Stories from the Log Cabin Democrat about the UH-Central Arkansas game

LCD = Log Cabin Democrat

About their procedure penalties, including the critical one late in the fourth quarter, UCA head coach Clint Conque said:
"Last year, we had problems with our tackles jumping offside. They did it three times tonight, but the third really hurt us. If we made third and two, we take the game under two minutes with a one-point lead and I really believe we win the game. But there were a lot of plays in that game. You can't just pick out one or two. And give Hawaii credit. They made the plays when they had to." (LCD)

About how they couldn't put the game away when they had the lead, Conque said:
"We were on the verge of one of the greatest victories in school history, but unfortunately we didn't close the deal. This will eat at me for awhile, and I hope it will eat at the players for awhile." (LCD)

About how they felt confident about the play call on 3rd-and-2 that would have allowed them to run down the clock if they earned the first down, Conque said:
"We were being physical and punishing them. Then, we got the look we wanted from their defense. We had the right play called. We had their defense on its heels. If we make a first down, I think we win." (LCD)

"We're third and two and got the look we wanted from the defense. Then, we jump offside. If we get the first down there, we go with the lead inside two minutes and I think the game's over. We jumped offside three times and the last one hurt." (LCD)

About how the Aloha Stadium crowd caused problems for them, Conque said:
"It was so loud we had communications problems several times." (LCD)

About their defense on UH's game-winning drive, Conque said:
"Salas is a great player and we took a bad angle on the pass. Anthony Gambles, like he has so many times in the past, didn't give up on the play and saved a touchdown. On the touchdown pass, we have the right coverage and people where they needed to be. It was just a great throw and catch. Hawaii had very good receivers, and their quarterback (Alexander) was better than we thought." (LCD)

About how they adjusted to UH's blitzes for their 10-play, 86-yard TD drive that game them the lead with 10 minutes left in the game, Conque said:
"They were coming at us with a lot more heat. When you blitz, somebody's side of the scoreboard can light up." (LCD)

"They really doubled up on their blitzes the second half and it presented us some opportunities for big plays." (LCD)

Pleased with how his team played except for their lack of poise at the end of the game, Conque said:
"Our defense shut down a high-powered offense for the most part. Our kicking game was solid although we leaked a couple of times on punt and kickoff coverage. The offense, for the most part, was balanced. The main thing was at the end of the game, when we needed to be poised under pressure, we didn't respond as a team." (LCD)

Not taking consolation in moral victories, Conque said:
"There are no moral victories here. We didn't come here for a paycheck or the environment. We came to win a football game. And we came close against a team that was 18 months removed from playing in the Sugar Bowl." (LCD)

About UH's comeback, Conque said:
"Hawaii made the plays when they had to." (LCD)

About what he told his players at halftime, Conque said:
"At halftime, I told our guys to finish the deal." (LCD)

About what the loss showed their team, Robbie Park said:
"I think it shows that we have a lot of potential, both offensively and defensively, that we can build on. You don't feel good after a loss, but there were good things." (LCD)

About how they led 14-9 at halftime, Park said:
"We were up, but we knew it would be a new game the second half. The success we had gave us confidence, but we knew we had to play well the second half. They put more pressure on us defensively the second half, and we just didn't have enough gas to finish. Even against the pressure, we moved the ball well in the fourth quarter. We had some penalties that hurt us. First and 15 or second and 15 is pretty tough against a team like that. " (LCD)

About their 14-9 halftime lead, Brent Grimes said:
"We had huge momentum the first half, but it was just the half. We knew we were in a position to be competitive if we stayed together. We came out a little flat. But we were attacking at the end. There are a lot of things to feel good about after we see the film. And there are a lot of things we can do better. That was just one game. We have 11 more." (LCD)

About how they had UH on the ropes when they were killing the clock late in the 4th quarter with the lead and the ball, Brent Grimes said:
"They were big and fast on defense, but we took the fight to them in the fourth quarter. They were sucking wind and we were punishing them. We played a whole lot of guys who were in their first year at certain positions." (LCD)

About how they had been expected to be blown out by UH, Grimes said:
"I think we still shocked the country; most people expected us to get blown out." (LCD)

About how they adjusted their D to help stop UCA, Mac said:
"We had to play on them when they started checking coverages. We have a smart football team, and I was proud of them because we had to make some pretty complicated adjustments." (LCD)

Praising UCA and talking about how UH had to win this game, Mac said:
"We knew Central Arkansas was a good football team. This was a must-win for us." (LCD)

About the 66-yard play he and Salas made on the game-winning drive, Greg Alexander said:
"It was a complete improv. I got flushed out of the pocket and he (Salas) just ran with me on a scramble deal." (LCD)