Asked if it hurt to suspend Tyler, Mack said:
"Sure it did. But sometimes you have to have a little tough love." (HA)
About how Tyler wasn't included in their 2008 plans, Mack said:
"We moved on. Basically, he was not going to play this season." (HA)
HA Note: "But Graunke, on his own, resolved his academic problems. He was reinstated to the team two weeks ago, but did not take any reps in passing drills until the past Tuesday. He participated in three full practices, all as the No. 2 quarterback, before Saturday's game. Summoned at the start of the second half, Graunke rallied the Warriors from a 10-point deficit to a 36-17 victory over Weber State."
About how taking care of his business off the field has made Tyler better on the field, Mack said:
"I'm happy for Tyler. He came into the game and showed he could move a football team. But it's more important to me that he succeeds as a person than a football player. He's taken care of business, and it's helping him as a football player." (HA)
About the chance to play again, Tyler said:
"I'm happy for the opportunity." (HA)
HA Note: "Graunke has said his "academic issues" could be traced to when he changed his major."
About suspending Tyler, Mack said:
"He's a good quarterback. You want him playing. But I want him playing for the right reasons, and a big part of our program is academics. We're not going to pay lip service to it. It's really important to us. I'm going to be persistent on that." (HA)
HA Note: "When Graunke incurred his "academic issues" this summer, McMackin opted to withhold him from team activities until a resolution was reached. Graunke, for the record, was never academically ineligible."
About how Tyler did what he needed to do to get reinstated, Mack said:
"On his own, he did the things he had to do to get (reinstated). That's why I give him credit. It was important for him to play his senior season, and he took care of business. He took care of his own responsibility. I think it's making him a better person. That's what it's all about." (HA)
HA Note: "Graunke took all of the snaps as the No. 2 quarterback in practices Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The Warriors had a walk-through Friday."
About how he will maintain the standards that he has set for all players, Mack said:
"I'm going to still continue to do what I believe in. This isn't just the quarterback position. This is every position." (HA)
About Fale (who was injured in the Weber State game), Mack said:
"He's a great playe. He's one of our special players." (HA)
Praising Rego, Mack said:
"Rego has been a pleasant surprise. He runs hard. We knew he could block. But he did a nice job running (against Weber State)." (HA)
About how Rego has earned his shot at playing time, Mack said:
"He did a good job in spring workouts. He made the 105 (-player roster for training camp). Then (running back) coach (Alex) Gerke started liking him. Then he got some playing time. He showed what he can do. He really went through the process." (HA)
About Brashton, Rich Miano (a teammate of Brashton's father Alvis) said:
"Athletically, he's as gifted as any linebacker we've had." (HA)
Tyler said that the their offense scored 4 TDs and the defense shut out Weber State in the second half:
"and we just have to take that into Corvallis this week." (HSB)
About how he celebrated the win, Tyler said he was sore after the big hits he took:
"My celebration was mostly lying in bed." (HSB)
About how he expected to get their starting spot, Tyler said:
"I expected to be the starting quarterback and I had to work a lot harder to get there and it made me a better person, not just a better player. It's been a long road and it wasn't looking too promising for me, but now it's looking great. I've just been humbled by this situation." (HSB)
Crediting his teammates for their comeback, Tyler said:
"It was a total team effort and that's what made it so special." (HSB)
About Oregon State, which just lost big at Penn State and is 0-2, Tyler said:
"They went to Penn State and we went to Florida, we're both battle tested and they're obviously going to be hungry for a win." (HSB)
about putting the Weber State game behind them and preparing for Oregon State, Tyler said:
"(The Weber State win) felt great, but that's in the past and Oregon State is the game we're thinking about." (HSB)
Looking forward to starting their game at Oregon State, Tyler said:
"I love playing road games. I love hostile environments. I can't wait. I've been watching Pac-10 football my entire life. I've got the opportunity and I'm going to take advantage of it." (HSB)
About how they were confusing UH's D, Cameron Higgins said:
"We were catching them off guard, mixing it up, five wide, four wide, a lot of play-action here and there." (HSB)
About their struggles in the first half, Sol said:
"We made a lot of mistakes in the first half." (HSB)
Monday, September 8, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Quotes from the UH-Weber State 9/6/08
HA = Honolulu Advertiser
HSB = Honolulu Star-Bulletin
UH = UH Athletics Official Site (http://hawaiiathletics.com)
SLT = Salt Lake Tribune
____________________________________________________
.
---------------- Quotes from the UH coaches ------------------------
About how they played well for a half, Mack said:
"It was certainly two halves of football. Our football team did it the hard way tonight, I’m really proud of them. They really regrouped and came out and played a good second half. It would have been nice to do it the whole ballgame, but it’s still good to get a win." (UH)
"We became a team in the second half. We came back and sucked it up. I’m really proud of our football team and our coaching staff, we came a long way tonight." (UH)
Praising Weber State, Mack said:
"I want to congratulate coach Ron McBride, he did a good job of getting his football team ready to play. They have a very powerful offense. He is an outstanding coach." (UH)
About the fans, Mack said:
"We have the greatest fans in the world. People want us to win so bad, we went into halftime and I think everyone was a little frustrated. I told the guys there is no need to panic, we have a lot of time." (UH)
Praising Tyler, Mack said:
"I really think he's a better person for what he's been through and it showed, on the field, too. He came in and was a gamester." (HA)
"I'm so proud of him." (HA)
"He had to get the team back. He couldn't just show up and they'd respect him. I haven't made it easy on him." (HSB)
"He has done a lot of things personally to get his life back in order. He got himself eligible and he has come along way and I think it showed up on the football field tonight. He gained the respect of his team, the coach and the fans and I think he has respect for himself." (UH)
"I think he gained the respect of his team, I think he gained the respect of the coaching staff and I think he has respect for himself. He did it the hard way and our football team did it the hard way today. ... We sort of became a team in the second half. We were down and out and sucked it up in a tough situation and I'm really proud of our football team and coaching staff." (HSB)
About how Tyler worked hard to get himself the chance to play, Mack said:
"He got himself eligible. We didn't help him at all. He's doing things the right way. You can tell that on the football field. I'm glad he got a hold of himself, and that he's going in the right direction." (HA)
About how they planned to put Alexander in the game if they were ahead by a lot and Tyler in the game if they were struggling, Mack said:
"Offensively I was planning and going with Inoke into the fourth quarter. I talked about if we were ahead I wanted to get Greg and Brent into the ballgame. But if we were behind I wanted to use Tyler and see where he is." (UH)
"That's what we did. I'm glad we made that decision. We made it (before the game) so we wouldn't make any emotional decisions." (HA)
About how Tyler will be the starter against Oregon State, Mack said:
"Tyler Graunke will be starting against Oregon State. He looked pretty good to me tonight. It’s a no brainer." (UH)
"It's a no-brainer, right? I'd have to be a dumb, stupid coach not to play him next week, because he looked pretty good to me." (HSB)
.
About Tyler, Rolo said:
"The guys know he's a winner and that means a lot." (HA)
"He's a competitor. He played his ass off. He gave us a spark." (HA)
.
---------------- Quotes from the UH players ------------------------
Told that Mack said he was proud of him, Tyler said:
"That means a lot to me. Obviously, I lost a lot of people's trust. To earn back the coaches' and players' trust means a lot to me. I love everybody that I play for and everybody that I play with. That's what it's all about — chemistry. We showed that out there. I feel like a new man." (HA)
About how Mack suspended him (and how he was still doing punishment drills after Thursday's practice), Tyler said:
"Coach gave me a life lesson." (HSB)
Feeling that he earned the respect of his teammates, Tyler said:
"I felt like I earned the respect of my teammates, coaches and even myself. I went the hard road to success. And it is a good thing I got my chance this early because it could have been ugly my senior season. It could have been a disaster." (HA)
"I was going downhill and, now, I'm going uphill." (HA)
About how the crowd was behind him when he came into the game, Tyler said:
"It was an awesome feeling just hearing the crowd roar when I stepped onto the field." (HSB)
"It was an awesome feeling, just hearing the crowd roar. I just blocked everything out and just played tonight. I feel like I really matured and I’m a better person now. I thank coach McMackin for everything." (UH)
About how his suspensions has helped him mature, Tyler said:
"I think I've really matured as a person, not just as a football player. I've learned a lot of valuable life lessons and I credit a lot of that to Coach Mack. He's made me a better person and I thank him for that. I've been waiting for that opportunity for a long time." (HSB)
About the hit he took after pitching the ball late in the game, Tyler said:
"I took a hit but I'm on top of the world now." (HA)
About Lane's TD catch on their first drive of the second half, Tyler said:
"It was a choice route, and Malcolm ran right by him. Malcolm is a great receiver." (HA)
Giving credit to his teammates, Tyler said:
"I don't think I played amazing by any means. They had to catch the ball. All I had to do was throw. It's a real team game. That's what I love about football. That's why I play football. Everybody has to do their part to win the game. People want to give me credit because I'm the quarterback. But I never believed in that. I feel I'm a quarterback only because I can throw the ball. These guys have other abilities that I don't have." (HA)
About how the team needed a spark, Tyler said:
"We needed something. Everybody's heads were down. I was thinking 'screw this. We gotta blow this team out.'" (HSB)
About how his teammates were happy when he came into the game, Tyler said:
"I was just played the game the way I know how to play it tonight. I saw the fire in the guys eyes, kind of saying it’s glad to have you back. I knew I had to be calm and poised out there. We played with a lot of poise in the second half.
It feels good to hear that the players have a lot of respect for me. It feels good and very heartwarming. It’s been a long road and a hard road. It was great tonight. It’s a whole new team this year and we are proud out there and we wanted to win this one. It was a halftime decision, I was told I wouldn’t get reps until the bye week. Coach gave me an opportunity and there was some urgency there at halftime. The chemistry on the field in the second half was amazing." (UH)
About how the plan had been to not play him until after the Oregon State game, Tyler said:
"It was totally a halftime decision. When I first got reinstated I was told I wasn't going to get a look until the bye week, and after Oregon State I could get back in there. I guess I showed them enough." (HSB)
About how Bain and Washington have waited for their chance to play, Tyler said:
"People like Aaron, people like Mike, they've been very patient and it shows a lot about the guys' character." (HSB)
About people who doubt their offense, Tyler said:
"Because we have eight new guys on offense, people don’t think we can play like we know what we’re doing. But we know what we’re doing." (HA)
NOT giving credit to Inoke, Tyler said:
"Inoke's a great player and he's been here a long time. But so have I. I think I was able to stay in there and make the third and fourth read." (HSB)
.
Inoke said that he was examined at halftime for a concussion by the doctors and:
"I wasn't 100 percent." (HA)
"I thought I was OK, but the doctors didn't think I was OK. It's a good thing, fortunately, we had Tyler. He was ready." (HA)
.
About being happy when Tyler came into the game, Mike Washington said:
"When T.G. came in, that was like a big, inspirational uplifter. Everybody was waiting -- it's like, man!" (HSB)
"We came out in the second half, no matter who the quarterback was, we had to come out with more intensity, more spiritual lift. Ty gave us that spiritual lift, we just had to go out there and make plays. It felt so relieving and relaxing (out there). It was a deep breath." (HSB)
.
Happy that Tyler was going to be the QB in the 2nd half, Lane (is the locker room divided?) said:
"Just hearing Coach say at halftime, 'Tyler, you're up,' I was ecstatic. He's been my quarterback from the beginning." (HSB)
About how Tyler earned the team's respect, Malcolm Lane said:
"I'm damn sure he won the team's respect with that effort." (HA)
Praising Tyler, Lane said:
"I'm grateful coach Mack believes in him and is giving him a second chance to perform. After everything that happened, Tyler has worked hard to get back on the team. He even furthered that by busting his ass and making plays. Everything was against him. That was adversity. How you deal with that defines what type of person you are, not what you do when things are easy. He came through." (HA)
About his 42-yard TD catch in their first drive of the second half, Lane said:
"He played me bump-and-run. No disrespect to the cornerback, but I thought I could beat him up top. Tyler trusted me. We've been doing that since Day 1. It was like clockwork." (HA)
.
About how they were happy when Tyler came into the game, Aaron Bain said:
"As soon as Tyler came in and got that first drive I knew we were going to start driving the ball. It has been good to have him back. I have a lot of respect for him. He made a difference, even with the crowd, I was glad to be in the huddle with him. I think we weren’t playing up to our ability in the first half. I know if we played our hardest we will be all right." (UH)
"Most definitely, soon as he came in he connected with Malcolm, once he got that in we were rolling. It's good to have him back. ... I'm proud of him now that he's back, we were getting the ball moving, got that fire in our eyes back. You hear the crowd chanting his name. You feel proud, and I'm glad to be in the huddle with this guy." (HSB)
About starting his first game at Aloha Stadium, senior Aaron Bain said:
"Every game is important to me, but starting for the first time, in front of the home crowd, that was really big for me. I was kind of nervous in the beginning, but once you get the first couple of series out of the way, everything is all good. Now that we got all of the jitters out of the way, hopefully we can have a good season." (HA)
About how all of their WRs got the ball, Bain (who had 2 TD catches) said:
"I think the ball was spread out really great. Everybody got a touch on the ball." (HA)
About how they got fired up during halftime, Bain said:
"I think we got the ball rolling late, but we did a good job in the second half. There was a lot of intensity in the locker room, trying to get everybody fired up. Once we got the fire in our eyes back, then the ball started rolling." (HA)
.
About how his fractured left ring finger is sore but will not stop him from playing, Greg Salas said:
"I’m not going to think about it while I’m on the field. I’ll take some Advil before the game." (HA)
.
About his 9 carries for 54 yards, Jayson Rego said:
"It felt really good, I'm thankful the coaches gave me the opportunity. It felt real good." (HSB)
.
About Tyler, John Estes said:
"Tyler is Tyler. People forget he was the starter before Colt was." (HSB)
.
About their adjustments at halftime, Sol said:
"We made a lot of mistakes the first half. The second half Coach made adjustments ... like we're not going to try to out-scheme them or try to do anything fancy. It's going to be a man vs. man game and that's what we did the second half." (HSB)
"In the first half, guys were just trying to make too many big plays. In the second half coach made some adjustments and it worked. It was a man versus man game in the second half and it worked. Everyone in the locker room knew what was going on. We were making mistakes, they weren’t a better team than us. We started playing as a team in the second half. When we play our conference games it’s going to be a lot tougher. We learned we have to come out and start playing our assignments." (UH)
.
About what they did at halftime, Brashton Satele said:
"We just told ourselves to buckle down and do our own assignments. Coach was talking about it the whole week, doing our own assignments. Don't do more than you have to. Just do what you have to do. They had a good first half, driving the ball and stuff. Second half, we came out and stopped them." (HA)
About doing their assignments, Brashton said:
"Coach just tells us to do our jobs and all week we were just prepping for that." (HSB)
"All week we knew we had to do our own job. We finally started doing that in the second half. I think the captains of our team stepped up. They stood up and told us to wake up. We have to stay humble and practice hard every day." (UH)
About blitzing and forcing Higgins to ground the ball during Weber State's first drive of the 2nd half, Brashton said:
"We work on blitzing off the ball. The ball's the trigger." (HA)
Surprised when told he was credited with a sack on the play, Brashton said:
"My first sack." (HA)
About ow they shut down Weber State's offense in the 2nd half, Brashton said:
"That's how we should've been playing the whole game. Good thing we picked it up." (HA)
.
About how the D knew at halftime that they could play a lot better, Monteilh said:
"We knew we could play a lot better, (that) we could play sound football and we accomplished that in second half. In the locker room, we had our word, told everybody we have to be fired up. We have to come out and play Hawai'i football." (HA)
Looking forward to their next game, Monteilh said:
"We got our win, but now we have to focus on Oregon State and we're going to do our thing up there, too." (HA)
About his INT off a ball that Roberts' tipped, where he had to make sure to come down inbounds, Keao Monteilh said:
"They wanted me on 'Dancing With the Stars' but I told them I have to play this year. Calvin did a good job. He's been practicing volleyball. It was a perfect set. That was a Kamanao set." (HA)
"I saw the sideline, so I kind of had to reach out, do a little stutter step. Everybbody told me I should've stopped, turned around and run. But I got no moves, so I just went out of bounds and let the offense take the ball." (HA)
.
About tipping the ball that Monteilh intercepted, Calvin Roberts said:
"I didn't have enough oomph in my feet. I tried to get the pick, but I ended up tipping it to my teammate." (HA)
.
About his first career sack, an 8-yard sack in the second quarter, Erik Robinson said:
"It was a blitz. I saw the opening and I took it and I just shot and made the tackle." (HA)
Happy to be playing after sitting out spring camp due to shoulder surgery, Robinson said:
"It was cool to be out there playing with the ball, moving around and having fun." (HA)
.
---------------- Quotes from the Weber State coaches ------------------------
Praising Tyler, Weber State head coach Ron McBride said:
"He knew all the reads; he made a huge difference." (HA)
About the difference between the first and second halves, McBride said:
"The difference was that Funaki doesn't have all the reads down in the offense. The other guy has a lot of experience and he gave them a lift. They outphysicaled us in the second half. They controlled the line of scrimmage and they controlled the tempo. Sooner or later with their offense, if you don't move the ball they're going to score points on you." (HSB)
"The difference was that (Inoke) Funaki doesn’t have all his reads down in the offense, so he had some problems with it. The other guy (Tyler Graunke) has had a lot of experience in the offence and he gave them a little lift." (UH)
"The difference was that Funaki doesn't have all his reads down in the offense, so he had some problems with it. The other guy [Graunke] has had a lot of experience in the offense and he gave them a lift. They're a good football team. You're not going to hold them down forever." (SLT)
About how UH's DL dominated in the second half, preventing them from keeping the ball away from UH's offense like they did in the first half, McBride said:
"Offensively, they out-physicaled us in the second half. We didn't run the ball well to establish the line of scrimmage. They controlled the line of scrimmage and they controlled the tempo. Sooner or later with their offense, if you don't move the ball on offense and you don't get a rhythm, they're going to score on you." (SLT)
About the key penalty they had to extend Tyler's first drive, McBride said:
The first drive of the third quarter is really important and we had a late hit on the quarterback. Those things make a difference and they’re a good football team. You’re not going to hold them down forever. Offensively they outphysicaled us in the second half. We didn’t run the ball well enough to establish the line of scrimmage. They controlled the line of scrimmage and they controlled the tempo. Sooner or later with their offense, if you don’t move the ball on offense and you don’t get in a rhythm, they’re going to score on you." (UH)
Praising Higgins, McBride said:
"He's played in real competitive situations, so he's a proven commodity. He's a good player. We just have to be able to run the ball better so that the pass game can get open." (HSB)
"He’s (Cameron Higgins) a good player. He’s played in real competitive situations so he’s a proven commodity. We just have to be able to run the ball better. You can’t become one dimensional and expect win a football game." (UH)
About their trip to Hawaii, McBride said:
"It was a great trip. We stayed in the prettiest place in the world over at Turtle Bay. You couldn’t ask for a better experience for our players. They came in here and played tough football. It’s a game we could’ve won. But give them (Hawaii) credit. They out-played us in the second half. I’m happy to come here and play. I love the people of this state." (UH)
"You couldn't ask for a better experience for our players. They came in here and played tough football. It's a game we could've won but . . . you can't become one-dimensional and expect to win a football game." (SLT)
.
