HSB = Honolulu Star-Bulletin
UH = University of Hawaii Athletic Department website
AP = Associated Press
WSU = Washington State University Athletic Department website
SR = Spokesman Review
DMN = Dallas Morning News
SPI = Seattle Post-Intelligencer
------------------- Quotes from the UH Coaches ----------------------
About the game, head coach Greg McMackin (Mac) said:
"I really think we won on all three sides of the ball. It's tough to win on the road, especially against a Pac-10 school." (WSU)
"I thought we won on all three sides of the ball and it's tough to win on the road, especially against a Pac-10 school. We're moving in the right direction. We got better this week than we were last week." (HSB)
About how they improved from last week, Mac said:
"Obviously we're moving in the right direction. We got better this week than we were last week, and that showed on offense and defense." (WSU)
About WSU's game plan, Mac said:
"I figured they wanted to run the football against us and keep our offense off the field, and that's what they did the entire game. They moved the ball against us, but they moved the ball against Stanford and they're going to move the ball against a lot of people." (WSU)
About how their next game will be tough, Mac said:
"UNLV is going to be a great challenge. This is one of their best teams." (HSB)
After the game, Mac put his arm around Greg Alexander, pointed upwards and said:
"Look, look up there. That's what you guys did." (HA)
HA Note: "High atop Qwest Field on an auxiliary scoreboard were listed the Warriors' 489 yards passing and 626 yards total offense, telling numbers in a 38-20 demolition of Washington State."
About drinking two cans of decaffeinated cola after the game, Mac said:
"I was really thirsty. It was such a great effort by the team. So many people played a part in this win. This was a special night." (HA)
About wanting his team to attack Washington State, Mac said:
"I wanted our guys to know we weren't coming over to try and eke out a win, like we did last year (in a victory over Washington State at Aloha Stadium). We were going to attack their tail and go after them. I know we're a team that can attack on all three sides of the ball. That's our personality." (HA)
About how Washington State's no-huddle offense did not bother their D, Mac said:
"There are so many teams that run a no-huddle, it doesn't bother us any more. If they bring in other people, we have enough time to bring in other people." (HA)
About how their team hits hard, Mac said:
"That's something we pride ourselves on is our hitting the other football team. And we've got a bunch of guys that will hit you. We want to play like Warriors. They played like Warriors today — and I'm very proud of that." (HA)
Praising Rodney Bradley, Mac said:
"Rodney was great. Rodney is big-time. He made some catches, and you can see how he can run (after the catch). He allows us to move Greg Salas inside. He's got speed to stretch things, and that's the difference between this year and last year: They'll run right by (the defenders)." (HSB)
About how he was nervous all week due to his new play-calling duties, Rolo said:
"But I told myself, when I step on that turf, I'm going to forget all that and just do my best. I probably felt about the same as my first game as a quarterback." (HSB)
Asked to grade himself, Rolo said:
"I wish I had a third-down call back, and that last 'Noke (wildcat) package, it ran dry. I give the kids an A. The coaching staff, as far as adjustments, I'd say a B, B-plus. We've got to work on ball security and scoring in the red zone." (HSB)
About how it helped him to watch film with Mac and Ron Lee, Rolo said:
"It really helped to watch the film with Mack and Ron. They really helped me out. It was good to bounce things off of Ron, as far as situations go." (HA)
About scripting the first batch of plays in the game helped him when he played for UH, Rolo said:
"When I was a quarterback, I know I enjoyed knowing what the first five plays are the night before. They can sleep on it, they can visualize positively. So I think it helps them and got us off to a nice start." (HSB)
Crediting all of their coaches on offense for their success, Rolo said:
"The communication and the way the staff worked together was what made this happen. It's not just one guy doing it." (HSB)
-------------------- Quotes from the UH Players ---------------------------
About how scripting their first 10 plays on offense helped him, QB Greg Alexander said:
"It's real nice to have a mindset coming in and get your mind right. It helps to be able to visualize what's coming and know what to expect." (WSU)
"You have an idea of what you're going to do the first play and you have an idea of the looks you're going to get. It just takes the comfort level higher." (HSB)
Note: In my opinion, this was a good change that Rolo made and contributed to the fast start to the game. Without the fast start by the offense the game could have been completely different, so Rolo should get more credit for this. UH used to do this under JJ but stopped doing it after he left...Rolo said that he felt it helped him as a QB when the first set of plays were scripted and it sure seemed to help Alexander.
