HSB = Honolulu Star-Bulletin
UH = University of Hawaii Athletics website
FS = Fresno State Athletics website
AP = Associated Press
FB = Fresno Bee
--------------------- Quotes from the UH coaches ---------------------------
Praising Fresno State, Mac said:
"I thought Fresno State played a great game." (UH)
About how falling behind made it harder for Bryant Moniz but how he feels that Moniz played well, Mac said:
"The first quarter were down 14-0, it put a lot of pressure on our quarterback. We opened up by letting him throw the ball, ran some screens and plays to compliment him. I thought that Bryant did a good job. He got better as the game went on. My respect for him has not gone down for one second. I think he's an outstanding QB, I think he has an outstanding crew to throw to,and I think Fresno State is an excellent football team." (UH)
About how the defense was better against the run against Fresno State, Mac said:
"I think we got better at defending the run. We didn't miss the tackles like we missed the week before. You can't get down 14 points against a good football team like Fresno." (UH)
Happy with how Moniz played, Mac said to Moniz:
"We put a lot of pressure on you by giving up the first 14." (HA)
About Moniz' first start, Mac said:
"He threw for 283 yards, but he had a lot of dropped balls. Right now I can count six dropped balls. There is no excuse for that. The interceptions were just experience and learning the coverage. What he doesn't have is game reps. Were going to continue to give him game reps because he's a sophomore and we think he's a pretty good QB. I thought for his first time out he did a good job. It was a tough situation down 14-0 before he has a chance to get into the ball game." (UH)
About the interception Moniz threw in the end zone, Mac said:
"We were going in, and then all of a sudden we were going out. ... We moved the ball, but we weren't consistent. We have a young quarterback. He needs more experience. He did some good things, and he's going to do more good things. He's mobile, and he's a good quarterback. We're going to give him the experience. We're going to give him the time he needs." (HA)
About how they want to give Moniz a lot of reps in games, Mac said:
"What he doesn't have is game reps because he's a sophomore, and we're going to get him game reps because we think he's a pretty good quarterback." (AP)
About how their specials teams mistakes made things hard for Moniz, Mac said:
"It put a lot more pressure on our quarterback. We opened up by letting him throw it, give the ball to our running backs and run some screens. Down 14-0 it turns into a different kind of game plan." (HSB)
About their defensive goals against Fresno State, Mac said:
"This team can run the football. Our goal was 3.4 yards per snap. They ran for around 5 (yards), and that's too much. We have to continue to get better. I'm not saying it was good , but im not going sit around and listen to how terrible we run tackle. Because we didn't today. We didn't quit. We kept fighting until the end, everyone was excited at the end, and I think there was a positive feeling at the end." (UH)
About how their mistakes gave points to Fresno State, Mac said:
"I told them at halftime that we've given (the Bulldogs) two touchdowns." (HA)
Mac said that falling behind 28-3 at halftime:
"that sort of changes your game plan." (HA)
Praising how his team never quit in the game, Mac said:
"We had great effort and great attitude. Our guys never quit. They fought until the end. But you can't turn the ball over like that. We gave away two touchdowns." (HA)
About how Leon Wright-Jackson stopped getting carries as the game went on (he ended up with 5 rushes for 66 yards), Mac said:
"We're down 28 points, so it's not like Leon's going to run the ball for 50 yards every time. He got one -- that was our plan going in -- we wanted to throw the ball and run our running backs. When you're 28 points down, that's gonna change your game plan." (HSB)
Praising how Moniz played, offensive coordinator Ron Lee said:
"He missed a couple, but he did a heck of a job. We didn't help him as much with receivers and stuff, and then we got behind. But I think overall he did a heck of a job. First game against a good team. And he'll get better." (HSB)
Praising how Moniz played, QB coach Nick Rolovich said:
"Overall, I thought he played great. He never gave up, kept fighting. I knew he could do it. It was good for his teammates to see that." (HA)
--------------------- Quotes from the UH players ----------------------------
About the interception he threw in the end zone, Bryant Moniz said:
"I didn't see (safety Moses Harris), that's for sure.. I saw Kealoha get open. I threw to a spot he was going to go to. There was another guy waiting." (HA)