---------------- Quotes from the Weber State players ------------------------
About how it was nice to see his father (who was diagnosed a month ago with thyroid cancer and has had 3 surgeries and ongoing radiation treatments) in the stands, Cameron Higgins said:
"I looked around and there he was. It was just nice to see him there." (HA)
About seeing his father after the game, Higgins said:
"He was happy. That's all that mattered." (HA)
About playing in Aloha Stadium, Higgins said:
"It was an adrenaline rush just to get back out here." (HSB)
About how their offense was very effective in the first half, Higgins said:
"We were catching them off guard, mixing it up, five wide, four wide, a lot of play-action here and there. We were able to catch them on their toes." (HSB)
HSB Note: "Higgins finished 14-for-18 for 145 yards in the half as the Wildcats maintained the 10-point lead going into the break, leaving Hawaii running off the field to a chorus of boos from the hometown crowd."
About how UH's D adjusted at halftime to be able to stop them, Higgins said:
"Their defensive coordinators made the right adjustments to stop what we were doing. They were able to buckle down and shut us down." (HSB)
About how he grew up going to UH games and would have loved to play for UH, Higgins said before the game:
"Back then, they were the Rainbows and we used to go to all the games. I loved the atmosphere and the way the Warriors played. I wanted to play for Hawaii, but I had to go wherever there would be a scholarship. Unfortunately, Hawaii didn’t offer me one." (SLT)
"In some ways, I want to show them, show that I could [have] played for the Warriors. There’s some kind of bitterness there." (SLT)
HSB = Honolulu Star-Bulletin
UH = UH Athletics Official Site (http://hawaiiathletics.com)
SLT = Salt Lake Tribune
____________________________________________________
.
---------------- Quotes from the UH coaches ------------------------
About how they played well for a half, Mack said:
"It was certainly two halves of football. Our football team did it the hard way tonight, I’m really proud of them. They really regrouped and came out and played a good second half. It would have been nice to do it the whole ballgame, but it’s still good to get a win." (UH)
"We became a team in the second half. We came back and sucked it up. I’m really proud of our football team and our coaching staff, we came a long way tonight." (UH)
Praising Weber State, Mack said:
"I want to congratulate coach Ron McBride, he did a good job of getting his football team ready to play. They have a very powerful offense. He is an outstanding coach." (UH)
About the fans, Mack said:
"We have the greatest fans in the world. People want us to win so bad, we went into halftime and I think everyone was a little frustrated. I told the guys there is no need to panic, we have a lot of time." (UH)
Praising Tyler, Mack said:
"I really think he's a better person for what he's been through and it showed, on the field, too. He came in and was a gamester." (HA)
"I'm so proud of him." (HA)
"He had to get the team back. He couldn't just show up and they'd respect him. I haven't made it easy on him." (HSB)
"He has done a lot of things personally to get his life back in order. He got himself eligible and he has come along way and I think it showed up on the football field tonight. He gained the respect of his team, the coach and the fans and I think he has respect for himself." (UH)
"I think he gained the respect of his team, I think he gained the respect of the coaching staff and I think he has respect for himself. He did it the hard way and our football team did it the hard way today. ... We sort of became a team in the second half. We were down and out and sucked it up in a tough situation and I'm really proud of our football team and coaching staff." (HSB)
About how Tyler worked hard to get himself the chance to play, Mack said:
"He got himself eligible. We didn't help him at all. He's doing things the right way. You can tell that on the football field. I'm glad he got a hold of himself, and that he's going in the right direction." (HA)
About how they planned to put Alexander in the game if they were ahead by a lot and Tyler in the game if they were struggling, Mack said:
"Offensively I was planning and going with Inoke into the fourth quarter. I talked about if we were ahead I wanted to get Greg and Brent into the ballgame. But if we were behind I wanted to use Tyler and see where he is." (UH)
"That's what we did. I'm glad we made that decision. We made it (before the game) so we wouldn't make any emotional decisions." (HA)
About how Tyler will be the starter against Oregon State, Mack said:
"Tyler Graunke will be starting against Oregon State. He looked pretty good to me tonight. It’s a no brainer." (UH)
"It's a no-brainer, right? I'd have to be a dumb, stupid coach not to play him next week, because he looked pretty good to me." (HSB)
.
About Tyler, Rolo said:
"The guys know he's a winner and that means a lot." (HA)
"He's a competitor. He played his ass off. He gave us a spark." (HA)
.
---------------- Quotes from the UH players ------------------------
Told that Mack said he was proud of him, Tyler said:
"That means a lot to me. Obviously, I lost a lot of people's trust. To earn back the coaches' and players' trust means a lot to me. I love everybody that I play for and everybody that I play with. That's what it's all about — chemistry. We showed that out there. I feel like a new man." (HA)
About how Mack suspended him (and how he was still doing punishment drills after Thursday's practice), Tyler said:
"Coach gave me a life lesson." (HSB)
Feeling that he earned the respect of his teammates, Tyler said:
"I felt like I earned the respect of my teammates, coaches and even myself. I went the hard road to success. And it is a good thing I got my chance this early because it could have been ugly my senior season. It could have been a disaster." (HA)
"I was going downhill and, now, I'm going uphill." (HA)
About how the crowd was behind him when he came into the game, Tyler said:
"It was an awesome feeling just hearing the crowd roar when I stepped onto the field." (HSB)
"It was an awesome feeling, just hearing the crowd roar. I just blocked everything out and just played tonight. I feel like I really matured and I’m a better person now. I thank coach McMackin for everything." (UH)
About how his suspensions has helped him mature, Tyler said:
"I think I've really matured as a person, not just as a football player. I've learned a lot of valuable life lessons and I credit a lot of that to Coach Mack. He's made me a better person and I thank him for that. I've been waiting for that opportunity for a long time." (HSB)
About the hit he took after pitching the ball late in the game, Tyler said:
"I took a hit but I'm on top of the world now." (HA)
About Lane's TD catch on their first drive of the second half, Tyler said:
"It was a choice route, and Malcolm ran right by him. Malcolm is a great receiver." (HA)
Giving credit to his teammates, Tyler said:
"I don't think I played amazing by any means. They had to catch the ball. All I had to do was throw. It's a real team game. That's what I love about football. That's why I play football. Everybody has to do their part to win the game. People want to give me credit because I'm the quarterback. But I never believed in that. I feel I'm a quarterback only because I can throw the ball. These guys have other abilities that I don't have." (HA)
About how the team needed a spark, Tyler said:
"We needed something. Everybody's heads were down. I was thinking 'screw this. We gotta blow this team out.'" (HSB)
About how his teammates were happy when he came into the game, Tyler said:
"I was just played the game the way I know how to play it tonight. I saw the fire in the guys eyes, kind of saying it’s glad to have you back. I knew I had to be calm and poised out there. We played with a lot of poise in the second half.
It feels good to hear that the players have a lot of respect for me. It feels good and very heartwarming. It’s been a long road and a hard road. It was great tonight. It’s a whole new team this year and we are proud out there and we wanted to win this one. It was a halftime decision, I was told I wouldn’t get reps until the bye week. Coach gave me an opportunity and there was some urgency there at halftime. The chemistry on the field in the second half was amazing." (UH)
About how the plan had been to not play him until after the Oregon State game, Tyler said:
"It was totally a halftime decision. When I first got reinstated I was told I wasn't going to get a look until the bye week, and after Oregon State I could get back in there. I guess I showed them enough." (HSB)
About how Bain and Washington have waited for their chance to play, Tyler said:
"People like Aaron, people like Mike, they've been very patient and it shows a lot about the guys' character." (HSB)
About people who doubt their offense, Tyler said:
"Because we have eight new guys on offense, people don’t think we can play like we know what we’re doing. But we know what we’re doing." (HA)
NOT giving credit to Inoke, Tyler said:
"Inoke's a great player and he's been here a long time. But so have I. I think I was able to stay in there and make the third and fourth read." (HSB)
.
Inoke said that he was examined at halftime for a concussion by the doctors and:
"I wasn't 100 percent." (HA)
"I thought I was OK, but the doctors didn't think I was OK. It's a good thing, fortunately, we had Tyler. He was ready." (HA)
.
About being happy when Tyler came into the game, Mike Washington said:
"When T.G. came in, that was like a big, inspirational uplifter. Everybody was waiting -- it's like, man!" (HSB)
"We came out in the second half, no matter who the quarterback was, we had to come out with more intensity, more spiritual lift. Ty gave us that spiritual lift, we just had to go out there and make plays. It felt so relieving and relaxing (out there). It was a deep breath." (HSB)
.
Happy that Tyler was going to be the QB in the 2nd half, Lane (is the locker room divided?) said:
"Just hearing Coach say at halftime, 'Tyler, you're up,' I was ecstatic. He's been my quarterback from the beginning." (HSB)
About how Tyler earned the team's respect, Malcolm Lane said:
"I'm damn sure he won the team's respect with that effort." (HA)
Praising Tyler, Lane said:
"I'm grateful coach Mack believes in him and is giving him a second chance to perform. After everything that happened, Tyler has worked hard to get back on the team. He even furthered that by busting his ass and making plays. Everything was against him. That was adversity. How you deal with that defines what type of person you are, not what you do when things are easy. He came through." (HA)
About his 42-yard TD catch in their first drive of the second half, Lane said:
"He played me bump-and-run. No disrespect to the cornerback, but I thought I could beat him up top. Tyler trusted me. We've been doing that since Day 1. It was like clockwork." (HA)
.
About how they were happy when Tyler came into the game, Aaron Bain said:
"As soon as Tyler came in and got that first drive I knew we were going to start driving the ball. It has been good to have him back. I have a lot of respect for him. He made a difference, even with the crowd, I was glad to be in the huddle with him. I think we weren’t playing up to our ability in the first half. I know if we played our hardest we will be all right." (UH)
"Most definitely, soon as he came in he connected with Malcolm, once he got that in we were rolling. It's good to have him back. ... I'm proud of him now that he's back, we were getting the ball moving, got that fire in our eyes back. You hear the crowd chanting his name. You feel proud, and I'm glad to be in the huddle with this guy." (HSB)
About starting his first game at Aloha Stadium, senior Aaron Bain said:
"Every game is important to me, but starting for the first time, in front of the home crowd, that was really big for me. I was kind of nervous in the beginning, but once you get the first couple of series out of the way, everything is all good. Now that we got all of the jitters out of the way, hopefully we can have a good season." (HA)
About how all of their WRs got the ball, Bain (who had 2 TD catches) said:
"I think the ball was spread out really great. Everybody got a touch on the ball." (HA)
About how they got fired up during halftime, Bain said:
"I think we got the ball rolling late, but we did a good job in the second half. There was a lot of intensity in the locker room, trying to get everybody fired up. Once we got the fire in our eyes back, then the ball started rolling." (HA)
.
About how his fractured left ring finger is sore but will not stop him from playing, Greg Salas said:
"I’m not going to think about it while I’m on the field. I’ll take some Advil before the game." (HA)
.
About his 9 carries for 54 yards, Jayson Rego said:
"It felt really good, I'm thankful the coaches gave me the opportunity. It felt real good." (HSB)
.
About Tyler, John Estes said:
"Tyler is Tyler. People forget he was the starter before Colt was." (HSB)
.
About their adjustments at halftime, Sol said:
"We made a lot of mistakes the first half. The second half Coach made adjustments ... like we're not going to try to out-scheme them or try to do anything fancy. It's going to be a man vs. man game and that's what we did the second half." (HSB)
"In the first half, guys were just trying to make too many big plays. In the second half coach made some adjustments and it worked. It was a man versus man game in the second half and it worked. Everyone in the locker room knew what was going on. We were making mistakes, they weren’t a better team than us. We started playing as a team in the second half. When we play our conference games it’s going to be a lot tougher. We learned we have to come out and start playing our assignments." (UH)
.
About what they did at halftime, Brashton Satele said:
"We just told ourselves to buckle down and do our own assignments. Coach was talking about it the whole week, doing our own assignments. Don't do more than you have to. Just do what you have to do. They had a good first half, driving the ball and stuff. Second half, we came out and stopped them." (HA)
About doing their assignments, Brashton said:
"Coach just tells us to do our jobs and all week we were just prepping for that." (HSB)
"All week we knew we had to do our own job. We finally started doing that in the second half. I think the captains of our team stepped up. They stood up and told us to wake up. We have to stay humble and practice hard every day." (UH)
About blitzing and forcing Higgins to ground the ball during Weber State's first drive of the 2nd half, Brashton said:
"We work on blitzing off the ball. The ball's the trigger." (HA)
Surprised when told he was credited with a sack on the play, Brashton said:
"My first sack." (HA)
About ow they shut down Weber State's offense in the 2nd half, Brashton said:
"That's how we should've been playing the whole game. Good thing we picked it up." (HA)
.
About how the D knew at halftime that they could play a lot better, Monteilh said:
"We knew we could play a lot better, (that) we could play sound football and we accomplished that in second half. In the locker room, we had our word, told everybody we have to be fired up. We have to come out and play Hawai'i football." (HA)
Looking forward to their next game, Monteilh said:
"We got our win, but now we have to focus on Oregon State and we're going to do our thing up there, too." (HA)
About his INT off a ball that Roberts' tipped, where he had to make sure to come down inbounds, Keao Monteilh said:
"They wanted me on 'Dancing With the Stars' but I told them I have to play this year. Calvin did a good job. He's been practicing volleyball. It was a perfect set. That was a Kamanao set." (HA)
"I saw the sideline, so I kind of had to reach out, do a little stutter step. Everybbody told me I should've stopped, turned around and run. But I got no moves, so I just went out of bounds and let the offense take the ball." (HA)
.
About tipping the ball that Monteilh intercepted, Calvin Roberts said:
"I didn't have enough oomph in my feet. I tried to get the pick, but I ended up tipping it to my teammate." (HA)
.
About his first career sack, an 8-yard sack in the second quarter, Erik Robinson said:
"It was a blitz. I saw the opening and I took it and I just shot and made the tackle." (HA)
Happy to be playing after sitting out spring camp due to shoulder surgery, Robinson said:
"It was cool to be out there playing with the ball, moving around and having fun." (HA)
.
---------------- Quotes from the Weber State coaches ------------------------
Praising Tyler, Weber State head coach Ron McBride said:
"He knew all the reads; he made a huge difference." (HA)
About the difference between the first and second halves, McBride said:
"The difference was that Funaki doesn't have all the reads down in the offense. The other guy has a lot of experience and he gave them a lift. They outphysicaled us in the second half. They controlled the line of scrimmage and they controlled the tempo. Sooner or later with their offense, if you don't move the ball they're going to score points on you." (HSB)
"The difference was that (Inoke) Funaki doesn’t have all his reads down in the offense, so he had some problems with it. The other guy (Tyler Graunke) has had a lot of experience in the offence and he gave them a little lift." (UH)
"The difference was that Funaki doesn't have all his reads down in the offense, so he had some problems with it. The other guy [Graunke] has had a lot of experience in the offense and he gave them a lift. They're a good football team. You're not going to hold them down forever." (SLT)
About how UH's DL dominated in the second half, preventing them from keeping the ball away from UH's offense like they did in the first half, McBride said:
"Offensively, they out-physicaled us in the second half. We didn't run the ball well to establish the line of scrimmage. They controlled the line of scrimmage and they controlled the tempo. Sooner or later with their offense, if you don't move the ball on offense and you don't get a rhythm, they're going to score on you." (SLT)
About the key penalty they had to extend Tyler's first drive, McBride said:
The first drive of the third quarter is really important and we had a late hit on the quarterback. Those things make a difference and they’re a good football team. You’re not going to hold them down forever. Offensively they outphysicaled us in the second half. We didn’t run the ball well enough to establish the line of scrimmage. They controlled the line of scrimmage and they controlled the tempo. Sooner or later with their offense, if you don’t move the ball on offense and you don’t get in a rhythm, they’re going to score on you." (UH)
Praising Higgins, McBride said:
"He's played in real competitive situations, so he's a proven commodity. He's a good player. We just have to be able to run the ball better so that the pass game can get open." (HSB)
"He’s (Cameron Higgins) a good player. He’s played in real competitive situations so he’s a proven commodity. We just have to be able to run the ball better. You can’t become one dimensional and expect win a football game." (UH)
About their trip to Hawaii, McBride said:
"It was a great trip. We stayed in the prettiest place in the world over at Turtle Bay. You couldn’t ask for a better experience for our players. They came in here and played tough football. It’s a game we could’ve won. But give them (Hawaii) credit. They out-played us in the second half. I’m happy to come here and play. I love the people of this state." (UH)
"You couldn't ask for a better experience for our players. They came in here and played tough football. It's a game we could've won but . . . you can't become one-dimensional and expect to win a football game." (SLT)
.
---------------- Quotes from the Weber State players ------------------------
About how it was nice to see his father (who was diagnosed a month ago with thyroid cancer and has had 3 surgeries and ongoing radiation treatments) in the stands, Cameron Higgins said:
"I looked around and there he was. It was just nice to see him there." (HA)
About seeing his father after the game, Higgins said:
"He was happy. That's all that mattered." (HA)
About playing in Aloha Stadium, Higgins said:
"It was an adrenaline rush just to get back out here." (HSB)
About how their offense was very effective in the first half, Higgins said:
"We were catching them off guard, mixing it up, five wide, four wide, a lot of play-action here and there. We were able to catch them on their toes." (HSB)
HSB Note: "Higgins finished 14-for-18 for 145 yards in the half as the Wildcats maintained the 10-point lead going into the break, leaving Hawaii running off the field to a chorus of boos from the hometown crowd."
About how UH's D adjusted at halftime to be able to stop them, Higgins said:
"Their defensive coordinators made the right adjustments to stop what we were doing. They were able to buckle down and shut us down." (HSB)
About how he grew up going to UH games and would have loved to play for UH, Higgins said before the game:
"Back then, they were the Rainbows and we used to go to all the games. I loved the atmosphere and the way the Warriors played. I wanted to play for Hawaii, but I had to go wherever there would be a scholarship. Unfortunately, Hawaii didn’t offer me one." (SLT)
"In some ways, I want to show them, show that I could [have] played for the Warriors. There’s some kind of bitterness there." (SLT)
Samson Satele got MAJOR props from his teammates
MH Note: "Miami's best blocker? Center Samson Satele, Crowder said."
Jason Ferguson predicts Satele will be a Pro Bowler:
''because you won't find anyone more athletic playing center.'' (MH)
MH Note: Satele said Ferguson has taught him more than did ex-Dolphin Keith Traylor, ''who was doing his own thing.''"
Jason Ferguson predicts Satele will be a Pro Bowler:
''because you won't find anyone more athletic playing center.'' (MH)
MH Note: Satele said Ferguson has taught him more than did ex-Dolphin Keith Traylor, ''who was doing his own thing.''"
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Deseret News article on Weber State's players from Hawaii
DN = Deseret News
About how he really wants to beat UH, Cody Nakamura said:
"I'm pretty excited about it. I really want to win. I'm going over there for business. I'm not going over there for a little party or anything like that, a vacation. I really want to beat on them a little bit." (DN)
About how he isn't upset at UH for not recruiting him, Cameron Higgins said:
"I kind of wanted to go there, but I really just wanted to go where ever I could get a scholarship — take some of the financial troubles off my parents. I ended up here (at WSU) and luckily we're playing them, so it worked out. It will be a great homecoming and it should be a fun experience." (DN)
About how they decided to take this game against UH in "December or January", Weber State coach McBride said:
"When we took the game, it wasn't an ideal game for us to take. All the pluses outweigh the minuses. Before I'm done here, I want the players to have the opportunity to see what's over there and see the beauty of it, and to have a chance to do something they wouldn't ordinarily get the chance to do." (DN)
About how UH is tough to beat at home, McBride said:
"They're a tough team, even tougher at home, they don't lose at home. They beat the best teams in the country over there, it doesn't matter who it is. It will be a tough game for us. I know that. We'll get a chance to see how mature we are. It will be interesting." (DN)
Confident they can beat UH, Nakamura said:
"They're the same size, the same quickness, the same speed. It's all mental. If we do the things we're supposed to like any other game, we should win. I'm excited. I can't wait. I'm losing sleep." (DN)
DN Note: "Aloha Stadium should have a strong Weber State presence tonight. Higgins' father bought about 50 tickets to the game. Nakamura said his friends are bugging him for Weber State T-shirts so that they can "represent Weber State instead of Hawaii.""
