Pre-game quotes

About how he, Miano, Suan, and Reinbold share special teams coaching duties, McKnight said:
"It's good because we all have the same philosophies and agree on things, and they're great guys, so we have fun working together. Nobody has an ego, we all live by the same deal. It's amazing what we can accomplish when nobody cares who gets the credit. We've had our time in the sun; we don't need anybody patting us on the back. That's the way we look at it." (HSB)


About wearing slippers during their wet and freezing cold practice yesterday, GM said:
"Ever since I was here the first time, I wore slippers on Fridays." (HA)

"Even when I went to Lubbock (Texas), on Fridays, I wore slippers. They thought I was a little crazy in Lubbock, but they got used to it. We won more than we lost, so it's a good tradition." (HA)

HA Note: "In part because they were rescheduled for a later time, in part because they were wary of spying eyes, the Warriors relocated to Lewiston High yesterday afternoon. By the time they started warmups, the mercury slipped to 46 degrees, and chilly rain fell. Only sportscaster Robert Kekaula, who did not bring long pants or a jacket, was dressed more inappropriately than McMackin. But McMackin did not budge, noting the Warriors are 13-4, including 4-0 this season, when he sticks to his routine."


About not wanting to change his routine, GM said:
"Why change? It works. And this is a big game." (HA)


About the importance of this game, Bess said:
"It's super big. It's our second WAC game. And (the Vandals) are looking at it as a chance to shock the football world by upsetting us. We can't take them lightly." (HA)


About how he hasn't lost anything during the time he missed due to injury, Colt said:
"I didn't see any rust. If anything, I saw the opposite. I saw my body better, the passes coming out more lively. I'm getting more on my passes right now." (HA)


Despite how he has "tweaked" his ankle several times during practices, Colt said he will not need to take pain-killing shots before the game:
"I'll be fine in the game. Game-day adrenaline is unbelievable. I could have played last week and been fine. Trust me. But the rest was good, and I'll be that much more ready this time." (HA)

"I'm excited to get back out there and play. Every game right now I'm trying to cherish." (HSB)


About adjusting ot the yellow-shaded lighting in the Kibbie Dome, with lights that are lower than at Aloha Stadium, RGM said:
"You have to concentrate more. You'd be surprised how the clear visors shield the light." (HA)

Not: The 4 starting WRs and Colt all wear clear visors on their helmets.


About how the defense cannot relax if Lane plays in the place of Rivers, Colt said:
"I don't think you can sit back and go, 'Thank goodness, Malcolm's in there.' Malcolm can play." (HA)


About the speed that Lane and Hawthorne have, Colt said:
"Malcolm and C.J. are dangerous. They're the guys who can take hitches and slants and go to the house before you know it." (HA)


About how he's adjusted quickly to WR, Hawthorne (the only starting WR for UH without a dropped pass) said:
"Colt and I are building chemistry. It started when we worked out during the summer. It's a gradual thing. We're becoming more and more comfortable with each other." (HA)


About their drill where George Lumpkin holds a stick attached to a plastic football then wiggles it, which teaches DL to drive forward at the snap of the football, GM said:
"We don't do a drill unless it pertains to the game. Every drill we do is something we will do in a game." (HA)


About how that technique ("coming off the ball") is how their DTs are able to out-maneuver taller OL and disrupt offenses, Mike Lafaele said:
"It's all about your weight distribution and balance. If you want to go forward, you have to put all of your weight in your legs." (HA)


About how they need to have quick DTs, DL coach Jeff Reinbold said their DTs have to have:
"fast-twitch fiber in them. That's not something you teach. That's something you emphasize." (HA)


About how Lafaele and Laeli have spent extra workouts improving their lower-body strength, Reinbold said:
"Even though they're big guys, they're not slow guys. They're not going to run great 40(-yard) times, but they have great short-burst quickness." (HA)


About his style of fast, attacking defense, GM said:
"Everything is about playing fast. We want our tackles to play low, get up the field and attack. Good things happen when you play fast." (HA)


Looking forward to kicking in a domed stadium, Dan Kelly said:
"You don't have to fight the elements." (HA)


About how the wall behind one end zone is ideal for him to practice FG kicks, Kelly said:
"During warmups, I usually have to wait for the guy to throw me the ball after I kick. This time, I just kick the ball, it hits the wall, and we don't have to chase it down." (HA)


About how the win at Idaho 2 years ago was special for the Freshman from his year (their first win), RGM said:
"That will always be a big win for us. It's the first one for us as a class." (HSB)


About Idaho's start RB Deonte' Jackson, GM said:
"He's got such a great acceleration. And he has good vision and balance. He obviously has good genes, but he has that quickness, and he's able to get outside. He's one of those Barry Sanders-type guys." (HA)