"It was on me, just a misread. I didn't see the guy out there. Kealoha (Pilares) beat his man and that was the spot he was going to be. I threw it out there, but they had another guy out there." (HSB)
About how he felt that they played well and he felt like they were right in the game as long as he didn't loook at the scoreboard, Moniz said:
"The score was a whole different story from how we played and how I felt. I felt good out there offensively. If I didn't look at the scoreboard, I would've thought we were right in it, the way we were moving the ball." (HA)
Happy that the coaches still have confidence in him, Moniz said:
"I'm just glad the coaches have confidence in me. They're not doubting me after the rough game." (HA)
About how the TDs they scored at the end of the game were important to him, Moniz said:
"It was a big step for our offense." (HA)
About how he wasn't nervous in the game, Moniz said:
"I wasn't nervous. I was excited to play, to help my team out and do whatever I could do." (HA)
About how they were prepared for Fresno State's defense, Moniz said:
"I felt we had a good week of practice and we just had to carry that over into the game. They did exactly what we thought they would do on film, scouted them well. We just didn't capitalize." (HSB)
Feeling that they did well and just need to work on finishing drives, Moniz said:
"I think we did good out there. I think we just gotta work on finishing our drives." (HSB)
About the pink bands in his hair during the game, Moniz said:
"It was for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I seen the pros doing it, so I figured, might as well. It's for the ladies." (HSB)
Feeling that they played pretty well and that they played hard but just made too many mistakes, John Estes said:
"It was execution. I thought we played pretty good. We played hard. We didn't make the plays. We made so many mistakes. We gave them points. We're not good enough of a team to give up points and still win." (HA)
Blaming the offense for the loss, Greg Salas said:
"We couldn't put together drives. We'd get a couple of plays here and there. Once we got into the red zone, we fizzed. ... When it's 35-3, that's the offense's fault." (HA)
"We just couldn't put drives together. We were moving the ball and we'd just fizzle out. It was on us. We couldn't get anything going. When we did, penalties, something would always go wrong to set us back. We couldn't put a whole drive together." (HSB)
Happy that Moniz was able to throw a TD pass with 4:42 left in the game, Salas said:
"I was really happy for him. He deserves it, practices hard. He's a leader, and good things are gonna happen for him. The more experience you get in this offense, the more game reps -- that's the key, you know. He'll be a lot more comfortable next game." (HSB)
Embarrassed to be blown out at home, Rodney Bradley said:
"It's embarrassing to get beat like this at home. I can't put it any other way. It's a tough loss. More so, because it was at home. It's embarrassing." (HA)
About his dropped punt when the score was 21-3 with 1:39 left in the first half, Ryan Henry said:
"I made a bad decision. I thought I could catch the ball, attack the ball, and give us good field position. I should have let it bounce. ... I wanted to catch it, and get down. It just slipped through, and caused the turnover, which led to the score. That score was my fault." (HA)
About the five penalties they had on their drive after Fresno State made the score 42-3, Ray Hisatake said:
"It was late in the game and anytime you struggle like this, it's just a breakdown mentally and physically. When we put together good drives like we were able to do tonight and we can't finish, it takes a toll on you and your mind." (HA)
Feeling that they played better than last week, Blaze Soares said:
"We knew they were going to come at us. I thought we stuck in there. They got a couple of big plays, but we didn't give up those long gashes like last week (in a loss at Louisiana Tech). I felt like our defense had fire. We didn't roll over. That's all you can ask for. When the score's like that all you can do is play for pride and we had pride." (HSB)
About how their team fought until the end of the game, Blaze Soares said:
"It sucks to see the scoreboard. But I saw guys who fought to the end. In that huddle you see boys still fired up." (HSB)
Praising Fresno State RB Ryan Mathews, DE Elliott Purcell said:
"(Mathews) is quick. He's probably going to the (National Football) League. He's a legit running back. I think he's the best we're going to face all year." (HA)
About how Fresno State blocked his FG attempt at the end of UH's first possession of the game, Scott Enos said:
"I had enough time. It was just a low kick, and they came in and blocked it." (HA)
------------------- Quotes from the Fresno State coaches ---------------