About how he really wants to beat UH, Cody Nakamura said:
"I'm pretty excited about it. I really want to win. I'm going over there for business. I'm not going over there for a little party or anything like that, a vacation. I really want to beat on them a little bit." (DN)
About how he isn't upset at UH for not recruiting him, Cameron Higgins said:
"I kind of wanted to go there, but I really just wanted to go where ever I could get a scholarship — take some of the financial troubles off my parents. I ended up here (at WSU) and luckily we're playing them, so it worked out. It will be a great homecoming and it should be a fun experience." (DN)
About how they decided to take this game against UH in "December or January", Weber State coach McBride said:
"When we took the game, it wasn't an ideal game for us to take. All the pluses outweigh the minuses. Before I'm done here, I want the players to have the opportunity to see what's over there and see the beauty of it, and to have a chance to do something they wouldn't ordinarily get the chance to do." (DN)
About how UH is tough to beat at home, McBride said:
"They're a tough team, even tougher at home, they don't lose at home. They beat the best teams in the country over there, it doesn't matter who it is. It will be a tough game for us. I know that. We'll get a chance to see how mature we are. It will be interesting." (DN)
Confident they can beat UH, Nakamura said:
"They're the same size, the same quickness, the same speed. It's all mental. If we do the things we're supposed to like any other game, we should win. I'm excited. I can't wait. I'm losing sleep." (DN)
DN Note: "Aloha Stadium should have a strong Weber State presence tonight. Higgins' father bought about 50 tickets to the game. Nakamura said his friends are bugging him for Weber State T-shirts so that they can "represent Weber State instead of Hawaii.""
Feature on Inoke
About how he didn't understand the language well when he first started his mission in the Dominican Republic (he had just 5 weeks of language training), Inoke said:
"You're out there, and guys are saying stuff, and you're like, 'huh? What? I don't understand? You're speaking too fast." (HA)
HA Note: "There were some who "weren't welcoming," choosing to make fun of Funaki. But he refused to give up on a pledge he made when he was younger, "when the light went on," and he knew it was his destiny to serve a two-year mission."
About the Morman church's training center in Santo Domingo, Inoke said:
"For five weeks, we learned the basics. It's so funny. When you get out there to the country, all of a sudden you feel you didn't learn anything. There's a lot of pressure. They teach you a little bit, and then you do your thing." (HA)
About how he eventually became fluent in Spanish, Inoke said:
"I learned how to read and write in Spanish. Imagine, you're out there two years. That's all you speak. It's eventually going to come." (HA)
HA Note: "Mastering the language helped him to offer advice to families torn apart by alcohol abuse. He helped build houses. For the next two years, he did everything except toss a football."
About how he was sad when his mission was ending, Inoke said:
"I enjoyed being there. I was thinking: What am I going to do?" (HA)
About how he felt out of place when he returned to the North Shore, Inoke said:
"Spanish words would come to my mind. I would be thinking in Spanish, and I would have to adjust. It took a while to get back into it." (HA)
About how he had to think of his future when he returned home after his mission, Inoke said:
"When I got home, the whole perspective changed. For the two years, you're thinking about other people, how you can help them. You don't think about yourself. Now that I was back, it's like, 'What do I have to do in life to progress, to move forward?' I was nervous. I know a lot of missionaries come back, and they're kind of lost. It's: 'Now what?' " (HA)
HA Note: "Soon after, Funaki received a call from Dan Morrison, who was UH's quarterbacks coach. Morrison assured Funaki that the Warriors would honor the scholarship offer made in 2002."
About playing football after his mission, Inoke said:
"I heard stories about guys coming back and not being able to get back to where they were in high school. Sometimes they lose the drive. Sometimes coaches lose trust." (HA)
About the pressure of being the starting QB at Kahuku, Inoke said:
"You experience a lot of pressure playing for Kahuku. The people love their football team. There's a lot of pride and tradition over there." (HA)
About now being the starting QB at UH, Inoke said:
"I know about the quarterbacks before me — my own coach Rolo (Nick Rolovich), and Timmy (Chang) and Colt and even Tyler (Graunke). They set high standards. There are big shoes to fill. I feel when they throw me out on the field, I'm not playing for me. I feel I'm playing for the guys around me, and for the state. That's motivation for me." (HA)
"You're out there, and guys are saying stuff, and you're like, 'huh? What? I don't understand? You're speaking too fast." (HA)
HA Note: "There were some who "weren't welcoming," choosing to make fun of Funaki. But he refused to give up on a pledge he made when he was younger, "when the light went on," and he knew it was his destiny to serve a two-year mission."
About the Morman church's training center in Santo Domingo, Inoke said:
"For five weeks, we learned the basics. It's so funny. When you get out there to the country, all of a sudden you feel you didn't learn anything. There's a lot of pressure. They teach you a little bit, and then you do your thing." (HA)
About how he eventually became fluent in Spanish, Inoke said:
"I learned how to read and write in Spanish. Imagine, you're out there two years. That's all you speak. It's eventually going to come." (HA)
HA Note: "Mastering the language helped him to offer advice to families torn apart by alcohol abuse. He helped build houses. For the next two years, he did everything except toss a football."
About how he was sad when his mission was ending, Inoke said:
"I enjoyed being there. I was thinking: What am I going to do?" (HA)
About how he felt out of place when he returned to the North Shore, Inoke said:
"Spanish words would come to my mind. I would be thinking in Spanish, and I would have to adjust. It took a while to get back into it." (HA)
About how he had to think of his future when he returned home after his mission, Inoke said:
"When I got home, the whole perspective changed. For the two years, you're thinking about other people, how you can help them. You don't think about yourself. Now that I was back, it's like, 'What do I have to do in life to progress, to move forward?' I was nervous. I know a lot of missionaries come back, and they're kind of lost. It's: 'Now what?' " (HA)
HA Note: "Soon after, Funaki received a call from Dan Morrison, who was UH's quarterbacks coach. Morrison assured Funaki that the Warriors would honor the scholarship offer made in 2002."
About playing football after his mission, Inoke said:
"I heard stories about guys coming back and not being able to get back to where they were in high school. Sometimes they lose the drive. Sometimes coaches lose trust." (HA)
About the pressure of being the starting QB at Kahuku, Inoke said:
"You experience a lot of pressure playing for Kahuku. The people love their football team. There's a lot of pride and tradition over there." (HA)
About now being the starting QB at UH, Inoke said:
"I know about the quarterbacks before me — my own coach Rolo (Nick Rolovich), and Timmy (Chang) and Colt and even Tyler (Graunke). They set high standards. There are big shoes to fill. I feel when they throw me out on the field, I'm not playing for me. I feel I'm playing for the guys around me, and for the state. That's motivation for me." (HA)
Pregame UH-Weber State quotes
About how the Weber State game is important to the Warriors, Mack said:
"This is an important game for us." (HA)
HA Note: "McMackin has implored the Warriors to remain focused. Wednesday's practice was McMackin's most vocal."
About how they use a four-wide offense sometimes instead of just the power-I formation, McBride said:
"We're a little more spread out now. That's what college football is about. It's not a smash-mouth game now. You have to spread it out and find an easier way to get yourself into the end zone. It's not time of possession. You can have less time of possession and score a lot of points." (HA)
About QB Higgins, who is 5-3 as a starting QB, offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven said:
"He had a few struggles, but he has an unbelievable desire to get better. He really worked hard in the offseason to get himself ready physically and mentally." (HA)
Praising "The Beast" Ryan Eastman, DL coach Chad Kauha'aha'a (a Baldwin grad) said:
"We're really impressed with him. He does a lot of good things. He's come on strong for a true freshman. That's why he's playing." (HA)
About how they didn't worry about Eastman's height, Kauha'aha'a said:
"If that were the case, we wouldn't look at him. We looked at his motor, his work ethic and his heart. We're happy to have him. He's going to do a lot of good things now and in the future." (HA)
About how he walks like an old man but can run so fast, LWJ said:
"My parents, my cousins, everybody in my family, said I walk like my grand-daddy. I like the way I walk. It's deceptive. It's like, 'Look, he's tired.' Then all of a sudden I run." (HA)
About how he's been working on running lower and strengthening his legs, LWJ said:
"I'm trying to get my legs stronger, toner. I want to get them conditioned." (HA)
About using Desmond Thomas instead of Erik Robinson at safety in most passing situations when they use 5 DBs, Rich Miano said:
"He's a veteran. He knows what to do." (HA)
About how he likes the 5-2-2-2 scheme for returning kickoffs, with DT Meatoga and DE Clore at the 15 yard line, special teams coordinator Ikaika Malloe said:
"I always like bigger guys on the wedge. Hopefully, we can get the size matchup with bigger guys blocking smaller guys." (HA)
About how Meatoga or Clore will have to return a kickoff, Malloe said:
"Those big guys catch kicks every day. If we have to catch (the short kicks), we'll catch them. They're big, but they're athletic guys. They could easily play tight end." (HA)
About how he could return a kickoff, 305-pound Meatoga said:
"That would be cool. I'll just cover up the ball and run." (HA)
About the Inoke vs. Higgins matchup, St. Louis grade Monteilh said:
"They've been talking about this being a Saint Louis and Kahuku battle. "This time I'm going to have to go with Kahuku. ... This is the only time." (HSB)
About how his players will be motivated to play against Weber State, Mack said:
"I know these players, I believe in these players and I believe they know what they're in for. I believe they'll be ready to play and we'll find out Saturday." (HSB)
Praising Weber State's offense, Mack said:
"They could play in the WAC on offense. They always have a good plan and they're a little bit different for every team they play." (HSB)
About how they use a base 4-3 defense but throw in lots of blitzes, Weber State DL coach Chad Kauhaahaa said:
"We try to get after it and especially going against the team speed Hawaii has and the size and the strength, there's no sense in us standing right in front of them. We have to move around to try to be successful against these guys." (HSB)
About how they want to keep Weber State returner Eteuati contained, Malloe said:
"We never want him to sit there and catch the ball and give him time to think." (HSB)
HSB Note: "McMackin served as defensive coordinator at Utah in 1990 and '91, McBride's first two seasons as the Utes' head coach. They'll pace opposite sidelines tonight and the adjustments they make could dictate the course of the game."
About the game, Weber State QB Cameron Higgins said:
"It's going to be kind of a chess match. I think what we have to do to win is just by scheme and concepts." (HSB)
About Warrior fans, Mack said:
"I think they're realistic. This isn't an easy schedule and Hawaii fans are more educated than anywhere I've been. I think they're smart. They knew we weren't going to go 14-0." (HSB)
"This is an important game for us." (HA)
HA Note: "McMackin has implored the Warriors to remain focused. Wednesday's practice was McMackin's most vocal."
About how they use a four-wide offense sometimes instead of just the power-I formation, McBride said:
"We're a little more spread out now. That's what college football is about. It's not a smash-mouth game now. You have to spread it out and find an easier way to get yourself into the end zone. It's not time of possession. You can have less time of possession and score a lot of points." (HA)
About QB Higgins, who is 5-3 as a starting QB, offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven said:
"He had a few struggles, but he has an unbelievable desire to get better. He really worked hard in the offseason to get himself ready physically and mentally." (HA)
Praising "The Beast" Ryan Eastman, DL coach Chad Kauha'aha'a (a Baldwin grad) said:
"We're really impressed with him. He does a lot of good things. He's come on strong for a true freshman. That's why he's playing." (HA)
About how they didn't worry about Eastman's height, Kauha'aha'a said:
"If that were the case, we wouldn't look at him. We looked at his motor, his work ethic and his heart. We're happy to have him. He's going to do a lot of good things now and in the future." (HA)
About how he walks like an old man but can run so fast, LWJ said:
"My parents, my cousins, everybody in my family, said I walk like my grand-daddy. I like the way I walk. It's deceptive. It's like, 'Look, he's tired.' Then all of a sudden I run." (HA)
About how he's been working on running lower and strengthening his legs, LWJ said:
"I'm trying to get my legs stronger, toner. I want to get them conditioned." (HA)
About using Desmond Thomas instead of Erik Robinson at safety in most passing situations when they use 5 DBs, Rich Miano said:
"He's a veteran. He knows what to do." (HA)
About how he likes the 5-2-2-2 scheme for returning kickoffs, with DT Meatoga and DE Clore at the 15 yard line, special teams coordinator Ikaika Malloe said:
"I always like bigger guys on the wedge. Hopefully, we can get the size matchup with bigger guys blocking smaller guys." (HA)
About how Meatoga or Clore will have to return a kickoff, Malloe said:
"Those big guys catch kicks every day. If we have to catch (the short kicks), we'll catch them. They're big, but they're athletic guys. They could easily play tight end." (HA)
About how he could return a kickoff, 305-pound Meatoga said:
"That would be cool. I'll just cover up the ball and run." (HA)
About the Inoke vs. Higgins matchup, St. Louis grade Monteilh said:
"They've been talking about this being a Saint Louis and Kahuku battle. "This time I'm going to have to go with Kahuku. ... This is the only time." (HSB)
About how his players will be motivated to play against Weber State, Mack said:
"I know these players, I believe in these players and I believe they know what they're in for. I believe they'll be ready to play and we'll find out Saturday." (HSB)
Praising Weber State's offense, Mack said:
"They could play in the WAC on offense. They always have a good plan and they're a little bit different for every team they play." (HSB)
About how they use a base 4-3 defense but throw in lots of blitzes, Weber State DL coach Chad Kauhaahaa said:
"We try to get after it and especially going against the team speed Hawaii has and the size and the strength, there's no sense in us standing right in front of them. We have to move around to try to be successful against these guys." (HSB)
About how they want to keep Weber State returner Eteuati contained, Malloe said:
"We never want him to sit there and catch the ball and give him time to think." (HSB)
HSB Note: "McMackin served as defensive coordinator at Utah in 1990 and '91, McBride's first two seasons as the Utes' head coach. They'll pace opposite sidelines tonight and the adjustments they make could dictate the course of the game."
About the game, Weber State QB Cameron Higgins said:
"It's going to be kind of a chess match. I think what we have to do to win is just by scheme and concepts." (HSB)
About Warrior fans, Mack said:
"I think they're realistic. This isn't an easy schedule and Hawaii fans are more educated than anywhere I've been. I think they're smart. They knew we weren't going to go 14-0." (HSB)
Feature on Weber State coach Ron McBride
About how he had his team stay at Turtle Bay and avoids Waikiki, McBride said:
"There's too many distractions. We'll stay on the North Shore, where it's quiet. I don't want any disturbance, I want everything quiet. I don't want them to have anywhere to go." (HSB)
About how some of his teammates want to go to Waikiki, Cameron Higgins said:
"A lot of the guys want to go to Waikiki and see the sights and stuff. But we're just here for business, not really a vacation." (HSB)
About how the Florida game motivated them to get ready for this week, Monteilh said:
"We know we could have done a lot better, so we're ready. We practiced our butts off this past week and just want to get out there and play and show the state that we've got what it takes. We know (the Wildcats) can play and they've got some local kids who want to prove themselves." (HSB)
After arriving at Aloha Stadium on Thursday, former St. Louis QB Higgins said:
"This brings back some memories. It gives you the chills." (HSB)
"There's too many distractions. We'll stay on the North Shore, where it's quiet. I don't want any disturbance, I want everything quiet. I don't want them to have anywhere to go." (HSB)
About how some of his teammates want to go to Waikiki, Cameron Higgins said:
"A lot of the guys want to go to Waikiki and see the sights and stuff. But we're just here for business, not really a vacation." (HSB)
About how the Florida game motivated them to get ready for this week, Monteilh said:
"We know we could have done a lot better, so we're ready. We practiced our butts off this past week and just want to get out there and play and show the state that we've got what it takes. We know (the Wildcats) can play and they've got some local kids who want to prove themselves." (HSB)
After arriving at Aloha Stadium on Thursday, former St. Louis QB Higgins said:
"This brings back some memories. It gives you the chills." (HSB)
Info on UH's new radio deal
Ferd published details of UH's new radio deal with Blow-up LLC (ESPN 1420) in the HA:
Ferd Note: "The total annual value is pegged at $442,666. The previous deal's combined value was $400,000. The contract with ESPN 1420 runs from Aug. 1, 2008 through June 30, 2011."
Ferd Note: "UH will receive cash bonuses ranging from $50 to $1,000 per victory if its teams exceed specified performance levels. For example, UH will receive an additional $1,000 for each football victory above 7 and $150 for each men's basketball victory exceeding 15. If the football team goes to a non-Bowl Championship Series game, UH receives $2,000. For a BCS game the payment is $5,000. NCAA appearances by its teams earn UH $500 bonuses. UH would also earn bonuses for conference championships in most sports."
Ferd Note: "The total annual value is pegged at $442,666. The previous deal's combined value was $400,000. The contract with ESPN 1420 runs from Aug. 1, 2008 through June 30, 2011."
Ferd Note: "UH will receive cash bonuses ranging from $50 to $1,000 per victory if its teams exceed specified performance levels. For example, UH will receive an additional $1,000 for each football victory above 7 and $150 for each men's basketball victory exceeding 15. If the football team goes to a non-Bowl Championship Series game, UH receives $2,000. For a BCS game the payment is $5,000. NCAA appearances by its teams earn UH $500 bonuses. UH would also earn bonuses for conference championships in most sports."
Friday, September 5, 2008
Other quotes from the local papers
About AhSoon's unique squat, with his open hands chest high, OL coach Brian Smith said:
"That frog squat? "I didn't teach him that one. It shows his flexibility. That's always a good thing for an offensive lineman to have." (HA)
Asked where he learned that squat technique, AhSoon said:
"Yoga? Nah, kidding. I wanted to get lower than the (defensive lineman). Know when you just figure something out? This (stance) just happened. For me, it's comfortable. I guess I'm just blessed to be flexible." (HA)
About how AhSoon's move to starting LT is a temporary one, Smith said:
"Once Laupepa is healthy, Keith will move back (to left guard). I think our team is better with (AhSoon) at guard." (HA)
About moving between LG and LT, AhSoon said:
"I'll do whatever helps the team." (HA)
About how he's been working hard to be able to help the team in different roles, JoPierre (J.P.) Davis said:
"I'm trying to stay focused. I want to get better every day." (HA)
HA Note: "It was a little more than a year ago when Davis appeared to be lost in paradise. A heralded recruit from the Bay Area, Davis struggled to adjust to running back and cornerback. His playing time dipped below the Rudy Line. And then, Davis figured it out. Athleticism meant little without technique. He also found that special teams offered promise and was not a burial ground for football careers."