About how it helped to have their play-calling coach on the field, Alexander said:
"Having him (Rolovich) on the sideline to talk about what we were seeing helped." (HA)
About their quick start in this game, Greg Alexander said:
"We just hit the ground rolling today." (AP)
"We came out and scored on our first three possessions, did exactly what we wanted to do. We got exactly what we saw from them on film. So, we game-planned for exactly what we saw, so it worked out." (WSU)
About how they should have scored more, Alexander said:
"With all the turnovers (by WSU), we should have put up 70 (points)." (HA)
Happy with their long road trip, Alexander said:
"The best thing is getting away from school for a couple weeks. It's like a second camp." (AP)
About Washington State's man-to-man defense, Greg Salas said:
"Man-to-man? Playing off? It's a great feeling. Some people get out of it. They stayed in it. It was great." (AP)
"Man-to-man. Playing off. Great feeling. Some teams get out of it, they stayed in it. It was great." (SR)
About their fast start in this game, Salas said:
"We came out, and we came out fast. We were hungry." (HA)
"We came out fast, made completions quick, and got out on the field and scored. We got in the right position, Greg (Alexander) put the ball on us, and we did what we had to do." (HSB)
About scoring their second TD of the game, Salas said:
"I knew once I went over the plane, it was a touchdown. It didn't matter if I fumbled. The ground can't cause a fumble. I knew it was a touchdown as soon as I stretched." (HA)
About etching "Mom" in his eye black for one eye and "Dad" for the other eye, Salas said:
"I do that when my parents come to the game." (HA)
About how their offense knew what they could do, Salas said:
"We knew what we could do and we just had to go out and do it. After Central Arkansas people were looking at us like, 'They barely beat them, how are they going to do against a Pac-10 team?' But we knew what we could do. We just have to limit our turnovers and we'll be fine." (HSB)
About how any of their receivers can have a big game, Salas said:
"I don't think I've ever had all the pressure on myself. We're all capable of doing what Rodney or I did tonight. It could be any one of us. It just depends on where the ball's at and what play is called." (HSB)
Saying that Central Arkansas is better than Washington State and that they knew they were going to win, John Estes said:
"Frankly, Central Arkansas is a much better team (than Washington State). All this stuff about struggling against a I-AA team ... a football team's a football team. We knew we were going to beat Wazzu. We should've put up 70, but we made a lot of mistakes." (HSB)
Criticizing Washington State even further, Estes said:
"Look at my face. I got my helmet ripped off, like, 10 times. ... There's a reason why they can't win a game, (why) they don't want to play us (in 2011). It is what it is." (HA)
About his second TD reception (a 73-yard play), Rodney Bradley said:
"After I caught the ball, I was surprised I was still standing. When I realized I was still up, I kept going," (HA)
"When I caught it, I was surprised I was still up, so I just took off. There wasn't anybody in front of me. I wasn't worried about anybody behind me." (HSB)
"That was definitely a confidence booster. I like to play withpassion, and that took it to another level after that (play)." (HSB)
After his 7 receptions for 150 yards and 2 TDs, Bradley said:
"I was pretty happy. I'm really confident now. Not only am I confident in myself, but I'm confident in my quarterback to make that pass to me, to look to me." (HSB)
About their weapons at WR, Bradley said:
"We do have a lot of weapons, from our first four receivers, and our backups. The sky's the limit." (HSB)
About how he blew a TD last week by cutting inside instead of running in an empty lane, Leon Wright-Jackson said:
"I know, I know, I was overthinking on that one. [RB coach Brian Smith] told me to relax and run like I know I can. I have to stop thinking so much. Reacting did me well today." (HA)
About the advice he got from Mac, LWJ said:
"Coach Mack just told me to run like how I ran in high school." (HSB)
About how he had about 60 friends and family members at the game, LWJ said:
"It meant everything, seeing a whole bunch of family members. It gave me chills just to see everybody in here." (HSB)
About making a LB miss on his TD run that made the score 35-0, Alex Green said:
"I saw he was back on his heels, and I went." (HA)
Happy to beat Washington State (which recruited him out of high school), Green said:
"It was good to get them." (HA)
About all the family and friends he had at the game, Green said:
"I had been begging guys for their tickets to give to my family. So I had to show them something. I had to at least score." (HA)
HA Note: "Green got his score, all right, a 44-yard burst in the second quarter that put the Warriors up 35-0 en route to a 38-20 pounding of Washington State at Qwest Field. Finishing with 59 yards on nine carries, a 6.6-yard per carry average to lead UH in rushing, it was a breakout showing."
