Quotes about Mouton and Newberry

About welcoming Mouton and Erik Robinson when they got to UH, starting CB Newberry said:
"I hosted Ryan and Erik (Robinson, who plays safety) when they came in. They told me they were pumped to just go up and meet early (before fall camp). It was pretty tight." (HSB)

HSB Note: "It helped that much of the UH secondary has common roots in the Texas junior college ranks -- Newberry and his fellow starting corner Gerard Lewis are former opponents at Trinity Valley and Tyler junior colleges -- and are now roommates. The warm welcome for Mouton was no indication that Newberry and Lewis, both 5-foot-9, were complacent in defense of their roles from last year. They had to earn the right to remain where they were, and secondary coach Rich Miano believes they did just that."

HSB Note: "For Newberry, it was a matter of getting comfortable in the system and increasing his ball awareness. Lewis needed to work on his technique. Miano rated them good, but not great, before they both hit the weight room hard over the summer, and worked on basics such as footwork."


About Newberry and Lewis, DB coach Rich Miano said:
"They have that small man's complex. They're very competitive, they want to succeed, they want to excel, be good football players and help us. I thought they raised their level before (Mouton's arrival) because they know he, and other guys, were coming in." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Holdover corners A.J. Martinez (injury), C.J. Hawthorne (switched to receiver) and Ryan Keomaka (awaiting academic clearance) are not factors, but returnee JoPierre Davis and junior college transfer Calvin Roberts, in addition to Mouton, had to be fended off.


About Newberry and Lewis, who weren't guaranteed to keep their starting spots in his new system, GM said:
"I feel very strongly about both of them. We've given them a lot of fundamental time to the positions, so they have really improved themselves as defensive corners." (HSB)


About the increased competition to keep his job, Lewis said:
"Somebody goes down, the next person, they will do the job. Only thing I was thinking was, do your job, and everything else pays off." (HSB)


Not worrying about the increased competition, Newberry said:
"I just try not to think about it. Other people coming behind me, I just play my game, and let it go from there. Me and Gerard had a lot of experience. We just keep getting better every day. We worked hard in the offseason, kept working, and when you keep working, it adds up." (HSB)


About how Mouton is basically their 3rd starting CB, Rich Miano said:
"Ryan will be a third starter for us, probably as soon as (Northern Colorado) is over. He'll play as much probably as the other two guys in this game, and we'll evaluate and see who the starting two are for next week." (HSB)