About the importance of special teams, Davis said:
"Special teams is big. I started noticing it. You can be a playmaker on special teams." (HA)
About how his role models for special teams were Timo Paepule and Keenan Jones, Davis said:
"I learned a lot from them. You have to be hungry. I'm not one of those guys who wants to go through the motions. I want to make plays." (HA)
HA Note: "Davis is on three of the six special-team units. He is the gunner on punts, a front-line player on punt returns and an outside sprinter on kickoffs. Ikaika Malloe, who coordinates special teams, selected Davis as captain of the punt and punt return units. Davis makes the blocking and directional calls on the field."
About naming Davis captain for two of their special teams units, Malloe said:
"Sometimes when you put a leadership role on a person, he tends to rise higher. (Davis has) taken it all on his shoulders. I think people will be excited to see J.P. Davis playing on the field, and the excitement he brings." (HA)
About Davis on punt coverage, Malloe said:
"he's the guy I wanted to put at the point of attack. He's the gunner. He can make a play." (HA)
About Davis' career at CB for UH, Rich Miano said:
"He'll play and be successful this year. But he's the future." (HA)
HA Note: "Miano said Davis has improved in bending his knees on his dropbacks and using controlled aggression in jamming receivers."
About how Davis has been learning the proper technique, Miano said:
"He's a different cat. He's so big and fast and strong. It's been a long, arduous process of getting him to do his technique, to work on his fundamentals, to discipline himself and not rely (only) on his athleticism. He's starting to pull it all together." (HA)
About how Davis has been working hard to improve, Mack said:
"He's doing an outstanding job. He's working hard. He's a guy who needed to continue to grow up. That's our job, to help them along, not only on the field but off the field. He's been coming along. Off the field, he's going in the right direction. He's making good progress." (HA)
Saddened about the death of Kanalu Young, professor for UH's Center for Hawaiian Studies, who also wrote the e'o na toa chant used by the Warriors, JJ said:
"He was a great person. This is really sad." (HA)
About how they have sold 27,200 season-ticket packages already, a big increase over the 22,900 sold last year, UH associate AD John McNamara said:
"Given the substantial increase over last year, we're thrilled at this point. It's very encouraging and it's a credit to the football program and the leadership of Coach McMackin." (HSB)
HSB Note: "The count for the Weber State game was approximately 33,000 yesterday afternoon and with walk-up sales and the print-at-home option, McNamara said the turnout for the home opener could approach 40,000 by game time. McNamara said sales of Manoa Maniacs memberships to UH students has jumped to 927 so far, up from 527 last year."
About working at slotback and RB in practice, Pilares said:
"It puts more responsibility on me to go out there and work harder. It felt good being able to do both. I just try to make the best of whatever opportunities I have." (HSB)
About how they have to get the ball to Pilares (who had just 1 catch vs. Florida), Ron Lee said:
"We have to give him the ball. He's got to touch the ball 10, 12 times." (HSB)
About what he did when the team was in Florida, Dustin Blount said:
"I was in the weight room working hard, came out here (to the practice field) doing a little 7-on-7 trying to familiarize myself with the plays." (HSB)
About how Blount is still learning their offense but will get some playing time, Ron Lee said:
"He's still learning it, he's got a ways to go, but he'll see some action. He'll get better the more reps he gets. Definitely quick as a cat." (HSB)
HSB Note: "A rights fee increase means more money for every school in the conference. No official word on how much, but the grapevine says each school can expect to bring in $300,000-$600,000 per year; before the extension, each school got only around $50,000 a year. But before Hawaii fans get too excited about all this, they should remember one thing: Whenever the Warriors are on ESPN a lot, the athletic department could lose money. Because UH sports dominate this broadcast market, the Warriors, Rainbows and Wahine enjoy lucrative local media deals unlike any other in the WAC, and maybe beyond. Even in tough economic times, advertising for UH sports has been the closest thing there is to an easy sell in that tough business. Unless a football game must be moved to a different day to accommodate ESPN, there is no immediate financial dividend for being chosen to appear nationally. Language in UH's recently completed contract with KFVE includes a refund provision of rights fees to the local network if it loses too many opportunities to ESPN."
"That frog squat? "I didn't teach him that one. It shows his flexibility. That's always a good thing for an offensive lineman to have." (HA)
Asked where he learned that squat technique, AhSoon said:
"Yoga? Nah, kidding. I wanted to get lower than the (defensive lineman). Know when you just figure something out? This (stance) just happened. For me, it's comfortable. I guess I'm just blessed to be flexible." (HA)
About how AhSoon's move to starting LT is a temporary one, Smith said:
"Once Laupepa is healthy, Keith will move back (to left guard). I think our team is better with (AhSoon) at guard." (HA)
About moving between LG and LT, AhSoon said:
"I'll do whatever helps the team." (HA)
About how he's been working hard to be able to help the team in different roles, JoPierre (J.P.) Davis said:
"I'm trying to stay focused. I want to get better every day." (HA)
HA Note: "It was a little more than a year ago when Davis appeared to be lost in paradise. A heralded recruit from the Bay Area, Davis struggled to adjust to running back and cornerback. His playing time dipped below the Rudy Line. And then, Davis figured it out. Athleticism meant little without technique. He also found that special teams offered promise and was not a burial ground for football careers."
About the importance of special teams, Davis said:
"Special teams is big. I started noticing it. You can be a playmaker on special teams." (HA)
About how his role models for special teams were Timo Paepule and Keenan Jones, Davis said:
"I learned a lot from them. You have to be hungry. I'm not one of those guys who wants to go through the motions. I want to make plays." (HA)
HA Note: "Davis is on three of the six special-team units. He is the gunner on punts, a front-line player on punt returns and an outside sprinter on kickoffs. Ikaika Malloe, who coordinates special teams, selected Davis as captain of the punt and punt return units. Davis makes the blocking and directional calls on the field."
About naming Davis captain for two of their special teams units, Malloe said:
"Sometimes when you put a leadership role on a person, he tends to rise higher. (Davis has) taken it all on his shoulders. I think people will be excited to see J.P. Davis playing on the field, and the excitement he brings." (HA)
About Davis on punt coverage, Malloe said:
"he's the guy I wanted to put at the point of attack. He's the gunner. He can make a play." (HA)
About Davis' career at CB for UH, Rich Miano said:
"He'll play and be successful this year. But he's the future." (HA)
HA Note: "Miano said Davis has improved in bending his knees on his dropbacks and using controlled aggression in jamming receivers."
About how Davis has been learning the proper technique, Miano said:
"He's a different cat. He's so big and fast and strong. It's been a long, arduous process of getting him to do his technique, to work on his fundamentals, to discipline himself and not rely (only) on his athleticism. He's starting to pull it all together." (HA)
About how Davis has been working hard to improve, Mack said:
"He's doing an outstanding job. He's working hard. He's a guy who needed to continue to grow up. That's our job, to help them along, not only on the field but off the field. He's been coming along. Off the field, he's going in the right direction. He's making good progress." (HA)
Saddened about the death of Kanalu Young, professor for UH's Center for Hawaiian Studies, who also wrote the e'o na toa chant used by the Warriors, JJ said:
"He was a great person. This is really sad." (HA)
About how they have sold 27,200 season-ticket packages already, a big increase over the 22,900 sold last year, UH associate AD John McNamara said:
"Given the substantial increase over last year, we're thrilled at this point. It's very encouraging and it's a credit to the football program and the leadership of Coach McMackin." (HSB)
HSB Note: "The count for the Weber State game was approximately 33,000 yesterday afternoon and with walk-up sales and the print-at-home option, McNamara said the turnout for the home opener could approach 40,000 by game time. McNamara said sales of Manoa Maniacs memberships to UH students has jumped to 927 so far, up from 527 last year."
About working at slotback and RB in practice, Pilares said:
"It puts more responsibility on me to go out there and work harder. It felt good being able to do both. I just try to make the best of whatever opportunities I have." (HSB)
About how they have to get the ball to Pilares (who had just 1 catch vs. Florida), Ron Lee said:
"We have to give him the ball. He's got to touch the ball 10, 12 times." (HSB)
About what he did when the team was in Florida, Dustin Blount said:
"I was in the weight room working hard, came out here (to the practice field) doing a little 7-on-7 trying to familiarize myself with the plays." (HSB)
About how Blount is still learning their offense but will get some playing time, Ron Lee said:
"He's still learning it, he's got a ways to go, but he'll see some action. He'll get better the more reps he gets. Definitely quick as a cat." (HSB)
HSB Note: "A rights fee increase means more money for every school in the conference. No official word on how much, but the grapevine says each school can expect to bring in $300,000-$600,000 per year; before the extension, each school got only around $50,000 a year. But before Hawaii fans get too excited about all this, they should remember one thing: Whenever the Warriors are on ESPN a lot, the athletic department could lose money. Because UH sports dominate this broadcast market, the Warriors, Rainbows and Wahine enjoy lucrative local media deals unlike any other in the WAC, and maybe beyond. Even in tough economic times, advertising for UH sports has been the closest thing there is to an easy sell in that tough business. Unless a football game must be moved to a different day to accommodate ESPN, there is no immediate financial dividend for being chosen to appear nationally. Language in UH's recently completed contract with KFVE includes a refund provision of rights fees to the local network if it loses too many opportunities to ESPN."
Feature story on Jon Medeiros
About his summer job as a maintenance worker at UH, Medeiros earned spending money by:
"cutting grass, sweeping up rubbish, painting." (HA)
Praising Medeiros, UH WR coach Craig Stutzmann said:
"The first thing that sticks out is that he gives 100 percent effort all the time. He sells out by diving for the ball, he works his butt off in blocking, he's always in meetings, he's always stopping by the office to watch film, and I think he epitomizes what a hard-working walk-on can do." (HA)
About how Medeiros is a "pretty solid No. 2" behind Mike Washington, Stutzmann said:
"For him to come along this far is a testament to how hard he's worked in the offseason. Playing the way he did against Florida, coming in and showing he can run the routes, catch the ball and not be fazed by the magnitude of the game, it really gives him an edge over some of the guys." (HA)
About how he watched the Florida game from his bed because pneumonia prevented him from traveling to the game, Stutzmann said:
"Watching on TV, it's very limited, but from what I saw, he worked back to the ball and he didn't quit on the plays. That's a big thing, especially with a guy like (quarterback) Inoke (Funaki) in the backfield at quarterback. He's going to create a lot of plays, and he'll scramble a lot, and as a receiver you kind of get frustrated when you run your route and the ball's not out. But it's a whole other thing. You have to come back to the ball. If you're a deep receiver, you have to come back to the ball. And if you're the short receiver, you have to burst up the sideline and really look for that scramble ability, and I think he did a great job. One ball, Inoke threw and it looked like it was going to be intercepted, and (Jon) caught the ball and turned it upfield." (HA)
HA Note: "Against Florida, Medeiros made two catches for 32 yards, including a long of 24 yards."
Medeiros said that facing Florida was a:
"big challenge because I haven't played in a game since high school. I got a little playing time last year, but it was rare. It was intense." (HA)
Medeiros went to Western Oregon after he graduated from Kapolei High School because his SAT scores were not high enough to get him into UH, but he said that teh $17,000 annual tuition was:
"tough, it was a struggle, so I decided to transfer back home. I came home and thought, why not take my shot at football? So far I feel like it's working out pretty well." (HA)
About working over the summer while also participating in their summer workouts, Medeiros said:
"It wasn't that bad, but we also had summer workouts, so it kind of took a toll on my body." (HA)
HA Note: "Every day Medeiros woke up at 4:30 a.m., caught a ride with teammate Po'okela Ahmad, and did team workouts at 6:30 a.m. After that it was straight to work until 3 p.m., when he again joined the team for 7-on-7 afternoon drills."
About how Bain, Pilares, and Linkner are his closest friends on the team (besides former high school teammates Ahmad and Toilolo), which helps him on and off the field, Medeiros said:
"It's comfortable for me, because (Bain) is my friend, we can talk about stuff off the field, too. Whatever he sees that I don't see, he tells me about." (HA)
About how he almost had to play QB in last year's Scout Bowl when the Green Team drafted both available QBs, Medeiros (a former QB) said he was happy when one of the QBs was traded:
"I was like, thanking God. "Ever since I was young I wanted to be a receiver, but for some reason, in Pop Warner they put me at quarterback and I was like 'Why?' and it just carried on from there." (HA)
"cutting grass, sweeping up rubbish, painting." (HA)
Praising Medeiros, UH WR coach Craig Stutzmann said:
"The first thing that sticks out is that he gives 100 percent effort all the time. He sells out by diving for the ball, he works his butt off in blocking, he's always in meetings, he's always stopping by the office to watch film, and I think he epitomizes what a hard-working walk-on can do." (HA)
About how Medeiros is a "pretty solid No. 2" behind Mike Washington, Stutzmann said:
"For him to come along this far is a testament to how hard he's worked in the offseason. Playing the way he did against Florida, coming in and showing he can run the routes, catch the ball and not be fazed by the magnitude of the game, it really gives him an edge over some of the guys." (HA)
About how he watched the Florida game from his bed because pneumonia prevented him from traveling to the game, Stutzmann said:
"Watching on TV, it's very limited, but from what I saw, he worked back to the ball and he didn't quit on the plays. That's a big thing, especially with a guy like (quarterback) Inoke (Funaki) in the backfield at quarterback. He's going to create a lot of plays, and he'll scramble a lot, and as a receiver you kind of get frustrated when you run your route and the ball's not out. But it's a whole other thing. You have to come back to the ball. If you're a deep receiver, you have to come back to the ball. And if you're the short receiver, you have to burst up the sideline and really look for that scramble ability, and I think he did a great job. One ball, Inoke threw and it looked like it was going to be intercepted, and (Jon) caught the ball and turned it upfield." (HA)
HA Note: "Against Florida, Medeiros made two catches for 32 yards, including a long of 24 yards."
Medeiros said that facing Florida was a:
"big challenge because I haven't played in a game since high school. I got a little playing time last year, but it was rare. It was intense." (HA)
Medeiros went to Western Oregon after he graduated from Kapolei High School because his SAT scores were not high enough to get him into UH, but he said that teh $17,000 annual tuition was:
"tough, it was a struggle, so I decided to transfer back home. I came home and thought, why not take my shot at football? So far I feel like it's working out pretty well." (HA)
About working over the summer while also participating in their summer workouts, Medeiros said:
"It wasn't that bad, but we also had summer workouts, so it kind of took a toll on my body." (HA)
HA Note: "Every day Medeiros woke up at 4:30 a.m., caught a ride with teammate Po'okela Ahmad, and did team workouts at 6:30 a.m. After that it was straight to work until 3 p.m., when he again joined the team for 7-on-7 afternoon drills."
About how Bain, Pilares, and Linkner are his closest friends on the team (besides former high school teammates Ahmad and Toilolo), which helps him on and off the field, Medeiros said:
"It's comfortable for me, because (Bain) is my friend, we can talk about stuff off the field, too. Whatever he sees that I don't see, he tells me about." (HA)
About how he almost had to play QB in last year's Scout Bowl when the Green Team drafted both available QBs, Medeiros (a former QB) said he was happy when one of the QBs was traded:
"I was like, thanking God. "Ever since I was young I wanted to be a receiver, but for some reason, in Pop Warner they put me at quarterback and I was like 'Why?' and it just carried on from there." (HA)
QBs and WRs trying to get in sync
About how the QBs and WRs need to trust each other to get in sync, Ron Lee said:
"I think we're going to be all right as soon as we start trusting each other. (Wednesday and yesterday) they threw the ball to where they were supposed to throw it and the receivers were making the plays. It takes a little bit of time offensively to trust in each other." (HSB)
About how their WRs have been working hard in practice, Bain said:
"Coming off a loss we're just trying to pick ourselves back up. Everybody's been turning it up a notch. We have to have faith in what the coaches have been doing and have faith in each other." (HSB)
About how the WRs have done especially well in practice this week, Ron Lee said:
"I thought they had their best week of practice. ... The guys are all competitive guys, proud guys, and they were bothered by the way they played. So they're anxious." (HSB)
About how Tyler has been getting practice reps and getting up to speed, Ron Lee said that:
"by the time we play Oregon State (next week) he'll be really competitive." (HSB)
Note: Alexander and Tyler have both been getting reps at the #2 QB.
"I think we're going to be all right as soon as we start trusting each other. (Wednesday and yesterday) they threw the ball to where they were supposed to throw it and the receivers were making the plays. It takes a little bit of time offensively to trust in each other." (HSB)
About how their WRs have been working hard in practice, Bain said:
"Coming off a loss we're just trying to pick ourselves back up. Everybody's been turning it up a notch. We have to have faith in what the coaches have been doing and have faith in each other." (HSB)
About how the WRs have done especially well in practice this week, Ron Lee said:
"I thought they had their best week of practice. ... The guys are all competitive guys, proud guys, and they were bothered by the way they played. So they're anxious." (HSB)
About how Tyler has been getting practice reps and getting up to speed, Ron Lee said that:
"by the time we play Oregon State (next week) he'll be really competitive." (HSB)
Note: Alexander and Tyler have both been getting reps at the #2 QB.
Feature on the UH special teams units
About how their special teams has learned from the Florida game, special teams coordinator Ikaika Malloe said:
"The thing Florida helped us do ... was help us learn how to get better. How to correct the mistakes on offense, defense and special teams, for me personally. I think when the special teams saw it on film, I think they were excited. They were excited to know the direction we're heading, how the scheme fits and see it on film. So I think we're excited to go back on the field on Saturday and do what it's supposed to look like." (HSB)
About how they have worked to correct the mistakes they made on special teams against Florida, Mack said:
"We had the two mistakes on special teams, both costly, and we've worked on that and worked on all of our special teams. (But) I've moved on. We've moved on, we have to. ... I don't care about anything that happened in the Florida game. All I care about is Weber State. That's all this football team cares about." (HSB)
About Weber State's returner Bryant Eteuati, their career leader in punt return yardage who averages nearly 28 yards per kickoff return in his career, Malloe said:
"He knows how to use his blocks, he's a legit 4.5 guy, he's a big-time track runner. But I think what makes him special is he uses his blocks to his advantage. Just by his angles he puts his blockers in the way of our coverage guys. We've been working a lot on coverage lanes and I think we'll be pleased on Saturday with our execution." (HSB)
About how they have to work hard on special teams vs. Weber State, JoPierre Davis said:
"If you slack off they're going to put points on the board like last week. Last week it was 14-0 and we were still battling and then we get a punt return and it changed the whole outlook of the game. We have to hone in and it's about making plays." (HSB)
Comparing Weber State's returner to Florida's returner, Malloe said:
"(Eteuati and James) are the same types of runners in terms of style, so the bottom line is kick the ball away from No. 6 and cover, keep the ball inside and in front of us." (HSB)
HSB Note: "On the other end, UH is looking to build on a productive performance from its returners. Junior receiver Jovonte Taylor led the Warriors in all-purpose yards last week, racking up 57 on three kickoff returns. Taylor didn't practice yesterday after hurting his knee in Wednesday's practice, but McMackin expects him to be ready tomorrow. Ryan Mouton, who appears in a two-page photo in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, had 79 return yards last week."