Green said that he had:
"at least 20 people at the game. I got as many tickets as I could, but some (family and friends) still had to buy theirs." (HA)
About how he didn't play well against Central Arkansas, Green said:
"It was my first (NCAA Division I) game last week and I had first-game jitters. But I knew this week would be different. I had put in a lot of hard work. I was focused and I was confident. I was ready to go." (HA)
Praising their OL, Green said:
"the line has been blocking well for us and what we have been working on in practice worked perfectly. They opened up the hole and all I had to do was go." (HA)
About pointing into the stands after his TD run, Green said:
"That was for my little girl (Harlym Alexis). She was here and I was so happy because I hadn't seen her in a while. She's 1, turned 1 June 1st, so I told her this was for her." (HA)
During his emotional pregame speech, Blaze Soares asked his teammates to play with controlled rage, saying:
"We're Warriors, and we want to be known as the hardest-hitting defense in the country. Game by game, we want to prove that. It's a bold statement, but I think we have talent to do it." (HA)
About playing for the people of Hawaii, Blaze said:
"We wanted to go out there and play for the people of Hawai'i. We know our economy is very bad. We play 60 minutes of football, and that's when our fans' problems go away. They're focused on UH football. We have to go out there and make our fans happy for 60 minutes, and not let them think about real-life problems. We want them to go out and have fun watching us play." (HA)
About Washington State's no-huddle offense, R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane said:
"They would call a play, and then we would call a play, and then they would call an audible and then we would have to call an audible." (HA)
About how they wanted to hit hard in Qwest Field, R.J. said:
"Coach (Greg McMackin) has coached in that stadium before in the NFL and he told us you can hear a good hit all over the place. So, we wanted to make some noise." (HA)
About how the hard hits really could be heard, R.J. said:
"You could really hear some of them (hits), they were loud, especially when their (WSU's) side was quiet. You've got to love it, that's the way the game is supposed to be played." (HA)
About how Mac told them about Washington State's lack of respect for them, R.J. said:
"In a meeting coach asked us if anybody was recruited by Washington State. And there were only a few guys who raised their hands. We knew they looked down upon us. He (McMackin) told us there was a lot of talk about how Washington State might have only two wins and they were counting of us to be one of them. We kinda felt that was disrespectful to us and we wanted to come out and show something." (HA)
About UH's offense, safety Mana Silva said:
"Our offense did a great job. The emphasis going into the game was attacking and they did that right off the bat. We got some turnovers for them so it worked out well." (WSU)
About WSU's running game, Silva said:
"We expected them to try and outflank us with the run. We tried to just stop it, they had some good drives and we had some good stops. They were trying to run the ball up our alleys, so we just had to stop the run. It worked out well in the first half. We had a little bit of a drop off in the third quarter, but it worked out fine." (WSU)
About how Mac ordered their team to attack Washington State, Spencer Smith said:
"That was his order. We followed his order and attacked." (HA)
"We were in the right place at the right time. And we attacked." (HA)
About how Blaze was correct with his pregame speech, Smith said:
"Blaze was right. He wanted us to hit hard and play hard for Hawai'i. That's why 'Hawai'i' is on the front of our jerseys. When we win, the Islands are happy. When we lose, the Islands are sad. I think everyone is happy now." (HA)
About their hard hitting in the game, Smith said:
"hard-hitting play is our personality. Hopefully, we got into their heads a little bit." (HA)
About how their D was better this week, Smith said:
"We were clicking tonight. We were on the same page with calls. Last week was our first test and I think we took a step up this week. Now we have to keep going up." (HSB)
About punching the ball out of the grip of WSU WR Jared Karstetter just before he scored a TD (which would have made the score 14-7), resulting in the ball going through the end zone and UH getting the ball at the 20, Corey Paredes said:
"It was a big momentum-killer for them. ... Every team is dangerous when they have momentum and confidence. I saw (Karstetter) holding the ball wide and the coaches have us practice the fumble drill. So I saw it and punched it out." (HSB)
