Warrior Quotes 10/5/10 (Pilares' hard work in the weight room has paid off)

About practicing at RB in his first Spring Training at UH and going against Blaze Soares in several drills, Kealoha Pilares said:
"He's a big bully. Blaze is Blaze. That's how he is. He'll run you over if you're not ready for it. The same thing with the other guys. Over here, the defense is known for hitting. You'd better be ready to hit, or you won't play. I wanted to play." (HSA)


About how his father told him to work on his strength training before he went to college, Pilares (who went from 175 when he started at UH to 205 now) said:
"My dad told me: 'You'd better get your butt into the weight room.'" (HSA)


HSA Note: "Pilares is the current NCAA leader in receiver yards (682). After a school-record 18 catches for 217 yards in a 41-21 victory over Louisiana Tech, Pilares was named yesterday the Western Athletic Conference's Offensive Player of the Week."


About receiving his first individual WAC award, Pilares said:
"It's not anything special. I didn't win the Heisman or anything." (HSA)


About how he didn't realize that he set a UH record for 18 catches (for 217 yards), Pilares said:
"You kind of forget about everything. I didn't know I was getting the ball that much, and I don't think (quarterback Bryant Moniz) knew he was throwing me the ball that much. He was throwing it to the open guy. We had a lot of open guys." (HSA)


Praising the stiff-arm that Moniz did on a scramble, Pilares said:
"I think that was his boxing skills, that jab. You like to see your quarterback playing like that. It gives you goose bumps. Just watching Mo play is so exciting." (HSA)


About taking advice from Mouse Davis, Pilares said:
"Coach Mouse said two things can happen to you right now: 'You can either get better or get worse.' We can't think about anything except working hard." (HSA)


About how the NFL scouts have been watching him, Pilares said:
"If the opportunity comes, it comes. I'm not going to worry about it now." (HSA)


About how Greg Salas played deep safety four times before the La Tech game, with each time the opposing QB intentionally kneeling, Rich Miano said:
"I always say they're afraid to throw it to you." (HSA)


About how Salas asked to enter the game in the final seconds of the first half against La Tech, Miano said:
"He's back there, and nothing really happens. Then (6-foot-4, 240-pound Eric Harper) goes in the game, and he's only in there to block. We knew that. They run a double hook-and-ladder, and that guy blocked Salas for about 20 yards. He stuck on Salas like glue. Salas couldn't get off the stock block. It hurt me, but I had to give Salas his first negative." (HSA)


About how Salas struggled on that defensive play, Mana Silva said:
"He looks a lot more comfortable on offense." (HSA)


About how Fresno State will try to keep the score down in the game, Fresno State head coach Pat Hill said:
"I don't think it is in our best interests to go into a scoring game with them, even though we are averaging, 36, 37 (actually 36.2 points) a game." (HSA)


Hill said that is because:
"our points don't come on big plays (but) Hawaii is capable of going three and out and the next time going 80 yards if you're not taking care of business." (HSA)


About how they get rocks to commemorate 200-yard rushing games, Hill said:
"On the road we go looking for rocks to bring back. We got one under the overpass (by the Rose Bowl) when we beat UCLA. We've gotten 'em in Louisiana, Utah, wherever we've (gotten the yards). We look for them as part of our Friday walkthrough at practice." (HSA)


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