About UH's offense, LB Jo Artis Ratti said:
"They sling the rock like no other. They open a lot of gaps in defenses." (Idaho Statesman)


About what they need to do on defense, head coach Robb Akey said:
"What we have to do is be good at coverage and have coverage changeups. You have to have the ability to attack what they do." (IS)

"Just like you can blitz a quarterback, you can blitz receivers a little bit. You have to have two answers, you can't do just one. More than anything, they do what they do and they do it very well. And they don't care what you do. Hopefully we can change it up enough to where we can keep the big plays to a minimum." (IS)

"Against Hawaii you have got to be able to match scores and do everything you can to try to match plays. That's the challenge in front of us." (HSB)


About what they need to do on defense, defensive coordinator Mark Criner said:
"We have to play consistent football and make them drive it and not give up any easy ones." (IS)

About how they are running a 3-4 defense even though he prefers a 4-3 D, Criner said:
"We're not deep in a lot of areas. The main thing is you don't want to change what you do in the secondary. If you end up doing a bunch of rule busters in the secondary, it's going to end up getting you hurt. You can change your front, but your secondary has to remain the same." (HA)


About how they have to be mentally sharp in the game, Ratti said:
"We can't have any mental errors. We have to avoid the big plays, make them nickel and dime us, and we have to tackle them." (IS)


About how they have to put pressure on Colt, LB Vobora said:
"Getting pressure on Colt Brennan is a must. We're expecting that he'll play, and we wouldn't want it any other way." (HSB)

About how they have to put every thing and be consistent in this game, Vobara said:
"In each of our nonconference games we did good things in difficult situations. But it really comes down to consistency. Putting together everything this week is obviously huge. On defense, our focus is to make them throw the short pass and minimize the big play, make them work for everything they get." (HSB)

About gaining 45 pounds while at Idaho, with a 9000-calorie per day diet, LB Vobora said:
"I worked hard in the weight room, and I tried to eat and eat and eat. I would set my alarm clock for the middle of the night, eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a glass of milk, and go back to bed." (HA)

About mixing the protein drink Serious Mass with peanut butter, Vobora said:
"That helped me gain weight but remain explosive." (HA)

About having 3 different head coaches the last 3 seasons, Vobora said:
"You're dealing with heartbreak. You want to buy in. Coach Holt said, 'We're going to be here and watch your son graduate.' He left, and that was frustrating. But then we got a guy like Dennis Erickson, and that was exciting, and everything was moving in the right direction. Then — bam! — he's gone. You felt like these guys were used-car salesmen." (HA)


Prepared for defending Rivers or Hawthorne, All-WAC CB Stanley Franks said:
"They've thrown 190 passes already. That's a lot of film. I like breaking it down and watching the different formations." (HA)

About forgetting they are 1-3, Franks said that:
"our feeling around here is we're 0-0. This is our first WAC game. We haven't won anything and we haven't lost anything. We're undefeated." (HA)


About what he told his players after being their 3rd head coach in 3 years, Akey said:
"I know you've heard it all before, but I'm going to prove it to you. I know I can say this and that, but my actions are going to speak louder than words." (HA)


Akey was a Washington State coach, just 8 miles away from Idaho's campus, but moved to Moscow, Idaho after being hired, which Vobora noted:
"He's a guy when he decides to commit, he does it to the fullest. He's done that. He's going to take this university and this football team to awesome places." (HA)


About the 17 players he dismissed in his first offseason as Idaho coach, Akey said:
"I was amazed at some of the things that we dealt with in regards to drug involvement, cheating, stealing, things like that." (HSB)


About the sentiment that their team quit last year once UH started rolling, Akey said:
"I wasn't at that game, but I was told when things got bad, that team kind of shut it down. When things got bad last Saturday (in a 42-35 loss to Northern Illinois), this team found a way to step it back up. We played the No. 1 team in the country (USC), and when things got bad, this team continued to battle. I would hope we would have a little more confidence in our mental toughness about things." (IS)


Still unhappy about last week's loss, Akey said:
"I'm still disappointed, and I think we're all a little irritated that we didn't win the game. Hopefully we can take some of that into our performance this week and it will help to get us to perform better." (IS)


About his 3 INTs last game, with his first INT returned 95 yards for a TD, QB Nathan Enderle said:
"I try not to let interceptions bother me. But that second quarter obviously was my worst after that happened. I had a few bad series. Allowing it slide off (my) shoulders and not worrying about stuff like that would definitely help me." (IS)


About how his QB got himself together in the 2nd half of their last game, Akey said:
"He looked like he was shook up a little bit, but he certainly showed me something at the end when we were moving the ball down and scoring and having a chance to put the game in overtime. He was playing with confidence again." (IS)