About how they have to block better for their returners, Malloe said:
"We have to do a good job in terms of giving them room to run. Once we give them room to run by the front line doing their job, I think you'll see what our returners really can do." (HSB)
"The thing Florida helped us do ... was help us learn how to get better. How to correct the mistakes on offense, defense and special teams, for me personally. I think when the special teams saw it on film, I think they were excited. They were excited to know the direction we're heading, how the scheme fits and see it on film. So I think we're excited to go back on the field on Saturday and do what it's supposed to look like." (HSB)
About how they have worked to correct the mistakes they made on special teams against Florida, Mack said:
"We had the two mistakes on special teams, both costly, and we've worked on that and worked on all of our special teams. (But) I've moved on. We've moved on, we have to. ... I don't care about anything that happened in the Florida game. All I care about is Weber State. That's all this football team cares about." (HSB)
About Weber State's returner Bryant Eteuati, their career leader in punt return yardage who averages nearly 28 yards per kickoff return in his career, Malloe said:
"He knows how to use his blocks, he's a legit 4.5 guy, he's a big-time track runner. But I think what makes him special is he uses his blocks to his advantage. Just by his angles he puts his blockers in the way of our coverage guys. We've been working a lot on coverage lanes and I think we'll be pleased on Saturday with our execution." (HSB)
About how they have to work hard on special teams vs. Weber State, JoPierre Davis said:
"If you slack off they're going to put points on the board like last week. Last week it was 14-0 and we were still battling and then we get a punt return and it changed the whole outlook of the game. We have to hone in and it's about making plays." (HSB)
Comparing Weber State's returner to Florida's returner, Malloe said:
"(Eteuati and James) are the same types of runners in terms of style, so the bottom line is kick the ball away from No. 6 and cover, keep the ball inside and in front of us." (HSB)
HSB Note: "On the other end, UH is looking to build on a productive performance from its returners. Junior receiver Jovonte Taylor led the Warriors in all-purpose yards last week, racking up 57 on three kickoff returns. Taylor didn't practice yesterday after hurting his knee in Wednesday's practice, but McMackin expects him to be ready tomorrow. Ryan Mouton, who appears in a two-page photo in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, had 79 return yards last week."
About how they have to block better for their returners, Malloe said:
"We have to do a good job in terms of giving them room to run. Once we give them room to run by the front line doing their job, I think you'll see what our returners really can do." (HSB)
Quotes about Weber State
About the local food he wanted yesterday, St. Louis grad Cameron Higgins said:
"I wanted a Zip-Pac from Zippy's." (HA)
HA Note: "The wish was fulfilled, thanks to Bulla and Lynette Eastman, parents of Wildcat defensive tackle Ryan "The Beast" Eastman. The Eastmans brought 90 Zip-Pacs — a plate lunch featuring chicken, teriyaki beef and Spam over furikake rice — and refreshments for the visiting players and coaches."
About how his local players wanted local food, Weber State coach Ron McBride said:
"We asked (the Hawai'i-raised) players what they wanted to do, and they all said: 'Get a plate lunch.' We wanted a little local flavor right away." (HA)
HA Note: "The Wildcats' roster also has a local flavor. There are 10 players with Hawai'i ties. Defensive line coach Chad Kauha'aha'a is a Baldwin High graduate. During his 16 years as a head coach, including a stint at Utah, McBride created a recruiting base in Hawai'i. McBride once looked at videotape of a 260-pound fullback and decided he would be a tailback at Utah. Even the recruit's family disagreed with that assessment. But Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala went on to have a successful career as a Utah tailback and an NFL running back."
About how he wanted Fuamatu-Ma'afala to be a tailback, McBride said:
"Right from the beginning, we wanted him to be a tailback." (HA)
About the increased competition in Hawaii for recruits, McBride said:
"It's harder (to recruit) over here now. There are so many people recruiting (here). Before, it was Utah, BYU, Washington and Oregon. Now you come over here, and everybody's here. It's people from all over — Penn State, Wisconsin. But there are enough good players here. And there are more Polynesians in the coaching profession. You have more people with ties over here." (HA)
McBride is in his 4th season at Weber State and said that he still has the "love" for coaching, but:
"what I'd like to do is build this program into something special, and then kind of go into the twilight." (HA)
About how Weber State has had their "struggles", McBride said:
"We're not there. We're getting closer. ... Obviously, this game will be a good test for us to see if we're decent and we can stand up to a good, physically hard-nosed football team." (HA)
About how Higgins is their leader, Ryan Eastman said:
"He's being a team leader. He's doing that role now and he prepares for every practice, for every game. He doesn't goof off at all. He hits the weight room. He does everything a leader should." (HSB)
About facing UH, Higgins said:
"Just treating it like another game. It's not really a homecoming. You've just got to treat it like any other game. Just be focused a little bit more." (HSB)
About how the players from Hawaii are excited to play at Aloha Stadium, Ryan Eastman said:
"We're all just excited to go back home to say to our family and friends and our coaches, if they come to the game, thank you. Thank you for getting us this far." (HSB)
About how Ryan tackled him during their first practice, forgetting that QBs were off limits, Higgins said:
"He tackled me and Coach (Ron McBride) just went off on him. Later in the locker room I was like, 'I thought we Saint Louis boys. I thought you weren't going to hit me.' " (HSB)
About getting chewed out for the hit, Ryan said:
"Yeah, I did it, but it was worth it. It was funny." (HSB)
About how he got a chance to evaluate his brother Jeremy (starting QB at Saint Louis) a couple of weeks ago when Jeremy's game was broadcast on the Internet, Cameron Higgins said:
"He was all right. I can't let him get too cocky. Can't give him too much praise or else it will go to his head." (HSB)
About how he remembers the shutout loss to Punahou in an ILH playoff game that he played at Aloha Stadium during his senior year, Higgins said:
"We didn't play well. I got hurt in the third quarter and couldn't come back in and that was it." (HSB)
HSB Note: "His backup at the time was Jeremiah Masoli, who is now a quarterback at Oregon and saw extensive playing time last week against Washington."
About how he tells people that the starting QB at Oregon was his backup in high school, Higgins said while laughing:
"Yeah, I tell everyone up here he was my backup." (HSB)
About the Weber State offense, Higgins said:
"We'll do a little bit of everything. We'll spread it out at times, we'll go two tight ends and two running backs, and we'll play smash-mouth football a little bit. From there, we'll see what happens." (HSB)
HSB Note: "Weber State landed in Honolulu yesterday afternoon and headed straight to Aloha Stadium for practice, where 80 Zip-Pacs - courtesy of freshman defensive tackle and Saint Louis grad Ryan Eastman's family - awaited the Wildcats."
About the Zip-Pacs, Higgins said:
"That's exactly what I was craving on the plane. We were hyping Zippy's up, the chicken, the rice. No more rice in Utah." (HSB)
About how he met the Weber State team and his former coach (McBride) at the Stadium yesterday, Chris Fuamatu-Maafala said:
"It was good to talk about the college days. He was just making fun of me and how when we were studying tape I would always be late." (HSB)
"I wanted a Zip-Pac from Zippy's." (HA)
HA Note: "The wish was fulfilled, thanks to Bulla and Lynette Eastman, parents of Wildcat defensive tackle Ryan "The Beast" Eastman. The Eastmans brought 90 Zip-Pacs — a plate lunch featuring chicken, teriyaki beef and Spam over furikake rice — and refreshments for the visiting players and coaches."
About how his local players wanted local food, Weber State coach Ron McBride said:
"We asked (the Hawai'i-raised) players what they wanted to do, and they all said: 'Get a plate lunch.' We wanted a little local flavor right away." (HA)
HA Note: "The Wildcats' roster also has a local flavor. There are 10 players with Hawai'i ties. Defensive line coach Chad Kauha'aha'a is a Baldwin High graduate. During his 16 years as a head coach, including a stint at Utah, McBride created a recruiting base in Hawai'i. McBride once looked at videotape of a 260-pound fullback and decided he would be a tailback at Utah. Even the recruit's family disagreed with that assessment. But Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala went on to have a successful career as a Utah tailback and an NFL running back."
About how he wanted Fuamatu-Ma'afala to be a tailback, McBride said:
"Right from the beginning, we wanted him to be a tailback." (HA)
About the increased competition in Hawaii for recruits, McBride said:
"It's harder (to recruit) over here now. There are so many people recruiting (here). Before, it was Utah, BYU, Washington and Oregon. Now you come over here, and everybody's here. It's people from all over — Penn State, Wisconsin. But there are enough good players here. And there are more Polynesians in the coaching profession. You have more people with ties over here." (HA)
McBride is in his 4th season at Weber State and said that he still has the "love" for coaching, but:
"what I'd like to do is build this program into something special, and then kind of go into the twilight." (HA)
About how Weber State has had their "struggles", McBride said:
"We're not there. We're getting closer. ... Obviously, this game will be a good test for us to see if we're decent and we can stand up to a good, physically hard-nosed football team." (HA)
About how Higgins is their leader, Ryan Eastman said:
"He's being a team leader. He's doing that role now and he prepares for every practice, for every game. He doesn't goof off at all. He hits the weight room. He does everything a leader should." (HSB)
About facing UH, Higgins said:
"Just treating it like another game. It's not really a homecoming. You've just got to treat it like any other game. Just be focused a little bit more." (HSB)
About how the players from Hawaii are excited to play at Aloha Stadium, Ryan Eastman said:
"We're all just excited to go back home to say to our family and friends and our coaches, if they come to the game, thank you. Thank you for getting us this far." (HSB)
About how Ryan tackled him during their first practice, forgetting that QBs were off limits, Higgins said:
"He tackled me and Coach (Ron McBride) just went off on him. Later in the locker room I was like, 'I thought we Saint Louis boys. I thought you weren't going to hit me.' " (HSB)
About getting chewed out for the hit, Ryan said:
"Yeah, I did it, but it was worth it. It was funny." (HSB)
About how he got a chance to evaluate his brother Jeremy (starting QB at Saint Louis) a couple of weeks ago when Jeremy's game was broadcast on the Internet, Cameron Higgins said:
"He was all right. I can't let him get too cocky. Can't give him too much praise or else it will go to his head." (HSB)
About how he remembers the shutout loss to Punahou in an ILH playoff game that he played at Aloha Stadium during his senior year, Higgins said:
"We didn't play well. I got hurt in the third quarter and couldn't come back in and that was it." (HSB)
HSB Note: "His backup at the time was Jeremiah Masoli, who is now a quarterback at Oregon and saw extensive playing time last week against Washington."
About how he tells people that the starting QB at Oregon was his backup in high school, Higgins said while laughing:
"Yeah, I tell everyone up here he was my backup." (HSB)
About the Weber State offense, Higgins said:
"We'll do a little bit of everything. We'll spread it out at times, we'll go two tight ends and two running backs, and we'll play smash-mouth football a little bit. From there, we'll see what happens." (HSB)
HSB Note: "Weber State landed in Honolulu yesterday afternoon and headed straight to Aloha Stadium for practice, where 80 Zip-Pacs - courtesy of freshman defensive tackle and Saint Louis grad Ryan Eastman's family - awaited the Wildcats."
About the Zip-Pacs, Higgins said:
"That's exactly what I was craving on the plane. We were hyping Zippy's up, the chicken, the rice. No more rice in Utah." (HSB)
About how he met the Weber State team and his former coach (McBride) at the Stadium yesterday, Chris Fuamatu-Maafala said:
"It was good to talk about the college days. He was just making fun of me and how when we were studying tape I would always be late." (HSB)
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Jason Ferguson has been teaching Samson
About how Jason Ferguson has taught him a lot, Samson Satele said:
"He's taught me about leverage, little technique stuff. Thanks to him I can now block him...I ask him a lot of questions. A lot." (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
Note: Ferguson convinced Samson he played too light on his feet.
"He's taught me about leverage, little technique stuff. Thanks to him I can now block him...I ask him a lot of questions. A lot." (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
Note: Ferguson convinced Samson he played too light on his feet.
Tyler was the #2 QB in practice yesterday
About practicing as the #2 QB yesterday, Tyler said:
"I'm happy to be back, and happy the coaches gave me reps. It shows a lot of faith and a lot of trust in me." (HA)
Apologizing for his mistakes, Tyler said:
"I apologize to everybody, especially myself. I apologize to the people of Hawai'i, the coaches, my teammates, pretty much everybody. I know I didn't do my part. That's part of being on a team: doing your part, doing your job. It took me longer than most people to do my job." (HA)
HA Note: "Earlier this year, the fifth-year senior was suspended from participating in the offseason conditioning program because of academic shortfalls. He met those requirements, and was reinstated for spring training. Graunke and Inoke Funaki, a fourth-year junior, exited the 15 spring practices as co-No. 1 quarterbacks. It was announced Aug. 2, two days before veterans were to report to training camp, that Graunke would be withheld from team activities until he dealt with his academic issues."
About how he's had a lot of chances, including those that the public might not know about, Tyler said:
"It's not really my second chance — or my third, or my fourth. I've had a lot of chances. It's really humbling. I didn't realize how lucky I was until I didn't have it any more. It's a real humbling experience. I'm happy to be back with the guys. Every day, every experience with the guys, I'm taking it in, and loving it." (HA)
About how he did in practice, Tyler said:
"It felt OK. The balls weren't really going where I wanted. I didn't have the velocity I expected to come out with. (But) I'm seeing the field well, and taking advantage of the mental reps." (HA)
HA Note: "Graunke showed flashes of promise. During the team drills, head coach Greg McMackin huddled with the defensive starters. Soon after, McMackin called for a double blitz, with safeties Keao Monteilh and Erik Robinson shooting through the B gaps (between the guards and tackles). Graunke accurately read the blitz, and lofted a screen pass to running back Leon Wright-Jackson, who sprinted for a long gain."
About Tyler's experience, Rolo said:
"He knows what he's doing. He has a good feel for it. It's a matter of him getting into better shape." (HA)
About how they gave Tyler a lot of reps yesterday, Rolo said:
"We wanted to see where he was. I thought he did pretty good. I don't think he was lights out, but I think he was on time. He was rusty throwing the ball a little bit. But it's good to have him back. He gives us experience." (HA)
About how he couldn't train fully during the summer because of his school situation, Tyler said about his problems:
"I was frustrated (and) I was a little depressed." (HA)
Tyler said that being reinstated:
"boosted my spirit." (HA)
About Inoke's first college start, Tyler said:
"He's going to do a good job. It fires me up, seeing his whole career, and how far he's come. He's really a fan favorite, and he makes plays when he goes in there. I'm so proud of the guy. I couldn't feel better about him being able to start." (HA)
Asked when Tyler might play vs. Weber State, Rolo said:
"I don't want Inoke looking over his shoulder. We're going with Inoke until we feel it's time to make a change." (HA)
About being the #2 QB, Tyler said:
"I'm in favor of doing anything that will help us win. If I'm not on the field, I'll help the new guys as much as I can." (HA)
About the reps that they gave Tyler yesterday (Alexander and Brent had no reps), Mack said:
"Inoke's going to start the ballgame and we just wanted to see where Tyler was. We had plenty of reps from Greg (Alexander) and Brent (Rausch) and we know where they're at and Tyler hasn't played for a while. I think he's got some things to work on, he needs to continue to get better, but we just wanted to take a look at him." (HSB)
About how Tyler ran extra sprints after practice, Mack said:
"He's working hard at winning the respect of the football team. I'm really excited about how he has taken care of things. He's really made a move to improve his life and his academic situation and I'm happy for him. I'm glad he has an opportunity to play his senior year." (HSB)
"I'm happy to be back, and happy the coaches gave me reps. It shows a lot of faith and a lot of trust in me." (HA)
Apologizing for his mistakes, Tyler said:
"I apologize to everybody, especially myself. I apologize to the people of Hawai'i, the coaches, my teammates, pretty much everybody. I know I didn't do my part. That's part of being on a team: doing your part, doing your job. It took me longer than most people to do my job." (HA)
HA Note: "Earlier this year, the fifth-year senior was suspended from participating in the offseason conditioning program because of academic shortfalls. He met those requirements, and was reinstated for spring training. Graunke and Inoke Funaki, a fourth-year junior, exited the 15 spring practices as co-No. 1 quarterbacks. It was announced Aug. 2, two days before veterans were to report to training camp, that Graunke would be withheld from team activities until he dealt with his academic issues."
About how he's had a lot of chances, including those that the public might not know about, Tyler said:
"It's not really my second chance — or my third, or my fourth. I've had a lot of chances. It's really humbling. I didn't realize how lucky I was until I didn't have it any more. It's a real humbling experience. I'm happy to be back with the guys. Every day, every experience with the guys, I'm taking it in, and loving it." (HA)
About how he did in practice, Tyler said:
"It felt OK. The balls weren't really going where I wanted. I didn't have the velocity I expected to come out with. (But) I'm seeing the field well, and taking advantage of the mental reps." (HA)
HA Note: "Graunke showed flashes of promise. During the team drills, head coach Greg McMackin huddled with the defensive starters. Soon after, McMackin called for a double blitz, with safeties Keao Monteilh and Erik Robinson shooting through the B gaps (between the guards and tackles). Graunke accurately read the blitz, and lofted a screen pass to running back Leon Wright-Jackson, who sprinted for a long gain."
About Tyler's experience, Rolo said:
"He knows what he's doing. He has a good feel for it. It's a matter of him getting into better shape." (HA)
About how they gave Tyler a lot of reps yesterday, Rolo said:
"We wanted to see where he was. I thought he did pretty good. I don't think he was lights out, but I think he was on time. He was rusty throwing the ball a little bit. But it's good to have him back. He gives us experience." (HA)
About how he couldn't train fully during the summer because of his school situation, Tyler said about his problems:
"I was frustrated (and) I was a little depressed." (HA)
Tyler said that being reinstated:
"boosted my spirit." (HA)
About Inoke's first college start, Tyler said:
"He's going to do a good job. It fires me up, seeing his whole career, and how far he's come. He's really a fan favorite, and he makes plays when he goes in there. I'm so proud of the guy. I couldn't feel better about him being able to start." (HA)
Asked when Tyler might play vs. Weber State, Rolo said:
"I don't want Inoke looking over his shoulder. We're going with Inoke until we feel it's time to make a change." (HA)
About being the #2 QB, Tyler said:
"I'm in favor of doing anything that will help us win. If I'm not on the field, I'll help the new guys as much as I can." (HA)
About the reps that they gave Tyler yesterday (Alexander and Brent had no reps), Mack said:
"Inoke's going to start the ballgame and we just wanted to see where Tyler was. We had plenty of reps from Greg (Alexander) and Brent (Rausch) and we know where they're at and Tyler hasn't played for a while. I think he's got some things to work on, he needs to continue to get better, but we just wanted to take a look at him." (HSB)
About how Tyler ran extra sprints after practice, Mack said:
"He's working hard at winning the respect of the football team. I'm really excited about how he has taken care of things. He's really made a move to improve his life and his academic situation and I'm happy for him. I'm glad he has an opportunity to play his senior year." (HSB)
Feature on Jovonte Taylor
Praising Taylor, Mack said:
"Jovonte is really probably one of our fastest players. And he has a great attitude. He's not intimidated by anything. He went in and made two catches against Florida, and only had two days of practice. He's going to get better and better. I'm really excited about him. He's smart and he's learning the system." (HA)
Mack said that a couple of things Taylor did well in the Florida game were that:
"he came back for the ball and he ran past the Florida corner." (HA)
HA Note: "Taylor had two catches for 28 yards and returned three kickoffs for 57 yards."
About playing at Florida, Taylor said:
"It was wild. The crowd, it was my first time playing in a game like that, so it was a big thing for me." (HA)
About having to watch practice instead of participate while he waited for a grade from an English class to be posted, Taylor said:
"It was hard just to sit there and watch the guys practice, because I'm a team player and I like to be with my guys. And for me to just sit on the sideline, it hurt." (HA)
About how he learned what he could when he watched the practices, Taylor said:
"It really helped in a big way, because I'm catching on really quick. It's a really fast pace, as far as the routes and reading the defense. Malcolm Lane, coach (Craig) Stutzmann, Michael Washington, they really helped me out with everything." (HA)
About how he didn't try to play high school football until his sophomore year when the coach saw him in P.E. class and asked him to play football, Taylor said:
"He came up to me and asked me, 'How would you like to play football?' I said, 'Sure.' The next day I went out there and practiced with them and he saw what I could do. And the next game, I was starting at running back. I went out there my first game and returned a kickoff like 85 yards." (HA)
About how his mother Mattie ran track and his father David played football, Taylor said:
"Speed runs in my family." (HA)
HA Note: "Taylor was the 2007 California Community College 100-meter dash champion, winning in 10.47 seconds. His fastest 100 time is 10.39, which he also ran in 2007."
