Warrior Quotes 9/13/10

Told that they were 10-point underdogs (the Vegas lines actually opened as 13.5-point underdogs), Mana Silva said:
"Sheesh. But you know what? That's good. That's more motivation for us." (HSA)


HSA Note: "You can bet (unless you're a college football player or coach, that is) that behind closed doors, Hawaii coach Greg McMackin will use that point spread as a point of emphasis to fire up his team."


About how Colorado will be upset after their 52-7 loss to Cal, Mack said:
"If I'm Colorado, I'd be really upset and embarrassed (after the lopsided loss to Cal) and try to play my best ball. They have some good players and they're playing at home. You know, point spreads have always interested me, but I haven't figured out how they come up with them." (HSA)


About how opponents have tried a variety of ways to deal with the altitude in Boulder, Colorado's veteran sports information director David Plati said:
"(Visiting) teams have tried it all. They've come in the day of the game, two days, three days... you name it. It has all been tried." (HSA)


HSA Note: "UH, which played Army at West Point on Saturday, arrived in Las Vegas (elevation 2,015 feet) yesterday and is scheduled to headquarter there until leaving for Colorado on Friday. UH head coach Greg McMackin, who was on the coaching staff of the Denver Gold in 1985, said without two weeks to acclimate to the altitude, the difference of a few days won't matter for the Warriors."


About how staying in Colorado this week would be bad for the team because they wouldn't have enough time to acclimate to the altitude, Mack said:
"A week actually makes it worse." (HSA)


HSA Note: "UH won a game in the Eastern Time Zone for the first time in the program's history on Saturday. Hawaii was previously 0-3 when five time zones ahead of Manoa, falling at Tennessee (34-2 in 1972), Rutgers (7-3 in 1975) and Florida (56-10 in 2008)."


About their road trip to Army and Colorado with a week in Vegas in between, Silva said:
"Playing on the road is tough in itself. But a long trip like this has some benefits. It's like another camp, where we're really focused on football and can spend more time looking at film." (HSA)


After being chosen as an injury replacement for Spencer Smith on their road roster and being asked to practice as a safety, David Graves (who was a WR and DB through his junior year of high school) said:
"Any way I can go out and help the team, I'll do it." (HSA)


About how Spencer Smith is expected to miss between 6 to 8 weeks due to his fractured right forearm, Mack said:
"It hurts your heart to see a guy who's worked this hard, to get to this point, get hurt. Spencer is a great motivator on our team. He's a leader. He's a great hitter." (HSA)

"That's just a big loss for us." (HSA)


HSA Note: "At the team banquet in December, Smith was named the Warriors' top defensive player for 2009."


About how they decided to call up Graves instead of their other options to replace Smith, Mack said:
"He's an athlete." (HSA)


About how David Graves gets only "mental reps" despite being in their "top tier" of QBs, Mack said:
"Why not get him on the field? We can get him on special teams." (HSA)


About how Mack called him yesterday to ask him to play safety, Graves said:
"He told me, 'We want you to play safety.'  I said, 'OK, whatever you need me to do.' ... Football is a beautiful game. Any opportunity to play some football, I'll do it." (HSA)


Not worried about the possibility of injury, Graves said:
"If you get hurt, it happens." (HSA)

"Whatever I can do, I'll do to the best of my ability." (HSA)


HSA Note: "Graves said he will seek advice from associate head coach Rich Miano, who coordinates the defensive secondary. He also will use tips from his father, who played at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo."


About how Graves is not being moved permanently to safety and will be back at QB soon, Mack said:
"He's a quarterback. I told him we brought him in to be a quarterback. He's on the verge right now. He has time. He's only a freshman." (HSA)


http://www.staradvertiser.com/columnists/furtherreview/20100913_warriors_find_themselves_underdogs_once_again.html

http://www.staradvertiser.com/columnists/ferdswords/20100913_colorado_counts_on_altitude_to_keep_hawaii_in_check.html

http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20100913_versatile_graves_called_to_las_vegas_to_replace_safety_smith.html