I also think Gordy will have an impact on our sacks situation. (The Warriors' offensive line allowed 57 quarterback sacks last year.)

We lost nine offensive [starters]j last year. This year, I'm really excited about our offense. They had a great spring." (EMAG)

Asked besides the improved offensive line, what else he saw as positive signs for the offense, Mac said:
"We redshirted all of our [incoming] receivers last year. Our opponents last year could just double-team Malcolm Lane or Greg Salas, and we'd be in trouble. This year, we have eight receivers who can fly.

Also, the quarterbacks didn't know the offense. And our offense is a repetition offense. About midway through the season, we started to get everything figured out. And now Greg Alexander's throwiwng the heck out of the ball. Shane Austin is looking good, and Brent Rausch had a good spring. We also brought in three new quarterbacks because I don't ever want to get caught short at that position again. We already have a commitment from one of the best quarterbacks in the country. (Editor's Note: This past June, UH landed a verbal commitment from Kevin Spain, a 6'3", 190-lb. quarterback attending Paradise Valley High School in Arizona.)" (EMAG)

Asked about how he says that John Estes is the leader of the offense, Mac said:
"I think John Estes is the leader of our football team. He's one of the best centers I've ever been around in college football; he's one of the best centers I've been around, period, including pro football. He could be the best pass-blocking center that I've seen.

John has a great attitude. He doesn't say much, but when he talks, everybody listens. He's over 300 pounds now. He's worked hard all summer to prepare for the season. He's on the "watch list" for all the major lineman awards: the Rimington, the Outland and Lombardi. He's a very special player. He's truly what I would call a "Warrior." " (EMAG)

Asked about their running backs, Mac said:
"They're going to be greatly improved. Leon Wright-Jackson has been hurt the last couple of years, but now he's healthy and really working hard. Inoke Funaki had an exceptional spring. He's just got a natural gift [for running]. He's a winner, so he's going to be on the field. And Jayson Rego, he'll get us yards when we need them. We also brought in two junior college players." (EMAG)

Asked about how they lost almost all their defensive starters from last season, Mac said:
"Yeah. We have to get our recruiting together. We can't lose one side one year and another side another year. So we've been working hard to fix that problem. Right now, we have 14 commitments for 2010. Last year at this time, [wide receiver] Billy Ray Stutzmann was our
lone commitment.

But I'm not worried about our defense. I was here in 1999 when we [inherited] the worst defense in the country. I believe in the guys that we have, and I know in Hawaii I can find 11 guys who can run around and hit other guys and get after the ball. It may take us a little while to get everything together and get the players' confidence up, but I believe we're always going to have an exciting defense here in Hawaii." (EMAG)

Asked what to expect from Blaze Soares this season, Mac said:
"He's cleared to play. We just have to be smart with Blaze. He's such a hitter that he'll blow himself up in practice. He knows football, he's a playmaker and he's an exciting guy to watch. But he hasn't played for a year. We're going to work him in slowly. There's no real reason to make him scrimmage. We'll let him hit the other guys! (Laughs.)" (EMAG)

Asked about losing his kicker, punter and long-snapper, Mac said:
"That's true. But I'm still excited about our special teams. Chris Tormey is just an outstanding coach; he's got some great ideas. In addition, we've got some real good young guys. We brought in Luke Ingram, who is Jake's younger brother. Luke will be our long-snapper. (Jake Ingram was selected by the New England Patriots in the 2009 NFL Draft.) We also have two young kickers who are going to be outstanding. We left nothing to chance." (EMAG)

Asked about how this year's schedule isn't as demanding as last year's schedule, Mac said:
"It's a challenging schedule. People don't realize that Central Arkansas is a really good football team. Their starting quarterback was a starter at the University of Arkansas. They won 10 games last year and almost beat Tulsa. So they'll be a challenge. On the other hand, at least we don't have to fly all the way to Florida. Plus, the game will be at home, and we really need that 12th Warrior [the fans] this season.

We play three consecutive games on the road. I feel bad for our fans because they'll get to see us open the season, and then they won't see us for an entire month. We play Washington State in Seattle, which I'm happy about because we have a lot of fans in that area. And in Las Vegas, I know half the stadium will be filled with our fans. And then we go to Louisiana Tech, which I think is one of the top two teams in our conference. So that's going to be a challenge.

I'm excited about playing Boise State and Fresno State at home. There's also a payback game against Utah State. (The Aggies thumped Hawaii, 30-14, in Logan, Utah last season.) They have a new coach, Gary Andersen, who is really outstanding. And their offensive coordinator, Dave Baldwin, is a friend of mine and also a really good coach. So they'll be better than people think." (EMAG)

Asked about ending the season with Navy and Wisconsin, Mac said:
"We do. But I really believe in our 12th Warrior. When we fill our stadium, we can play with anybody in the ocuntry. At home, I'm completely confident that we'll get the maximum effort out of our players. They play for the fans. They play for Hawaii. That's our deal this year: "We play for you." So we have a challenging schedule, but I don't think there's a game that we can't win." (EMAG)

Asked if there is a danger or negative in recruiting so many players so soon, Mac said:
"I'm glad you asked about that. Number one, I'm not going to recruit anybody past my contract. You probably heard about Tennessee offering a 13 year old, and that 13 year old committed. I don't want anybody but a senior committing to us. But the way recruiting is today, you have to recruit early. That's the way Texas does it. That's the way LSU does it. Ohio State. USC.

We're recruiting the way the top programs recruit. At a camp, we offered two ninth-graders who are 15. If they commit to us, they'll be here before my contract is over. One of them wanted to commit to me right away, but I wouldn't let him. I don't want kids to commit so soon. A lot of things can happen in four years.

I've been recruiting for about 40 years, and my philosophy is that when you're first in line, kids remember that. When you recruit them first or offer them first, they'll remember. I just want the kids to know that we love them, and we care about them.

With those [high school] two freshmen I talked about, if they commit to us, they'll be here in the last year of my contract -- unless I get rolled over, which I'm hoping to do." (EMAG)

Asked if he loves coaching, Mac said:
"I do. I feel really responsible to be successful. People are praying for us. People are willing us to win. There's so much support here that it makes me feel really bad when we aren't successful. So we're working as hard as we can.

We're getting great support. Chancellor Hinshaw and [Athletics Director] Jim Donovan have been so supportive. They asked me, "What do you need as a coach to make things better here?" And I said, "Summer scholarships." We never had those. So now all of our playershave a chance to go to summer school.

I couldn't ask for more support from [Hinshaw and Donovan] and from the people of Hawaii." (EMAG)

Asked what are his expectations for the 2009 Warriors, Mac said:
"I understand why people see us finishing way down there. we have really good teams in Boise, Nevada, La Tech and Fresno. And don't forget San Jose State. Dick [Tomey] thinks this is going to be his best team. Add in the fact that we lost almost all of our defense and special teams.

Basically, I think that nobody really knows about us. As for me, I have the same expectations that I did last year: Number one, graduate 100 percent of our players, which we're really close on. We had the most football graduates in teh history of our school. So we did a pretty good job of that.

Our next goal is to win the conference every year. We came in second last year. That's not good enough. We fell short. And our third goal used to be "make a bowl game," but this year I'm changing that to "win a bowl game."

Every team has challenges, and I've coached long enough to understand that. I'm striving for excellence.

I'm really excited about coaching this team. I love our players. They have a great work ethic. This team can go farther than people expect us to go. People can think we'll finish fifth or sixth in the league, but I think we're going to surprise some people." (EMAG)