About how they moved Taylor to wideout from slotback because of his speed, Mack said:
"We just want more speed outside. We have two good outside players in Malcolm Lane and Greg Salas and he gives us another fast guy outside. Ron Lee and Craig Stutzmann are giving Jovonte and Dustin Blount opportunities to learn the system because they are good athletes and can run. They are both fast, quick competitive guys who are going to help us." (HA)
"Jovonte is really probably one of our fastest players. And he has a great attitude. He's not intimidated by anything. He went in and made two catches against Florida, and only had two days of practice. He's going to get better and better. I'm really excited about him. He's smart and he's learning the system." (HA)
Mack said that a couple of things Taylor did well in the Florida game were that:
"he came back for the ball and he ran past the Florida corner." (HA)
HA Note: "Taylor had two catches for 28 yards and returned three kickoffs for 57 yards."
About playing at Florida, Taylor said:
"It was wild. The crowd, it was my first time playing in a game like that, so it was a big thing for me." (HA)
About having to watch practice instead of participate while he waited for a grade from an English class to be posted, Taylor said:
"It was hard just to sit there and watch the guys practice, because I'm a team player and I like to be with my guys. And for me to just sit on the sideline, it hurt." (HA)
About how he learned what he could when he watched the practices, Taylor said:
"It really helped in a big way, because I'm catching on really quick. It's a really fast pace, as far as the routes and reading the defense. Malcolm Lane, coach (Craig) Stutzmann, Michael Washington, they really helped me out with everything." (HA)
About how he didn't try to play high school football until his sophomore year when the coach saw him in P.E. class and asked him to play football, Taylor said:
"He came up to me and asked me, 'How would you like to play football?' I said, 'Sure.' The next day I went out there and practiced with them and he saw what I could do. And the next game, I was starting at running back. I went out there my first game and returned a kickoff like 85 yards." (HA)
About how his mother Mattie ran track and his father David played football, Taylor said:
"Speed runs in my family." (HA)
HA Note: "Taylor was the 2007 California Community College 100-meter dash champion, winning in 10.47 seconds. His fastest 100 time is 10.39, which he also ran in 2007."
About how they moved Taylor to wideout from slotback because of his speed, Mack said:
"We just want more speed outside. We have two good outside players in Malcolm Lane and Greg Salas and he gives us another fast guy outside. Ron Lee and Craig Stutzmann are giving Jovonte and Dustin Blount opportunities to learn the system because they are good athletes and can run. They are both fast, quick competitive guys who are going to help us." (HA)
Feature on RB coach Alex Gerke
Praising coach Gerke, RB Daniel Libre said:
"He's a tough coach, but that's why I like him. He really pushes us. We're in really good shape because of him." (HA)
About how he demands that his RBs work at a fast pace during position drills and does not allow them to stand in the shade, Gerke said:
"The game is basically by fundamentals. You play the game 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical, and everything else falls into place. The mind controls the body. The body doesn't control the mind. If you want guys to be tough, that's how you have to work it. You've got to put the pedal to the metal every day on top of them." (HA)
About how this is the first time he's coached RBs, as he was an OL at Utah and an OL coach before, Gerke said:
"I've been a line guy forever." (HA)
Describing his coaching approach, Gerke said:
"it's just fundamentals. I've never played running back, but if you've coached offensive linemen, you understand what those guys have to do to be a good running back." (HA)
About how Gerke allows open discussions during video sessions, Libre said:
"In meetings, we do that a lot." (HA)
About how Gerke gets the best out of him, LWJ said:
"He gets me to play harder. He gets that little oomph that you have deep down to come out." (HA)
HA Note: "Gerke has helped Wright-Jackson, who is 6 feet 1, run with a lower stride. He also has lobbied for more playing time for unheralded Jayson Rego. Against Florida, Rego made two big blocks, including a true pancake play — he flipped over a pass-rusher."
Praising Rego, Gerke said:
"He's a tough nut. I've said that from day one. I love that kid. I absolutely love him because he'll give you everything he's got." (HA)
About how he was Weber State's assistant head coach in 2006 and 2007, Gerke said:
"I love (head coach) Ron McBride, and I love those players there like they were my own blood, just like the guys here. No matter where you coach, it's how you feel." (HA)
Asked if regrets leaving to coach the Warriors, Gerke said:
"Nope. [This is] a place I felt is one of the top places in the country to coach, if not the best, kind of a Shangri-La thing." (HA)
"He's a tough coach, but that's why I like him. He really pushes us. We're in really good shape because of him." (HA)
About how he demands that his RBs work at a fast pace during position drills and does not allow them to stand in the shade, Gerke said:
"The game is basically by fundamentals. You play the game 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical, and everything else falls into place. The mind controls the body. The body doesn't control the mind. If you want guys to be tough, that's how you have to work it. You've got to put the pedal to the metal every day on top of them." (HA)
About how this is the first time he's coached RBs, as he was an OL at Utah and an OL coach before, Gerke said:
"I've been a line guy forever." (HA)
Describing his coaching approach, Gerke said:
"it's just fundamentals. I've never played running back, but if you've coached offensive linemen, you understand what those guys have to do to be a good running back." (HA)
About how Gerke allows open discussions during video sessions, Libre said:
"In meetings, we do that a lot." (HA)
About how Gerke gets the best out of him, LWJ said:
"He gets me to play harder. He gets that little oomph that you have deep down to come out." (HA)
HA Note: "Gerke has helped Wright-Jackson, who is 6 feet 1, run with a lower stride. He also has lobbied for more playing time for unheralded Jayson Rego. Against Florida, Rego made two big blocks, including a true pancake play — he flipped over a pass-rusher."
Praising Rego, Gerke said:
"He's a tough nut. I've said that from day one. I love that kid. I absolutely love him because he'll give you everything he's got." (HA)
About how he was Weber State's assistant head coach in 2006 and 2007, Gerke said:
"I love (head coach) Ron McBride, and I love those players there like they were my own blood, just like the guys here. No matter where you coach, it's how you feel." (HA)
Asked if regrets leaving to coach the Warriors, Gerke said:
"Nope. [This is] a place I felt is one of the top places in the country to coach, if not the best, kind of a Shangri-La thing." (HA)
AhSoon to start at LT, Ginlack at LG
About how he practiced at LT and LG yesterday due to Letuli and Kia being injured, Ginlack (who said he's more comfortable at LG) said:
"You have to be ready to play anything. I'll do what I can to help the team." (HA)
About how AhSoon will be able to adjust quickly back to LT, Brian Smith said:
"(AhSoon) played there all last year, so the move will be fairly easy for him. It's just cleaning up some of his technique and readjusting to some of the plays. It'll take some extra meeting time and a little extra work on the field, but he'll be fine." (HSB)
HSB Note: "Letuli suffered a shoulder injury last Saturday against Florida and Kia is playing through tendinitis in his knees, which led to a busy morning for Ginlack yesterday."
About practicing with the first team at LG and the second team at LT, Ginlack said:
"It was tiring but it was good reps. The coaches just told me to keep going." (HSB)
About how Ginlack has been constantly improving, Smith said:
"Bula's just kept improving all camp; now we're getting into the season and he's gotten better. He's bought into using your hands well with his punch and that's helped him a lot and I think he'll be ready to go for this weekend." (HSB)
About how they experimented with a lot of different combinations on the OL in camp, AhSoon said:
"A lot of guys were in and out in different spots. It gives everyone a chance to explore and see everything. That's an advantage for them, to get a feel for everything. That's where it pays off, right here. You never know what might happen -- somebody gets hurt and everybody's there to back each other up." (HSB)
HSB Note: "Kia participated in the first half of practice yesterday, but was out of the team periods. He said he's been playing through sore knees since spring practice, but the pain flared up during the Florida game. Although he's been slowed in practice this week, he said he plans to be ready for Saturday's game."
About how he's trying to improve his sore knees, Kia (who brother Micah played with a broken hand in UCLA's win over Tennessee on Monday) said:
"I've been doing everything I can for it. I'm just trusting in the trainers." (HSB)
"You have to be ready to play anything. I'll do what I can to help the team." (HA)
About how AhSoon will be able to adjust quickly back to LT, Brian Smith said:
"(AhSoon) played there all last year, so the move will be fairly easy for him. It's just cleaning up some of his technique and readjusting to some of the plays. It'll take some extra meeting time and a little extra work on the field, but he'll be fine." (HSB)
HSB Note: "Letuli suffered a shoulder injury last Saturday against Florida and Kia is playing through tendinitis in his knees, which led to a busy morning for Ginlack yesterday."
About practicing with the first team at LG and the second team at LT, Ginlack said:
"It was tiring but it was good reps. The coaches just told me to keep going." (HSB)
About how Ginlack has been constantly improving, Smith said:
"Bula's just kept improving all camp; now we're getting into the season and he's gotten better. He's bought into using your hands well with his punch and that's helped him a lot and I think he'll be ready to go for this weekend." (HSB)
About how they experimented with a lot of different combinations on the OL in camp, AhSoon said:
"A lot of guys were in and out in different spots. It gives everyone a chance to explore and see everything. That's an advantage for them, to get a feel for everything. That's where it pays off, right here. You never know what might happen -- somebody gets hurt and everybody's there to back each other up." (HSB)
HSB Note: "Kia participated in the first half of practice yesterday, but was out of the team periods. He said he's been playing through sore knees since spring practice, but the pain flared up during the Florida game. Although he's been slowed in practice this week, he said he plans to be ready for Saturday's game."
About how he's trying to improve his sore knees, Kia (who brother Micah played with a broken hand in UCLA's win over Tennessee on Monday) said:
"I've been doing everything I can for it. I'm just trusting in the trainers." (HSB)
New TV deal between the WAC and ESPN!
About their deal with the WAC, ESPN Senior VP Burke Magnus said:
"The WAC is a significant player on the college landscape and we are thrilled they will call ESPN home through 2016-17. You can not talk championship level teams without including WAC members in that conversation." (HA)
"We too at ESPN are very excited at the prospect of this announcement and the potential that this new agreement and extension holds for our company. As they have provided good content and great ratings for us, we recognize the need to reward them and extend them with certainty in distribution exposure and financial security." (HSB)
HA Note: "ESPN and the Western Athletic Conference have reached a contract extension that will double the amount of football games telecast, feature 300 regular-season games in various sports and cover 45 championship events, including women's volleyball tournaments. The contract runs through the spring of 2017. No financial terms were released."
About how the ESPN deal shows the WAC's importance, Dick Tomey said:
"I think that this is recognition throughout the nation that the WAC is increasing in its quality of play and its national visibility. It's a recognition on the part of ESPN that this is a heck of a conference. So, we're very pleased with that." (HA)
HA Note: "Under the agreement, the number of football telecasts will double per year from eight to a minimum of 16, with at least 10 on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 and at least six on ESPNU. A minimum of nine games will be conference games with an average of five on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. Every school will appear at least once on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. This season, at least two UH games will be on ESPN — Boise State Oct. 17 and either the Nov. 29 Washington State of Dec. 6 Cincinnati game."
About the ESPN deal gives the WAC greater national exposure, WAC commissioner Karl Benson said:
"For the past five years, WAC football has benefited greatly from the exposure it has received from ESPN. The WAC values its relationship with the 'leader in college sports' and is confident that this extension will allow WAC football to continue to be a prominent player in the BCS. But just as important, this deal will finally get the WAC's men's basketball teams the type of national exposure it deserves. And finally, for the first time ever, women's basketball regular season games will be aired on the ESPN networks along with the championship contests for volleyball and women's basketball." (HA)
"For the past five years, WAC football has benefited greatly from the exposure it has received from ESPN. And in turn, the WAC has provided ESPN with some great games and some great ratings." (HSB)
HA Note: "In women's sports, volleyball and basketball championships will be aired on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. It also will air six regular-season events — in volleyball, basketball or softball — this year."
Happy that women's WAC sports, especially volleyball, will be shown on ESPN channels, Dave Shoji said:
"I'm thrilled the WAC and ESPN see an importance of adding more exposure for women's sports on a national level. As the popularity of women's sports has increased by large numbers over the years, we are getting closer to a time when our female athletes get to share the national spotlight with their male counterparts. I'm glad that the WAC has taken proactive steps that will not only help the teams in our conference, but also the growth of women's sports in general." (HA, HSB)
HA Note: "Men's basketball coverage will quadruple the number of games per year with a minimum of six in the regular season on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 (three must be conference games). The WAC championship game and one semifinal will also be shown on one of the three networks. A minimum of six regular-season games each year on ESPNU plus one quarterfinal game from the tournament. Every school will appear at least once on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU."
Benson did not disclose financial terms, but he said:
"it was significant with a significant percentage increase." (HA)
About the additional WAC games that will be on ESPN, and hinting that the WAC traded off more exposure for money now, JD said:
"I think the additional exposure for the WAC is fantastic. It'll have a positive impact on all of the institutions in the WAC. It's a balance between revenue and exposure, and the additional exposure could lead to more revenue. The more exposure you get, we'll get better and better recruits, which leads to better teams and more ticket sales. Branding the WAC is extremely important and ESPN is the biggest brand out there. And for us to have a contract with ESPN, that's going to be huge for the WAC's brand perception." (HSB)
About the success that the WAC has had including BSU and UH's BCS bowls and Fresno State's baseball national championship, Benson said:
"Beginning on Jan. 1, 2007, with Boise State's dramatic win against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl that resulted in both an ESPY and an Emmy, to Hawaii's perfect season last fall and a spot in the 2008 Sugar Bowl ... and of course Fresno State's incredible run to the College World Series and a national championship, to cap it off with this extension with ESPN truly shows the WAC has reestablished itself as one of the premier college sports conferences in the country." (HSB)
"The WAC is a significant player on the college landscape and we are thrilled they will call ESPN home through 2016-17. You can not talk championship level teams without including WAC members in that conversation." (HA)
"We too at ESPN are very excited at the prospect of this announcement and the potential that this new agreement and extension holds for our company. As they have provided good content and great ratings for us, we recognize the need to reward them and extend them with certainty in distribution exposure and financial security." (HSB)
HA Note: "ESPN and the Western Athletic Conference have reached a contract extension that will double the amount of football games telecast, feature 300 regular-season games in various sports and cover 45 championship events, including women's volleyball tournaments. The contract runs through the spring of 2017. No financial terms were released."
About how the ESPN deal shows the WAC's importance, Dick Tomey said:
"I think that this is recognition throughout the nation that the WAC is increasing in its quality of play and its national visibility. It's a recognition on the part of ESPN that this is a heck of a conference. So, we're very pleased with that." (HA)
HA Note: "Under the agreement, the number of football telecasts will double per year from eight to a minimum of 16, with at least 10 on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 and at least six on ESPNU. A minimum of nine games will be conference games with an average of five on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. Every school will appear at least once on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. This season, at least two UH games will be on ESPN — Boise State Oct. 17 and either the Nov. 29 Washington State of Dec. 6 Cincinnati game."
About the ESPN deal gives the WAC greater national exposure, WAC commissioner Karl Benson said:
"For the past five years, WAC football has benefited greatly from the exposure it has received from ESPN. The WAC values its relationship with the 'leader in college sports' and is confident that this extension will allow WAC football to continue to be a prominent player in the BCS. But just as important, this deal will finally get the WAC's men's basketball teams the type of national exposure it deserves. And finally, for the first time ever, women's basketball regular season games will be aired on the ESPN networks along with the championship contests for volleyball and women's basketball." (HA)
"For the past five years, WAC football has benefited greatly from the exposure it has received from ESPN. And in turn, the WAC has provided ESPN with some great games and some great ratings." (HSB)
HA Note: "In women's sports, volleyball and basketball championships will be aired on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. It also will air six regular-season events — in volleyball, basketball or softball — this year."
Happy that women's WAC sports, especially volleyball, will be shown on ESPN channels, Dave Shoji said:
"I'm thrilled the WAC and ESPN see an importance of adding more exposure for women's sports on a national level. As the popularity of women's sports has increased by large numbers over the years, we are getting closer to a time when our female athletes get to share the national spotlight with their male counterparts. I'm glad that the WAC has taken proactive steps that will not only help the teams in our conference, but also the growth of women's sports in general." (HA, HSB)
HA Note: "Men's basketball coverage will quadruple the number of games per year with a minimum of six in the regular season on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 (three must be conference games). The WAC championship game and one semifinal will also be shown on one of the three networks. A minimum of six regular-season games each year on ESPNU plus one quarterfinal game from the tournament. Every school will appear at least once on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU."
Benson did not disclose financial terms, but he said:
"it was significant with a significant percentage increase." (HA)
About the additional WAC games that will be on ESPN, and hinting that the WAC traded off more exposure for money now, JD said:
"I think the additional exposure for the WAC is fantastic. It'll have a positive impact on all of the institutions in the WAC. It's a balance between revenue and exposure, and the additional exposure could lead to more revenue. The more exposure you get, we'll get better and better recruits, which leads to better teams and more ticket sales. Branding the WAC is extremely important and ESPN is the biggest brand out there. And for us to have a contract with ESPN, that's going to be huge for the WAC's brand perception." (HSB)
About the success that the WAC has had including BSU and UH's BCS bowls and Fresno State's baseball national championship, Benson said:
"Beginning on Jan. 1, 2007, with Boise State's dramatic win against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl that resulted in both an ESPY and an Emmy, to Hawaii's perfect season last fall and a spot in the 2008 Sugar Bowl ... and of course Fresno State's incredible run to the College World Series and a national championship, to cap it off with this extension with ESPN truly shows the WAC has reestablished itself as one of the premier college sports conferences in the country." (HSB)
Other quotes from the local papers
# Tendinitis in Aaron Kia's knees has forced another shuffle on the offensive line.
Kia has been filling in for left tackle Laupepa Letuli, who has a sore AC joint in his left shoulder.
About not being able to convince the coaches that he should be allowed to practice yesterday, Libre said:
"I'm dying to practice." (HA)
HA Note: "Nate Nasca did make a move — from right wideout to left wideout. There was talk Nasca would move back to slotback while Pilares filled in for Libre. But Dustin Blount has played so well as the backup to right slotback Aaron Bain, there is no urgency in the speedy Nasca moving to inside receiver."
About how the cast was taken off his left arm last week and he's began rehab to recover from his torn tricep muscle, Rocky Savaiigaea said:
"Coach just told me to be positive, but don't rush it." (HSB)
Kia has been filling in for left tackle Laupepa Letuli, who has a sore AC joint in his left shoulder.
About not being able to convince the coaches that he should be allowed to practice yesterday, Libre said:
"I'm dying to practice." (HA)
HA Note: "Nate Nasca did make a move — from right wideout to left wideout. There was talk Nasca would move back to slotback while Pilares filled in for Libre. But Dustin Blount has played so well as the backup to right slotback Aaron Bain, there is no urgency in the speedy Nasca moving to inside receiver."
