Quotes from the UH-UNLV game 12/4/10

HSA = Honolulu Star-Advertiser
AP = Associated Press

Note: UH's website and UNLV's website did not have any postgame quotes, and USA Today did not have any postgame quotes so they are not credited above.


----------------  Quotes from the UH coaches  --------------------


About how last year's 1-point loss to UNLV motivated them for this game, Rich Miano said:
"No question, in my 12 years here I think that's the first time we ever lost a game on the last play of the game. These guys kind of derailed our dreams." (HSA)


About all the injuries that UNLV had, Miano said:
"We're a physical team, first and foremost." (HSA)


About how their adjusted after UNLV scored their early TD, Miano said:
"We've had kind of one of those (give-away) drives in a few games this year. Make a couple of mistakes, and make the adjustments. "Dave (defensive coordinator Aranda) does a great job up there calling the plays. Just gotta hang in there and be patient.  These guys, it means too much to them to not play well, to not let these seniors go out with a victory. ... It was very important for us to make sure they went out the right way." (HSA)


About how their WRs had a lot of time to get open because UNLV rushed just 3 defensive linemen, Offensive Coordinator Nick Rolovich (Rolo) said:
"The receivers were able to get to open areas." (HSA)


About how they used a running play earlier in the game to set up a TD pass to Pilares, Rolo said with a smile:
"They pay me to do that." (HSA)


About how last year Salas studied Ashley Lelie, Rolo said:
"He was interested in not only the record but what Ashley did to get there, how he worked and prepared." (HSA)


When Greg Salas came out of the game, Ashley Lelie asked him if he broke Lelie's UH and WAC single-season reception yardage record (1,713):
"Well, did you get it ... did you get it? (HSA)


About how there are some records he has that Salas won't break, Lelie said:
"I've still got the touchdown (19 in a season) and yards gained (per game, 142.8) records. He's not going to get those." (HSA)


When Lelie was told that Salas did not break hsi record, Mouse Davis said:
"Yeah, Ashley said, 'You mean I have to come back for one more game to see him break my record?'" (HSA)


About starting an all-senior OL, Gordy Shaw said:
"It was a great tribute to those five guys and what they've been through. It's just an interesting group of guys. They all had their stories." (HSA)


---------------  Quotes from the UH players  ----------------------


About how they wanting to finish the game strong, Bryant Moniz said:
"We wanted to finish this game off with a bang." (HSA)


About how they wanted revenge for last year's loss, Moniz said:
"Check. This was another team we lost to last year, and we wanted to get it back. And we did. In a big way. We had that list of all the teams we had to beat. We worked so hard. We got to cross that one off." (HSA


About how they will be ready for Tulsa in the Hawaii Bowl, Moniz said:
"We'll be ready for them. We're definitely on a roll again, back on track getting these W's." (AP)


About his 54-yard TD pass to Salas, Moniz said:
"I was squeezing a little bit on that one, but I got the pass in there. It was nice." (HSA)


About granting Kainoa LaCount's request to carry the Hawaiian flag out of the tunnel before their senior night game, Bryant Moniz said:
"I wanted him to have that. I had goose bumps standing behind him watching him." (HSA)


Praising their senior OL, Moniz said:
"They did an excellent job. All of our success is because of them. And I appreciate them. I'm going to miss them." (HSA)


About starting all seniors on their OL, LaCount said:
"That was great, it meant a lot to us. Except for me and Bronson, those guys were together for all five years and I'm honored to play with them and thank them for bringing me in with them." (HSA)


About how this game was for their seniors, junior LT Austin Hansen said:
"This was for the seniors. This is for the guys who gave five years of their lives, dedicated 100 percent for this program. That's 5:30 mornings year 'round. That's heartbreak. That's reading stories about how bad you are. That's working your butt off when nobody believes in you. That's what this night was all about. And the 10 wins? That's the bonus on top." (HSA)


About how he needs just 39 reception yards to break Lelie's UH single-season reception yardage record and just 3 catches to break Davone Bess' single-season reception record (108), Greg Salas said:
"I can wait. The main thing was we won the game and got (win) No. 10." (HSA)


About how Lelie wants him to break his records, Salas said:
"He (Lelie) wants me to get it (and) he's happy for me. I know he's been a great help." (HSA)


About how he redshirted in 2006 and didn't play much in 2007 because of the outstanding play by Bess, Rivers, RGM, and other Warrior receivers, Salas said:
"I never thought about the records back then; they seemed so far away." (HSA)


About how they wanted revenge for last year's loss to UNLV, Salas said:
"We owed them some payback after we lost by one up there last year, so there was definitely still motivation for us." (AP)


About scoring their first TD with an acrobatic, leaping catch, Royce Pollard said:
"You don't think about it, it just happens. When the ball is up there, you have to catch it. I have faith. It worked out the way it was supposed to work out." (HSA)


About how they won their 10th game, Rodney Bradley said:
"This was big for us. It puts this team's name in the history books, along with the other Hawaii teams that won 10 games. This is a reward for our hard work. It gives us momentum for the bowl game." (HSA)


About UNLV's early TD to tie the score at 7 got them to tighten up their defense, Kaniela Tuipulotu said:
"We had one, two slip-ups when they scored, but I know the effort's always going to be there in every game, so it's nothing to worry about. Of course, they hit us hard with that pass, so we knew we had to tighten some things up. Up front, we always put it on top of ourselves. We had to get our pass rush going and I felt we got better pressure as the game went on." (HSA)