About how their vets helped get him ready for the game, Paipai Falemalu said:
"It was fun. Our seniors hyped us up. Rocky (Savaiigaea), Blaze and R.J. told us to go out there with an attitude and hit hard." (HA)
------------------ Quotes from the Washington State Coaches -------------------
About the game, Washington State head coach Paul Wulff said:
"We turned the ball over, then they did a great job, I thought, the first two drives in particularly, converting everything throwing the ball. Their senior quarterback played like a senior with a lot of experience. The speed of their receiver hurt us and I thought that was glaring at times. Offensively we turned the ball over, when you have five turnovers in one half, you're not going to beat anybody at any level, so we got behind. Our goal in the second half was to win the second half, which we did, but they just won the first half by taking advantage of all our mistakes and it was just too much for us to overcome." (WSU)
About how their pass rush on defense was limited due to their injuries, Wulff said:
"I thought their offense…I think they've got four seniors in there. We lost Kevin Kooyman in the week, a player that played really well against Stanford. Then Andy Mattingly went out pretty early, two of our senior veterans on our defense. Those are two guys that can usually provide pressure for us. I thought that definitely hurt us and our ability to get pressure to the quarterback." (WSU)
"We lost Kevin Kooyman (to injury) during the week and Andy (Mattingly) went out early (concussion). Those are two guys that can usually provide pressure for us. That definitely hurt us in our ability to get pressure on the quarterback. They did a nice job of getting rid of the ball quickly with three-step (drops) and he was very accurate. You have to give them some credit." (SR)
Unhappy with the way his team played, Wulff said:
"We had enough mistakes to probably lose by 40 or 50, to be honest." (AP)
"We made the kind of mistakes that just don't give you a chance. We made enough mistakes to probably lose by 40 or 50, but these kids battled back and that's all you ask for." (HSB)
SR Note: "The Cougars fumbled seven times. They lost four. They threw three interceptions. By halftime, they had five turnovers. In each of their first possessions, they either fumbled or muffed the ball away, threw an interception, or put the ball on the turf, recovered it but were forced to punt."
About how their turnovers killed their chance in this game, Wulff said:
"We made the kind of mistakes that just don't give you a chance. When you have five turnovers in one half, you're not going to beat anybody at any level." (SR)
About kicking a field goal when they were at the 2-yard-line and behind 35-0 in the game, Wulff said:
"I thought about (going for it). We did. But then we decided to get some points on the board." (SR)
Praising Alexander and talking about how they couldn't match UH's speed at WR, Wulff said:
"Their senior quarterback played like a senior. I thought their speed at receiver hurt us. I think that was pretty glaring at times." (SR)
About QB Kevin Lopina, Wulff said:
"He did some good things. We still need to continue to get better in the passing game, that's pretty evident, as we do in our running game." (SR)
About how their players were in position but the UH players made plays, Wulff said:
"I thought we were always around the ball. Our guys were pretty much where they kinda needed to be (but) they (the Warriors) made some plays." (HA)
Praising UH's D, Wulff said:
"Give them credit, they (the Warrior defense) made things happen. They made a lot of plays." (HA)
About dropping UH from their 2011 schedule, Wulff said that he was not:
"necessarily (disappointed in losing the 2011 game) because we gave ourselves more flexibility (in scheduling). In this day and age it is very difficult to play 12 straight games without an (open date) in there somewhere." (HA)
Wulff said that dropping UH:
"gives us some of that and also gave us, maybe, an opportunity to have another home game. That's an advantage for us." (HA)
Praising the blocking by the Warriors, co-defensive coordinator Chris Ball said:
"We threw a lot of different looks at them and they did a good job of protecting the passer." (SR)
About how Hawaii's speed on offense made them hard to tackle, Ball said:
"They had better team speed than our guys. A lot of (the missed tackles) had to do with (Hawaii's) speed. They'd get the edge on us, and yeah, we didn't tackle very well." (SR)
About how they need to convince their players that they can win games, Ball said:
"We get behind and all of a sudden we want to flip that switch. That's what happens when you've lost some games over the years and you're in this mode. The toughest thing we have to overcome as a staff is to convince these kids they can win games. For some reason our comfort zone is when we're behind. We have to learn how to start fast, and it starts in practice. They can't expect the coaches to come out there and get them fired up individually. The players are responsible for getting themselves ready to play." (SR)
"Our biggest obstacle right now is we've got to learn how to start faster. The toughest thing we have to overcome is to teach these kids how to win football games. We seem to find a comfort level when we are behind." (HSB)
About how he wouldn't have changed much with his calls on defense except for maybe blitzing more in the first half, Ball said:
"They were the same calls in the second half as they were in the first. I probably would have heated (Alexander) up a little more and brought a little more pressure." (SR)
--------------- Quotes from the Washington State Players ------------------
About how their turnovers got their team down in the first half, QB Kevin Lopina said:
"It was tough, I mean, one of our goals is to not turn the ball over, take care of the football, when that happened as a team we changed. We can't let that stuff get too us, but to be honest I think we let it get to us, heads down and things like that. But that changed quickly and we came out in the second half and we battled. If we would have played the first half like we did the second, maybe the outcome would have been different." (WSU)
"I saw some guys with their heads down, but that changed quickly and we came out in the second half and battled. We just can't do what we did (in the first half.)" (HSB)
About how their seven turnovers killed them, Lopina said:
"We had a bunch of yards on offense, but that doesn't mean anything because we still made mistakes. Seven turnovers killed us. That's what we did last year. We can't have that." (SR)
About running for more than 100 yards, RB James Montgomery said:
"It's bitter right now, really doesn't mean nothing if we don't get the 'W'." (WSU)
"I was just trusting my track with the 'O' linemen. I got a couple of ones that hit for me. It's bitter right now. It really doesn't mean nothing if we don't get the 'W'." (SR)
"I think everybody could see that we can move the ball well, but we've got to be able to punch it in. (100-plus yards) doesn't mean anything if we don't win the game." (HSB)
Unhappy with their poor start to the game, center Kenny Alfred said:
"We didn't come out to start the game. Hawaii played a heck of game today, they played well. At the same time we're a team that has to learn how to start. Starting and finishing are both crucial. One on hand we have to start the game and on the other hand we have to finish drives as an offense." (WSU)
"We're a team that has to learn how to start. Starting and finishing are both crucial." (SR)
Upset about the helmet-to-helmet hit that freshman receiver Gino Simone took from Spencer Smith early in the fourth quarter, which left him prone on the field for almost a minute and resulted in a personal foul penalty with WSU scoring its final TD on the drive after the penalty, Alfred said:
"Things like that make me mad, it's an anger that has to be controlled. You see somebody you care about, who you work with quite a bit, you …" (SR)
About being caught from behind by Warriors right tackle Laupepa Letuli after a 30-yard fumble return instead of scoring a TD, DB Chima Nwachukwu said:
"I should have made a play for the team on that one." (AP)
About their bad start in this game, Nwachukwu said:
"We just started out slow. It seems like we need something to spark us at the beginning of the game. That put us in a bad position, because (Hawaii) came out ready to go." (SR)
About how the Warrior offense effectively moved the ball, safety Xavier Hicks said:
"They are taught to find the hole in the zone and, if they see us in man coverage, run man patterns. They have a veteran quarterback, so he knew where to throw the ball." (SR)
------------------------ Other Stuff -----------------------
I thought this was a funny Warrior-related tidbit from a report about the SMU game today:
"The referee just came on his microphone and said that the spot of the ball on the last play was being challenged by Hawaii.
Seriously.
June Jones must have been one of that ref's favorites when he was leading the Rainbow Warriors.
The ref quickly caught himself and said it was being challenged by SMU." (DMN)
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