About how the cast was taken off his left arm last week and he's began rehab to recover from his torn tricep muscle, Rocky Savaiigaea said:
"Coach just told me to be positive, but don't rush it." (HSB)
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
AP feature article on Inoke
About how he is comfortable in their system, Inoke said:
"I've been in the system a couple years now. There's still a lot of things I need to get good at but overall, I have a pretty good idea of what goes on." (AP)
AP Note: "It will be Funaki's first start since 2001, when he led Kahuku High School to its second straight state title. Raised in the quiet coastal North Shore community of Laie, he will become the first homegrown product to assume the high-profile job since Timmy Chang."
About starting at UH, Inoke said:
"It's nice to be here at home and play for a lot of people I know and play for family and represent a state that raised me. It's exciting." (AP)
Praising Inoke's performance vs. Florida, Mack said:
"Inoke Funaki came in and played his heart out." (AP)
About how Inoke was inspirational in the Florida game, Rolo said:
"He wasn't perfect, but he was inspiring. I think that's something you can't put a price on." (AP)
About what he did on his Mormon mission to the Dominican Republic, Inoke said:
"I would just go out and teach the Gospel. I would go around, meet people, knock on doors and get doors slammed in my face. People would tell me, 'Get out of here.' You just learn to let it go and not hold any grudges. Patience." (AP)
About how Inoke didn't complain when they made him the #3 QB, Mack said:
"When I told him he wasn't the guy, he didn't cry, he didn't whine, he just tried to make the other guys better and when he got his opportunity he made the most of it. And that's why he's going to get his shot." (AP)
About Inoke's leadership, LWJ said:
"He's a leader. He's not really a vocal guy, but you saw him at The Swamp. When he got in, he's just a phenomenal player. He's an athlete. I'm sure he's going to get it done this weekend." (AP)
About Inoke's scrambling ability, Rolo said:
"He's instinctual. That's the best athletes you can find. He brings another dimension to our game." (AP)
AP Note: "Funaki is considered a "gamer," who steps up his game when the bright lights are on. Funaki said it could be the game-time adrenaline or the "sense of urgency" he feels."
About why he doesn't feel the "sense of urgency" in practices that he feels in games, Inoke said:
"Sometimes in practice, because we have the orange jerseys and the coaches say, 'Don't touch us,' you don't feel that urgency. When you're in the game, you know that if you don't get the ball off, someone's going to whack you." (AP)
About how the team needs Inoke now, Rolo said:
"His greatest asset is not his athleticism. It's not his knowledge of the system. It's Inoke Funaki as a person. That's the most important thing for this team right now." (AP)
"I've been in the system a couple years now. There's still a lot of things I need to get good at but overall, I have a pretty good idea of what goes on." (AP)
AP Note: "It will be Funaki's first start since 2001, when he led Kahuku High School to its second straight state title. Raised in the quiet coastal North Shore community of Laie, he will become the first homegrown product to assume the high-profile job since Timmy Chang."
About starting at UH, Inoke said:
"It's nice to be here at home and play for a lot of people I know and play for family and represent a state that raised me. It's exciting." (AP)
Praising Inoke's performance vs. Florida, Mack said:
"Inoke Funaki came in and played his heart out." (AP)
About how Inoke was inspirational in the Florida game, Rolo said:
"He wasn't perfect, but he was inspiring. I think that's something you can't put a price on." (AP)
About what he did on his Mormon mission to the Dominican Republic, Inoke said:
"I would just go out and teach the Gospel. I would go around, meet people, knock on doors and get doors slammed in my face. People would tell me, 'Get out of here.' You just learn to let it go and not hold any grudges. Patience." (AP)
About how Inoke didn't complain when they made him the #3 QB, Mack said:
"When I told him he wasn't the guy, he didn't cry, he didn't whine, he just tried to make the other guys better and when he got his opportunity he made the most of it. And that's why he's going to get his shot." (AP)
About Inoke's leadership, LWJ said:
"He's a leader. He's not really a vocal guy, but you saw him at The Swamp. When he got in, he's just a phenomenal player. He's an athlete. I'm sure he's going to get it done this weekend." (AP)
About Inoke's scrambling ability, Rolo said:
"He's instinctual. That's the best athletes you can find. He brings another dimension to our game." (AP)
AP Note: "Funaki is considered a "gamer," who steps up his game when the bright lights are on. Funaki said it could be the game-time adrenaline or the "sense of urgency" he feels."
About why he doesn't feel the "sense of urgency" in practices that he feels in games, Inoke said:
"Sometimes in practice, because we have the orange jerseys and the coaches say, 'Don't touch us,' you don't feel that urgency. When you're in the game, you know that if you don't get the ball off, someone's going to whack you." (AP)
About how the team needs Inoke now, Rolo said:
"His greatest asset is not his athleticism. It's not his knowledge of the system. It's Inoke Funaki as a person. That's the most important thing for this team right now." (AP)
Miami's coach praises Bess
SFSS = South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Asked if anybody's emergence during training camp surprised him, Miami coach Tony Sparano said:
"Yeah, that's a good question. I think Davone Bess to me and what he did during the course of this training camp, coming from kind of where he came from, meaning the guy wasn't drafted. He was a free agent player, to see what he did. I know Jeff (Ireland) gave kudos to Donald Thomas, but I would say Davone Bess is a guy that I thought did a nice job in this preseason camp and I also think Donald Thomas did an outstanding job. Those type of players, but Bess would be the guy I think for me." (SFSS)
Asked if it is OK to have Ten Ginn returning kickoffs and punts while being the #1 WR, Sparano said:
"I think that in a perfect situation, you really wouldn't want that, but I think if you have a guy labeled, 'Hey, this is your returner and that was his job one way or the other. But our returners are going to come by other positional players. Ted, (Davone) Bess, those types of people." (SFSS)
Asked if anybody's emergence during training camp surprised him, Miami coach Tony Sparano said:
"Yeah, that's a good question. I think Davone Bess to me and what he did during the course of this training camp, coming from kind of where he came from, meaning the guy wasn't drafted. He was a free agent player, to see what he did. I know Jeff (Ireland) gave kudos to Donald Thomas, but I would say Davone Bess is a guy that I thought did a nice job in this preseason camp and I also think Donald Thomas did an outstanding job. Those type of players, but Bess would be the guy I think for me." (SFSS)
Asked if it is OK to have Ten Ginn returning kickoffs and punts while being the #1 WR, Sparano said:
"I think that in a perfect situation, you really wouldn't want that, but I think if you have a guy labeled, 'Hey, this is your returner and that was his job one way or the other. But our returners are going to come by other positional players. Ted, (Davone) Bess, those types of people." (SFSS)
KHNL article on the Warriors
About the Florida loss, Mack said:
"I have no excuses." (KHNL)
About how they have to cut down on turnovers, Mack said:
"We can't have six turnovers and win a ball game, and that's what happened to us." (KHNL)
About how they will make a big improvement by the Weber State game, Mack said:
"You improve the most between your first and second game, I'm glad we played a good football team, and now we have to correct from the mistakes we made." (KHNL)
About Inoke being named the starting QB, Mack said:
"When Inoke was told he was the third guy, he didn't cry, he didn't whine, he just tried to make the other guys better and when he got his opportunity he made the most of it, and that's what I respect about him, and that's why he's going to get his shot." (KHNL)
About how they will still reach their goals, Mack said:
"We're still going to win the WAC and we're still going to win a Bowl game." (KHNL)
"I have no excuses." (KHNL)
About how they have to cut down on turnovers, Mack said:
"We can't have six turnovers and win a ball game, and that's what happened to us." (KHNL)
About how they will make a big improvement by the Weber State game, Mack said:
"You improve the most between your first and second game, I'm glad we played a good football team, and now we have to correct from the mistakes we made." (KHNL)
About Inoke being named the starting QB, Mack said:
"When Inoke was told he was the third guy, he didn't cry, he didn't whine, he just tried to make the other guys better and when he got his opportunity he made the most of it, and that's what I respect about him, and that's why he's going to get his shot." (KHNL)
About how they will still reach their goals, Mack said:
"We're still going to win the WAC and we're still going to win a Bowl game." (KHNL)
Other quotes from the local papers
About adjusting to the RB spot, Pilares said:
"It's going to take a little tim. (But) I felt I knew enough to go out there and do it." (HA)
About how Pilares will eventually be used as a hybrid RB-WR in a special offensive scheme, Mack said:
"We were going to get to that package. We're going to get to it a little earlier (than scheduled)." (HA)
About Kia, the #1 LT with Letuli out with injury, OL coach Brian Smith said:
"He's got a lot of experience. He has good range, long arms." (HA)
About how he has been hindered due to tendinitis in his knees, Kia said:
"It's like inflammation in the tendon." (HA)
About his "iffy" injured shoulder, Letuli said:
"I'll go with the trainers and rehab it as best as possible. We'll see." (HA)
About how they might not redshirt Dustin Blount because Pilares is working at RB and the slotbacks have been inconsistent, with Blount working as the #2 right slotback yesterday, Mack said:
"Dustin has the speed. We want to look at him." (HA)
About the possibility of not redshirting this season, Blount said:
"I'm excited to get a chance." (HA)
About catching passes with a small cast protecting his fractured hand, Greg Salas said:
"It doesn't bother me too much, you're supposed to catch the ball in your fingertips anyway, not your hands." (HSB)
About how Pilares is back at RB now and things are different this year for their RBs, Gerke said:
"He was a back before, but it's different. We demand some more things out of them so don't think it was his easiest day." (HSB)
"It's going to take a little tim. (But) I felt I knew enough to go out there and do it." (HA)
About how Pilares will eventually be used as a hybrid RB-WR in a special offensive scheme, Mack said:
"We were going to get to that package. We're going to get to it a little earlier (than scheduled)." (HA)
About Kia, the #1 LT with Letuli out with injury, OL coach Brian Smith said:
"He's got a lot of experience. He has good range, long arms." (HA)
About how he has been hindered due to tendinitis in his knees, Kia said:
"It's like inflammation in the tendon." (HA)
About his "iffy" injured shoulder, Letuli said:
"I'll go with the trainers and rehab it as best as possible. We'll see." (HA)
About how they might not redshirt Dustin Blount because Pilares is working at RB and the slotbacks have been inconsistent, with Blount working as the #2 right slotback yesterday, Mack said:
"Dustin has the speed. We want to look at him." (HA)
About the possibility of not redshirting this season, Blount said:
"I'm excited to get a chance." (HA)
About catching passes with a small cast protecting his fractured hand, Greg Salas said:
"It doesn't bother me too much, you're supposed to catch the ball in your fingertips anyway, not your hands." (HSB)
About how Pilares is back at RB now and things are different this year for their RBs, Gerke said:
"He was a back before, but it's different. We demand some more things out of them so don't think it was his easiest day." (HSB)
Inoke prepares for his first start
About not worrying about all of the opinions out there, Inoke said:
"Everybody has their opinion on what goes on, and what goes on in the media and what other people say or what other people think, you have no control over that. So I just try to take care of what I do have control over." (HSB)
About how his commitments to church, school, and the Warriors doesn't give him much free time to see what is being said about him, Inoke said:
"I never really have time to get around to sitting down and watching TV. Sometimes I'll talk to some of the boys and they'll be all upset about something they read on the Internet. I just don't really go on the computer at all. I don't even have a MySpace or Facebook (page). I guess I'm old-fashioned you could say." (HSB)
HSB Note: "Funaki is the third quarterback to top the depth chart since the second week of fall camp, following transfers Brent Rausch and Greg Alexander, who started last week's opener at Florida."
About how Inoke's personality is one of his strengths, Rolo said:
"I think his personality is his greatest asset. He's as good a teammate as I've ever been around and I would have loved for him to be my teammate when I played. You never see him real high or low, he's pretty level-headed. When you tell him something and you look him in the eye you can see him processing what you're saying." (HSB)
About what he learned from his 2 years as a missionary in the Dominican Republic, which he called a "university for life", Inoke said:
"It teaches you to grow up and be more mature and handle situations. When I was out there, there were people who didn't like us, they'd chase us away, say mean things. ... You have to learn to continue to have faith and continue to push forward and be positive about the whole thing. In football, things don't always go the way you planned it and you have to have a positive outlook and continue to try to be better and help those around you." (HSB)
Expecting Weber State give them a tough game, Inoke said:
"They have a good team and they're going to come with fire. Especially with the local boys they have. This is their home too and they have something to prove." (HSB)
"Everybody has their opinion on what goes on, and what goes on in the media and what other people say or what other people think, you have no control over that. So I just try to take care of what I do have control over." (HSB)
About how his commitments to church, school, and the Warriors doesn't give him much free time to see what is being said about him, Inoke said:
"I never really have time to get around to sitting down and watching TV. Sometimes I'll talk to some of the boys and they'll be all upset about something they read on the Internet. I just don't really go on the computer at all. I don't even have a MySpace or Facebook (page). I guess I'm old-fashioned you could say." (HSB)
HSB Note: "Funaki is the third quarterback to top the depth chart since the second week of fall camp, following transfers Brent Rausch and Greg Alexander, who started last week's opener at Florida."
About how Inoke's personality is one of his strengths, Rolo said:
"I think his personality is his greatest asset. He's as good a teammate as I've ever been around and I would have loved for him to be my teammate when I played. You never see him real high or low, he's pretty level-headed. When you tell him something and you look him in the eye you can see him processing what you're saying." (HSB)
About what he learned from his 2 years as a missionary in the Dominican Republic, which he called a "university for life", Inoke said:
"It teaches you to grow up and be more mature and handle situations. When I was out there, there were people who didn't like us, they'd chase us away, say mean things. ... You have to learn to continue to have faith and continue to push forward and be positive about the whole thing. In football, things don't always go the way you planned it and you have to have a positive outlook and continue to try to be better and help those around you." (HSB)
Expecting Weber State give them a tough game, Inoke said:
"They have a good team and they're going to come with fire. Especially with the local boys they have. This is their home too and they have something to prove." (HSB)
Calvin Roberts moved ahead of Dowling for the starting CB spot
About being named UH's #1 right CB, Roberts said:
"I'm excited about the situation." (HA)
"I'm excited to go and ready to do my job." (HSB)
About Roberts, who received the highest grade among their CBs in the Florida game, Mack said:
"What I like about him is he worked hard to improve his game. He does what he's supposed to do. He does what he's coached. He works on getting better every day. He's smart. We've seen him steadily improve. Not only that, he's doing very well in school. He just works hard in doing the right things. You've got to give an opportunity to a guy who's going that way." (HA)
About how Dowling will still play in their nickel packages, Mack said:
"Jameel is going to play a lot. Everybody makes a big deal about the quarterback position. We treat every position like that. (Roberts) showed he does his job." (HA)
About the feeling he had after he committed to SJSU in February 2007 and attended spring practice as a spectator, Roberts said:
"I had a sense. It was a tough situation. Tough situations happen all of the time. It's how you deal with them." (HA)
HA Note: "It was April 2007, and he had no prospects. He had turned down a UH offer in January, and now it was out of scholarships."
About how he was scrambling to find a scholarship after SJSU had to pull their scholarship offer due to APR penalties, Roberts said:
"I was e-mailing coaches, left and right, throughout the country. I sent out my highlight tapes. It was pretty scary." (HA)
About how UH eventually offered him a scholarship, Roberts said:
"I'm thankful everything worked out." (HA)
HSB Note: "Roberts was listed as a backup to Ryan Mouton, but was on the field for the Warriors' first series against Florida. UH began the game with five defensive backs, with Mouton shifting to nickelback and Roberts taking his place at corner and Dowling at the other corner."
Praising Roberts, Rich Miano said:
"He's had a great camp and just continues to do things correctly. Calvin showed he's doing it in practice and in games and he deserves a chance." (HSB)
About starting against Florida, Roberts said:
"I was really excited, I had butterflies in my stomach. But once the first play was over I felt kind of relaxed and felt more comfortable about the whole thing." (HSB)
"I'm excited about the situation." (HA)
"I'm excited to go and ready to do my job." (HSB)
About Roberts, who received the highest grade among their CBs in the Florida game, Mack said:
"What I like about him is he worked hard to improve his game. He does what he's supposed to do. He does what he's coached. He works on getting better every day. He's smart. We've seen him steadily improve. Not only that, he's doing very well in school. He just works hard in doing the right things. You've got to give an opportunity to a guy who's going that way." (HA)
About how Dowling will still play in their nickel packages, Mack said:
"Jameel is going to play a lot. Everybody makes a big deal about the quarterback position. We treat every position like that. (Roberts) showed he does his job." (HA)
About the feeling he had after he committed to SJSU in February 2007 and attended spring practice as a spectator, Roberts said:
"I had a sense. It was a tough situation. Tough situations happen all of the time. It's how you deal with them." (HA)
HA Note: "It was April 2007, and he had no prospects. He had turned down a UH offer in January, and now it was out of scholarships."
About how he was scrambling to find a scholarship after SJSU had to pull their scholarship offer due to APR penalties, Roberts said:
"I was e-mailing coaches, left and right, throughout the country. I sent out my highlight tapes. It was pretty scary." (HA)
About how UH eventually offered him a scholarship, Roberts said:
"I'm thankful everything worked out." (HA)
HSB Note: "Roberts was listed as a backup to Ryan Mouton, but was on the field for the Warriors' first series against Florida. UH began the game with five defensive backs, with Mouton shifting to nickelback and Roberts taking his place at corner and Dowling at the other corner."
Praising Roberts, Rich Miano said:
"He's had a great camp and just continues to do things correctly. Calvin showed he's doing it in practice and in games and he deserves a chance." (HSB)
About starting against Florida, Roberts said:
"I was really excited, I had butterflies in my stomach. But once the first play was over I felt kind of relaxed and felt more comfortable about the whole thing." (HSB)
Alex Gerke knows Weber State well
About facing the team he coached last year, Gerke said:
"Another game, can't wait to get after it." (HSB)
HSB Note: "Gerke, who now coaches the Warriors running backs and offensive line, worked at Weber State for two seasons and his connection to WSU coach Ron McBride extends well beyond that. He played for McBride at Utah in the early 1980s and later returned to Salt Lake City for two stints on the Utes' staff."
About his close relationship with Weber State coach Ron McBride, Gerke said:
"He's the main reason I went to Utah back in the day. I played for him, I worked for him. I've been in touch with him not just in the football sense, he's like a father figure." (HSB)
About how his familiarity with Weber State can help their preparation, Gerke said:
"It's just like any coach, you're going to watch the film, see what they do. I understand the personnel a little bit because I coached a lot of those guys up front offensively and went against that defense every day in practice for 21/2 years." (HSB)
"Another game, can't wait to get after it." (HSB)
HSB Note: "Gerke, who now coaches the Warriors running backs and offensive line, worked at Weber State for two seasons and his connection to WSU coach Ron McBride extends well beyond that. He played for McBride at Utah in the early 1980s and later returned to Salt Lake City for two stints on the Utes' staff."
About his close relationship with Weber State coach Ron McBride, Gerke said:
"He's the main reason I went to Utah back in the day. I played for him, I worked for him. I've been in touch with him not just in the football sense, he's like a father figure." (HSB)
About how his familiarity with Weber State can help their preparation, Gerke said:
"It's just like any coach, you're going to watch the film, see what they do. I understand the personnel a little bit because I coached a lot of those guys up front offensively and went against that defense every day in practice for 21/2 years." (HSB)
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Other quotes from the local papers
About how he'll have an MRI to determine how bad his left AC joint injury is, Letuli said:
"It sucks. It feels like I'm always prone to injuries. It's the way it is, I guess." (HA)
HA Note: "Slotback Dustin Blount, a junior-college transfer, was left off the 66-player travel roster to Florida because he was expected to redshirt this season. Those plans have now been canceled. Blount will compete for playing time at slotback."