About their defensive strategy to stop UNLV's offense, Tuipulotu said:
"Hit 'em in the mouth. And contain them from going outside." (HSA)


About breaking the UH career interception record with his 14th interception (8th this season), Mana Silva said:
"I was very pleased I did it back at home. At New Mexico State (the previous week) I dropped two. It was kind of frustrating, but to finally get it at home was fitting." (HSA)


About kissing their WAC championship trophy after the game, Silva said:
"I always thought about Michael Jordan, and how he always kissed one of his championship trophies. I finally got to do it. Know what? It feels great." (HSA)


About getting a good return of his INT after being teased by his teammates after some of his previous INT returns, Silva said:
"I finally got a good return." (HSA)


Wishing that he had kept the football after his UH-record 14th INT, Silva said:
"I forgot to get the ball. That would have been a nice souvenir." (HSA)


Saying that this team is better than the 11-3 team in 2006 and the 12-1 team in 2007 that he was on, Spencer Smith said:
"This is the best team I've been on here. Maybe not talent-wise, but execution and playing together, yes." (HSA)


About how they wanted revenge on UNLV, Richard Torres said:
"A LOT of us had this game circled on our calendars since last season. We felt like we owed them some payback." (HSA)


About how the 60-yard TD pass that UNLV had that tied the game at 7 woke them up, Torres said:
"It was a little bit of a wake-up call. We knew they were coming to play. Despite the record, we knew it was a good team. We knew it on film, and that really woke us up and got us saying we had to settle down and play our game." (HSA)


About getting the first INT for UH in the game, Torres said:
"I broke on the ball, and started drooling." (HSA)


About making all 100 PATs that he's tried in his UH career, Scott Enos said:
"It's been a long season, a lot of fun, and the offense has been putting up a lot of points, giving me a lot of opportunities. I couldn't thank them any more. It's been awesome." (HSA)


About how his 100th PAT in the final minutes of the game was a great way for him to end his senior night, Enos said:
"I think it did. Just getting to that century mark, it felt great." (HSA)


About how they did well in every phase on the game, Luke Ingram said:
"Everybody played great. Offense did great. Defense did great. We had great coverage on kickoffs. We got the 10th win. The seniors seemed happy. It was an awesome night." (HSA)


--------------  Quotes from the UNLV coaches  -------------------


About how they need to recruit to build their team, UNLV head coach Bobby Hauck said:
"We need to get on the road and recruit," said Hauck, who was hired as head coach less than a year ago after leading Montana to an 80-17 record in seven seasons. "We're good at the recruiting game ... at six o'clock Monday morning we'll be out and about catching up on recruiting." (HSA)


Not happy with their 2-11 season but seeing signs of progress for their future, Hauck said:
"We're not very pleased with the win total, certainly, but I'm not displeased with where we are going. We're building this program up from ground zero ... but I've seen signs that we've got a chance some day to be a good football team." (HSA)


About how he and his Montana staff were going to get Greg Salas to commit to them in 2006 until UH got his commitment, Hauck said:
"We thought we were the only ones on him until Hawaii stole him from us at the very end of recruiting. We thought we had him down to the last week and they swooped in and got him." (HSA)


Praising UH for their excellent season, Hauck said:
"Hawaii is a good team, we have a lot of respect for the job they've done, what a year they've had. They knew going into the season that they could have a good year, but they went out and did it." (AP)


---------------  Quotes from the UNLV players  --------------------


About how he made their team as a 5th-string walk-on QB as a freshman and now is second on their school's all-time list in passing yards, TD passes and rushing yards by a QB, Omar Clayton said:
"I almost didn't have a career playing football in college. It's really hard for me to feel sad about playing my last game because every game I was able to start and every time I made a play I took it as a gift because I didn't have any offers." (HSA)


About how having their running game shut down hurt their offense, Clayton said:
"We struggled with our ground game and didn't want to get to a point where we were playing behind the chains. Our lack of a run game on first and second down really hurt us." (HSA)


About how he provided senior leadership for their young team, Clayton said:
"My job was just to be the quarterback, which means being a leader. My job was to keep these guys motivated, whatever the scoreboard said, and keep these guys working hard to get better." (HSA)


----------------------  Quotes from others  --------------------------


Excited to face UH in the Hawaii Bowl, Tulsa coach Todd Graham said:
"We're very excited about the opportunity to go to the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl and play a quality opponent in a 9-3 Hawaii team. Hawaii is ranked in the Top 25 nationally, and for us getting the opportunity to win a bowl game like this against a Top 25 team would be awesome for our program." (HSA)

"For us getting the opportunity to win a bowl game like this against a top 25 team would be awesome for our program. Hawaii is a very tough team. They have a tremendous program and some great players." (AP)


Praising UH, Graham said:
"Hawaii is a very tough team. They have a tremendous program and some great players. Hawaii does a great job and have had some big-time wins. The location is a very special destination for us and naturally playing such a great team in Hawaii and having an opportunity to compete for a big win is huge for our program." (HSA)


About how he wants the MWC to expand to 12 football teams, UNLV President Neal Smatresk said:
"I think we need to secure the future of the league and make sure we have a strong league that can ultimately compete for a Bowl Championship Series position and can produce winning teams." (HSA)


About how they can expand beyond adding UH to be their 10th team, Smatresk said:
"I believe there's room for more than we currently have. Personally, I like the number 12." (HSA)