Praising their defense and happy they got to play all of their backups in the game, head coach Pat Hill said:
"Our defense played excellent and in the fourth quarter we played everybody on our football team. I thought for three quarters we shut them down really, really well." (UH)
"I thought our defense played well tonight, very solid for three quarters. The pass rush was intense tonight, the pressure was very, very good." (HA)
About how they needed this win and how it is hard to win in Hawaii, Hill said:
"I thought our football team played well; we've played hard all year and we needed this win. We've played against very good people; Hawai'i's a good football team. Any time you come over here and win on this island, it's tough. There's only been three wins here since the 60's. So, it's not an easy place to win. We got one in 2005, we were close in '07, got one here in '09, now we've got to get home and get ready for San Jose." (UH, HA, AP)
"It's hard to win here ... I don't know if it was a monkey -- it might have been a gorilla. It was our turn finally to get one. We made some big plays early and were able to control the game with the run game." (FB, AP)
"We've played hard all year and we needed this win. Any time you come over here and win on this island, it's tough." (HSB)
About how their special teams were key to the win, Hill said:
"That was a big win. Not many teams have been able to win like that over here. I'm really happy with our team. It was a total team effort. We played well in all three phases. Out specials teams sparked us for that first touchdown. That was a big play." (FS)
Happy with their running game, Hill said:
"We are able to run the ball pretty well. We have some good backs and our line does a great job. It was a very efficient game offensively. Ryan Mathews is a big-time player, we know that. He's really playing well right now." (FS)
About the 277 yards and 4 TDs they had rushing in this game, Hill said:
"We've run the ball well all year, we haven't played against I-AA teams, we've run the ball against Wisconsin, Cincinnati, Boise for 300 yards. If we can run the ball we're a tough team to beat." (HA)
About how both teams needed to win this game, Hill said:
"We are pleased to get a win. This was a must win game for both teams. Their back was against the wall and they battled all night. For three quarters, we were able to dominate the game." (UH)
Praising the play of junior QB Ryan Colburn (12-14 passing for 120 yards and 2 TDs), Hill said:
"He was really efficient. We didn't throw it a whole bunch of times — I don't even know what our yards were, but I don't worry about yards — we had over 500 yards against Boise and lost, we had over 450 yards against Wisconsin and lost, we had 84 plays and almost 500 yards against Cincinnati and lost, so the bottom line is winning and tonight we got a win, (so it) doesn't really matter what his stats are." (HA)
About how they asked a lot from Colburn in other games this season, Hill said:
"We've had to ask him to do a lot against Wisconsin and Boise (State) and Cincinnati. We were very efficient. I don't worry a lot about yards. The bottom line is winning, and tonight we got a win." (HSB)
About how they wanted to keep the ball away from UH's offense, Hill said:
"We were able to run the ball well tonight. We wanted to keep the ball away from Hawai'i's offense. But, we can throw the ball, too. Against Wisconsin we threw the ball really well and against Boise we threw the ball OK, but against Hawai'i and Cincinnati, our game plan was to control the clock and I think that's one thing we did tonight." (HA)
About how their young team struggled in their previous 3 losses (all to ranked teams), Hill said:
"We've got a good team. It's a young team. We're still going through a lot of growth and I think we can keep getting better. If we can run the ball, we're a tough team to beat." (HSB)
About Junior LB Ben Jacobs (who blocked a kick and intercepted a pass), defensive coordinator Randy Stewart said:
"He's the glue to our defense. He's a guy who does a lot of things for us — like he showed tonight." (HA)
------------------- Quotes from the Fresno State players -----------------
Crediting his OL for his success, Ryan Mathews (24 rushes for 149 yards) said:
"The linemen do the hard work, I just have to make the one dude miss. That was my assignment and that's what I did." (FB)
"I have to give credit to my boys on the o-line. They opened the way." (HA)
Praising UH's players, Mathews said:
"Hawai'i plays hard on the island. Their players did a good job of making the right reads. I have to give them a lot of credit. There's a lot of good hope for them. I think the next game they're going to get it." (HA)
About freshman RB Robby Rouse (73 yards rushing and 2 TDs in the game), Mathews said:
"That's just a glimpse of what he can do. He's been putting in a lot of good work and he's a real tough, hard-nosed runner." (HA)
About how they needed to win this game after losing their previous 3 games, QB Ryan Colburn (who had a 204 passer rating in this game) said:
"This was a must win for us. This was a very important game for us, one (win) and four (losses) would have been not the start that we wanted. Two and three is not where we wanted to be, but this was a big win for us." (HA)
About how they finally broke their 3 game losing streak, Mathews said:
"It's really frustrating. The last couple of weeks we lost some games we should have won. The team really brought it tonight." (AP)
"It was a must win. Hawaii rarely gets beat on the island and we knew coming in it was a game that was going to be tough and physical and we made it a point to come in here and get (a win)." (HSB)
Praising Ryan Mathews, QB Ryan Colburn said:
''He's a special player. It usually takes more than one guy to bring him down. 'It's the lineman's job to make the holes, but it's up to the running back to make guys miss to make that big play.'' (AP)
About how their success running the ball made his job easier, Colburn said:
"It was fun. I thought we were pretty efficient throwing the ball. Wedid a pretty good job with the run-game, so it made my job easy." (HA)
About how his job is to manage the offense, not win the game on his own, Colburn said:
"Coach Hill and I talked about just letting the game come to me. He says it's not an easy thing to do, but that's what you've got to do at my position. Game manager is my job, regardless of what that may be." (HA)
"It wasn't like all of a sudden we were up (big), it was pretty consistent. Coach Hill and I talked a lot about just letting the game come to me and he said it's not an easy thing to do, but you have to do that at my position. Game manager is my job." (HSB)
HSB Note: "Colburn especially stepped up on third down, completing five of five in those situations for first downs as Fresno State foundthe end zone on six of nine drives while Colburn was in the game."
Praising Colburn, DE Chris Carter said:
"You know, he's an amazing player, but unfortunately some fans get caught up in other stats instead of the big stats. He has a lot of passing yards and he's led our offense to be one of the top offenses in the country. Everybody wants to look at the interceptions, but this game was a great game for him to show that he's a great quarterback and that mistakes happen, but we can rebound from it. I'm so happy for him." (HA)
About how this win gives them momentum for their game against SJSU, DE Chris Carter (who leads the WAC with 6 sacks now) said:
"It definitely gives us momentum for San Jose and gives us something to build off of, because we've been waiting for a victory." (FB)
Praising their secondary for helping their pass rush, Carter said:
"(The Fresno State secondary) held their guys up and gave us time to get some pass rush on him and we were able to affect the throws a lot today." (HSB)
Praising Moniz, Carter said:
"He had a lot of poise in there. He did a pretty good job in his first game as a starter." (HA)
--------------- Other quotes ------------------------
About getting to see his half-brother play for the first time in a long time, Leilehua senior center Bronson Smithe said:
"It felt good to see him play. I haven't seen him play in a while, not since (he was in) high school." (HA)
About seeing Moniz play, Leilehua QB Andrew Manley (who has an offer from UH) said:
"It was great watching him play. I had chicken skin out there today. It was amazing to see it." (HA)
"I'm happy to see one of our school's graduates get a chance to prove himself. I certainly will be cheering him on." (HSB)
About his offer from UH, Manley said:
"I have not decided yet. For the moment, I just want to concentrate on helping our team prepare for the playoffs. If UH is committed to having me play the quarterback position I will strongly consider the offer." (HSB)
HSB Note: "Manley says he will make his selection based on school tradition, which program offers the major he wishes to take, the comfort of working with the team's coaches and the style of offense a team runs. Besides UH, Manley said he is considering Idaho, Marshall, Ohio and Colorado."
About Manley picking his college, Leilehua coach Nolan Tokuda said:
"Whatever school gets him will get better. He has an excellent understanding of the game. Choosing a school will be a challenging decision for him, but he's mature enough to handle it." (HSB)
HA Note: "The Warriors lost back-to-back WAC games for the first time since 2005, when they lost at home against Fresno State and at Nevada."
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