About how he didn't travel for the Florida game due to his walking pneumonia, with a fever up to 104 degrees, Craig Stutzmann said:
"I was delirious until about (last week) Tuesday." (HA)
"I was (mostly) in my bedroom all week. I didn't get out of bed until Friday evening, maybe." (HA)
About how he did not eat for "three or four days" and lost about 15 pounds, Stutzmann said:
"I'll be fine." (HA)
About how he wants to beat his friend Ron McBride (coach of Weber State, UH's next opponent), Mack said:
"I think the world of Ron but it is like other coaches I know that we have played, you want to kick their tail is what you want to do." (HA)
About how he was called in 1999 and asked if he would take Utah's head coaching job if Ron McBride got the UH job, Mack said:
"I would've gone. Isn't it funny how things work out?" (HSB)
HSB Note: "It was McMackin who wound up in Hawaii instead of McBride, after June Jones answered "deal" to UH's final offer. One of Jones' first calls was to McMackin, asking him to come run the defense. He did it for one year, left, came back last season and is 2-for-2 in WAC championships. McBride lasted at Utah until 2002 (his replacement there was one Urban Meyer) and went to be an assistant at Kentucky."
About McBride, Mack said:
"I coached for Ron McBride for three years, he's a great coach, physical, tough, hard-nosed, he's spread it out a little bit (on offense) ... He's a guy that loves Hawaii, he's got 15 or more Hawaiian kids on his team. They're coming here to make a statement and we need everyone to come to the ballgame and need everybody's help. This isn't going to be as easy of a game as everybody makes it as." (HSB)
About how he's going to complain to the WAC about the head-on helmet collision that LWJ had in the Florida game, Mack said:
"We're going to turn it in to the WAC. Actually I thought the officials (from the Southeastern Conference) did a pretty good job overall. I'm really proud of how our team didn't get many penalties." (HSB)
About how the WAC can't do anything about what happened in the Florida game,
"In a nonconference game, I don't have any jurisdiction. It would be up to the Southeastern Conference to review." (HSB)
HSB Note: "Hawaii was penalized seven times for 60 yards compared to 13 times for 90 yards for Florida."
Joking about Salas' fractured hand, Mack said:
"He caught a touchdown - he might be better. I would have broke (his) other hand (too)." (HSB)
Hoping that Letuli will be able to play against Weber State, Ron Lee said:
"There's a chance he'll be ready. We'll see. We got a couple days of practice to go." (HSB)
HSB Note: "If he isn't, Lee said starting left guard Keith AhSoon or reserve Ray Hisatake could move over to the position to compete with Aaron Kia."
About how he had Alex Gerke (who was coaching at Weber State until he came to UH before this season) talk to the Warriors about the challenge Weber State will give them, Mack said:
"I had him talk to us about the team, and believe me, we're gonna get better and better every week, and we have to play better than we did last week. This is gonna be a tough ballgame." (HSB)
"It sucks. It feels like I'm always prone to injuries. It's the way it is, I guess." (HA)
HA Note: "Slotback Dustin Blount, a junior-college transfer, was left off the 66-player travel roster to Florida because he was expected to redshirt this season. Those plans have now been canceled. Blount will compete for playing time at slotback."
About how he didn't travel for the Florida game due to his walking pneumonia, with a fever up to 104 degrees, Craig Stutzmann said:
"I was delirious until about (last week) Tuesday." (HA)
"I was (mostly) in my bedroom all week. I didn't get out of bed until Friday evening, maybe." (HA)
About how he did not eat for "three or four days" and lost about 15 pounds, Stutzmann said:
"I'll be fine." (HA)
About how he wants to beat his friend Ron McBride (coach of Weber State, UH's next opponent), Mack said:
"I think the world of Ron but it is like other coaches I know that we have played, you want to kick their tail is what you want to do." (HA)
About how he was called in 1999 and asked if he would take Utah's head coaching job if Ron McBride got the UH job, Mack said:
"I would've gone. Isn't it funny how things work out?" (HSB)
HSB Note: "It was McMackin who wound up in Hawaii instead of McBride, after June Jones answered "deal" to UH's final offer. One of Jones' first calls was to McMackin, asking him to come run the defense. He did it for one year, left, came back last season and is 2-for-2 in WAC championships. McBride lasted at Utah until 2002 (his replacement there was one Urban Meyer) and went to be an assistant at Kentucky."
About McBride, Mack said:
"I coached for Ron McBride for three years, he's a great coach, physical, tough, hard-nosed, he's spread it out a little bit (on offense) ... He's a guy that loves Hawaii, he's got 15 or more Hawaiian kids on his team. They're coming here to make a statement and we need everyone to come to the ballgame and need everybody's help. This isn't going to be as easy of a game as everybody makes it as." (HSB)
About how he's going to complain to the WAC about the head-on helmet collision that LWJ had in the Florida game, Mack said:
"We're going to turn it in to the WAC. Actually I thought the officials (from the Southeastern Conference) did a pretty good job overall. I'm really proud of how our team didn't get many penalties." (HSB)
About how the WAC can't do anything about what happened in the Florida game,
"In a nonconference game, I don't have any jurisdiction. It would be up to the Southeastern Conference to review." (HSB)
HSB Note: "Hawaii was penalized seven times for 60 yards compared to 13 times for 90 yards for Florida."
Joking about Salas' fractured hand, Mack said:
"He caught a touchdown - he might be better. I would have broke (his) other hand (too)." (HSB)
Hoping that Letuli will be able to play against Weber State, Ron Lee said:
"There's a chance he'll be ready. We'll see. We got a couple days of practice to go." (HSB)
HSB Note: "If he isn't, Lee said starting left guard Keith AhSoon or reserve Ray Hisatake could move over to the position to compete with Aaron Kia."
About how he had Alex Gerke (who was coaching at Weber State until he came to UH before this season) talk to the Warriors about the challenge Weber State will give them, Mack said:
"I had him talk to us about the team, and believe me, we're gonna get better and better every week, and we have to play better than we did last week. This is gonna be a tough ballgame." (HSB)
Feature on Inoke, now UH's starting QB
About his reaction when he was told on Sunday afternoon that he would be the starter, Inoke said:
"I was definitely surprised." (HA)
About how he reacted positively when he was previously told he was the #3 QB, Inoke said:
"I was raised by my parents to be positive, to be supportive, even if you're not the guy. I learned from my parents that you can still help the team, even if you're not on the field. This is our team. The enemy should be the other team. It can be self-destructive if you're fighting a war amongst your own team. You don't want that. Whoever has the job is going to be the representative for the rest of the team. Attitude determines altitude." (HA)
About the criticism of Inoke's arm strength, Mack said:
"That's the knock on him, that he doesn't have a great arm, that he can't throw the out (pass)." (HA)
About how Alexander and Rausch are taller and have stronger arms, Inoke said:
"That's true. I try to do what I can do." (HA)
HA Note: " But in football parlance, Funaki is a "gamer." That was evident in the spring game, when he threw two scoring passes to lead the Green to a 24-20 victory, and against Florida. Funaki has never been clocked running better than 4.7 over 40 yards. But against Florida, he eluded what is regarded as one of the nation's fastest defenses."
About Inoke's pass to Taylor when he was being chased by a group of Florida players, Mack said:
"He made a super throw." (HA)
About why he plays with more intensity during games than in practices, Inoke said:
"A lot of times, because I have the orange (practice) jersey on, I know no one can hit me. I don't feel the urgency to get the ball off (quickly) or take off running. I notice, a lot of times in the game, they are going to whack me if I don't get the ball off. I feel that urgency, that whole adrenaline. Sometimes the adrenaline really kicks in and helps you, and you throw the ball farther than you normally do. That's definitely motivation when you have big guys chasing you. It's like when a dog is chasing you down the street. All of a sudden, you're booking it. All of a sudden, there's more of a sense of urgency." (HA)
HA Note: "Dan Morrison, the former UH quarterbacks coach, used to implore Funaki to practice with "more urgency." "
About learning from Vince Passas (offensive coordinator at St. Louis) this spring, who also teaches Jeremy Higgins (St. Louis' starting QB and the yonger brother of Weber State's QB), Inoke talked about watching Jeremy's footwork:
"There's always something you can learn, although I felt kind of awkward being the only college guy over there. I'm already the oldest guy on the college campus." (HA)
About how he is 25 years old and his car radio is set to adult-contemporary music, Inoke said:
"I grew up with older sisters. That's my station. They play all of the oldies but goodies." (HA)
"I was definitely surprised." (HA)
About how he reacted positively when he was previously told he was the #3 QB, Inoke said:
"I was raised by my parents to be positive, to be supportive, even if you're not the guy. I learned from my parents that you can still help the team, even if you're not on the field. This is our team. The enemy should be the other team. It can be self-destructive if you're fighting a war amongst your own team. You don't want that. Whoever has the job is going to be the representative for the rest of the team. Attitude determines altitude." (HA)
About the criticism of Inoke's arm strength, Mack said:
"That's the knock on him, that he doesn't have a great arm, that he can't throw the out (pass)." (HA)
About how Alexander and Rausch are taller and have stronger arms, Inoke said:
"That's true. I try to do what I can do." (HA)
HA Note: " But in football parlance, Funaki is a "gamer." That was evident in the spring game, when he threw two scoring passes to lead the Green to a 24-20 victory, and against Florida. Funaki has never been clocked running better than 4.7 over 40 yards. But against Florida, he eluded what is regarded as one of the nation's fastest defenses."
About Inoke's pass to Taylor when he was being chased by a group of Florida players, Mack said:
"He made a super throw." (HA)
About why he plays with more intensity during games than in practices, Inoke said:
"A lot of times, because I have the orange (practice) jersey on, I know no one can hit me. I don't feel the urgency to get the ball off (quickly) or take off running. I notice, a lot of times in the game, they are going to whack me if I don't get the ball off. I feel that urgency, that whole adrenaline. Sometimes the adrenaline really kicks in and helps you, and you throw the ball farther than you normally do. That's definitely motivation when you have big guys chasing you. It's like when a dog is chasing you down the street. All of a sudden, you're booking it. All of a sudden, there's more of a sense of urgency." (HA)
HA Note: "Dan Morrison, the former UH quarterbacks coach, used to implore Funaki to practice with "more urgency." "
About learning from Vince Passas (offensive coordinator at St. Louis) this spring, who also teaches Jeremy Higgins (St. Louis' starting QB and the yonger brother of Weber State's QB), Inoke talked about watching Jeremy's footwork:
"There's always something you can learn, although I felt kind of awkward being the only college guy over there. I'm already the oldest guy on the college campus." (HA)
About how he is 25 years old and his car radio is set to adult-contemporary music, Inoke said:
"I grew up with older sisters. That's my station. They play all of the oldies but goodies." (HA)
Pilares may be moving back to RB due to Libre's injury
About how Pilares will be moving back to RB, Mack said:
"I would know that Kealoha's going to get some time at running back." (HSB)
About how Pilares will be able to adjust quickly back to RB since the offense is the same (the running plays are the same as last year?), Ron Lee said:
"That's kind of his home. We wanted to try him at receiver too, but he can go back to running back. Same stuff, same offense. He knows the running plays." (HSB)
Hopeful that he can practice today or tomorrow, Libre said:
"Feels good. I should be tip-top shape. (The crutches are) just to keep the pressure off of it for now, want it to be as good as possible. I can walk." (HSB)
About how he's hoping to be able to play this Saturday, Libre said:
"I'm planning on it." (HA)
About how he continued to play in the 2nd quarter of the Florida game despite being injured in the first quarter, Libre said:
"It might not have been the best decision, but I was caught up in the moment. I wanted to win. I wanted to help the team win. I didn't want to let them down." (HA)
About how he's down to just one crutch, Libre said:
"I'm only using it because (the trainer) told me to use it. He told me it would help with my recovery." (HA)
About how he had still not been told about how he might be moved back to RB, after yesterday's conditioning drills Pilares said:
"Whatever it is." (HA)
HA Note: "McMackin said there is a possibility that Jake Heun will be available to play. Heun has not practiced since Aug. 4, the first day of training camp, when he suffered a herniated disc. Injuries have affected the depth at running back. David Farmer is sidelined with a sprained right knee. Linebacker Corey Paredes and quarterback Bryce Kalau'oka'a'ea have moved to running back."
HSB Note: "The coach added that junior Jake Heun, who missed much of fall camp with a back injury, could be in the mix at the position. Also, Dave Farmer, who has experience as a starter, said his tweaked knee may be better enough for him to practice this week."
During fall camp, Pilares said that he'd be open to moving back to RB:
"I think I'm more of a slot than a running back, but I'll do both if Coach wants me to." (HSB)
HSB Note: "Lee said Nate Nasca and JC transfers Dustin Blount and Jovonte Taylor will get a look at the backup right slotback spot that Pilares is vacating behind senior Aaron Bain."
"I would know that Kealoha's going to get some time at running back." (HSB)
About how Pilares will be able to adjust quickly back to RB since the offense is the same (the running plays are the same as last year?), Ron Lee said:
"That's kind of his home. We wanted to try him at receiver too, but he can go back to running back. Same stuff, same offense. He knows the running plays." (HSB)
Hopeful that he can practice today or tomorrow, Libre said:
"Feels good. I should be tip-top shape. (The crutches are) just to keep the pressure off of it for now, want it to be as good as possible. I can walk." (HSB)
About how he's hoping to be able to play this Saturday, Libre said:
"I'm planning on it." (HA)
About how he continued to play in the 2nd quarter of the Florida game despite being injured in the first quarter, Libre said:
"It might not have been the best decision, but I was caught up in the moment. I wanted to win. I wanted to help the team win. I didn't want to let them down." (HA)
About how he's down to just one crutch, Libre said:
"I'm only using it because (the trainer) told me to use it. He told me it would help with my recovery." (HA)
About how he had still not been told about how he might be moved back to RB, after yesterday's conditioning drills Pilares said:
"Whatever it is." (HA)
HA Note: "McMackin said there is a possibility that Jake Heun will be available to play. Heun has not practiced since Aug. 4, the first day of training camp, when he suffered a herniated disc. Injuries have affected the depth at running back. David Farmer is sidelined with a sprained right knee. Linebacker Corey Paredes and quarterback Bryce Kalau'oka'a'ea have moved to running back."
HSB Note: "The coach added that junior Jake Heun, who missed much of fall camp with a back injury, could be in the mix at the position. Also, Dave Farmer, who has experience as a starter, said his tweaked knee may be better enough for him to practice this week."
During fall camp, Pilares said that he'd be open to moving back to RB:
"I think I'm more of a slot than a running back, but I'll do both if Coach wants me to." (HSB)
HSB Note: "Lee said Nate Nasca and JC transfers Dustin Blount and Jovonte Taylor will get a look at the backup right slotback spot that Pilares is vacating behind senior Aaron Bain."
Monday, September 1, 2008
Inoke is now the starting QB!
About Inoke's performance in the Florida game (8-11 passing for 110 yards, TD pass, 4 rushes for 14 yards), Ron Lee said:
"He moved the team. He showed good leadership. He scrambled around and made some plays. That's what we need — somebody to make plays. He made plays pretty much single-handedly. He showed the game wasn't too big for him." (HA)
"He made plays and that's the key. He did some nice things and moved the team." (HSB)
About Alexander and Brent, Mack said:
"I'm not disappointed in those two guys. I think they have to be in the system a little longer.They're both going to be good players, and they are good players." (HA)
Praising the way that Inoke played in the game, Mack said:
"I was really happy the way he competed."
About how Inoke reacted well when they picked the other 2 QBs ahead of him because they were taller and had stronger arms, Mack said:
"Here's a guy who's been in the program for a while, but didn't complain or gripe. We went with the two other quarterbacks over him because they had stronger arms, basically, and a little more height. All (Funaki) did was be a team member. ... It's the perfect example of a guy finding his role, supporting the other guys, being a team player and then, when he gets his opportunity, making the most of it. That's what playing and coaching is all about." (HA)
"I was proud of him because the other two guys got the opportunity and he was a team player and tried to find a role on the team and tried to help the other quarterbacks." (HSB)
About announcing Inoke's elevation early to maximize his time to work with the first-team offense, Mack said:
"He'll have a whole week to prepare for Weber State. I'm excited about him having an opportunity. He's a class act, and a good football player." (HA)
About how Inoke's play vs. Florida earned him the start vs. Weber State, Mack said:
"I thought Inoke Funaki really earned an opportunity to play this week against Weber State." (HSB)
"Inoke really made the most of the opportunity when he was given a chance." (HSB)
Mack said that Tyler was reinstated to the team last week and:
"we're obviously going to try to get a look at him, but he's way behind right now." (HSB)
HSB Note: "Funaki's promotion means Saturday's 6:05 p.m. matchup with Weber State will feature a meeting of two local quarterbacks. Saint Louis graduate Cameron Higgins went 17-for-27 for 286 yards and two touchdowns in Weber State's 62-6 win over Montana-Western last Thursday."
"He moved the team. He showed good leadership. He scrambled around and made some plays. That's what we need — somebody to make plays. He made plays pretty much single-handedly. He showed the game wasn't too big for him." (HA)
"He made plays and that's the key. He did some nice things and moved the team." (HSB)
About Alexander and Brent, Mack said:
"I'm not disappointed in those two guys. I think they have to be in the system a little longer.They're both going to be good players, and they are good players." (HA)
Praising the way that Inoke played in the game, Mack said:
"I was really happy the way he competed."
About how Inoke reacted well when they picked the other 2 QBs ahead of him because they were taller and had stronger arms, Mack said:
"Here's a guy who's been in the program for a while, but didn't complain or gripe. We went with the two other quarterbacks over him because they had stronger arms, basically, and a little more height. All (Funaki) did was be a team member. ... It's the perfect example of a guy finding his role, supporting the other guys, being a team player and then, when he gets his opportunity, making the most of it. That's what playing and coaching is all about." (HA)
"I was proud of him because the other two guys got the opportunity and he was a team player and tried to find a role on the team and tried to help the other quarterbacks." (HSB)
About announcing Inoke's elevation early to maximize his time to work with the first-team offense, Mack said:
"He'll have a whole week to prepare for Weber State. I'm excited about him having an opportunity. He's a class act, and a good football player." (HA)
About how Inoke's play vs. Florida earned him the start vs. Weber State, Mack said:
"I thought Inoke Funaki really earned an opportunity to play this week against Weber State." (HSB)
"Inoke really made the most of the opportunity when he was given a chance." (HSB)
Mack said that Tyler was reinstated to the team last week and:
"we're obviously going to try to get a look at him, but he's way behind right now." (HSB)
HSB Note: "Funaki's promotion means Saturday's 6:05 p.m. matchup with Weber State will feature a meeting of two local quarterbacks. Saint Louis graduate Cameron Higgins went 17-for-27 for 286 yards and two touchdowns in Weber State's 62-6 win over Montana-Western last Thursday."
Non-QB quotes from the local papers
About Libre's high-ankle sprain, Mack said:
"We'll have to see what that's all about." (HA)
Adam Leonard said that speeches to the team may not reach some people, even if he would:
"talk until you are all out of breath." (HA)
About how they have to put the Florida game behind them, Adam said:
"The game is over. We can't go back in time. It is not a video game, you can't reset it. We gotta look to tomorrow." (HA)
About how they can still reach their goals this season, Mack said:
"I want to win the Western Athletic Conference and I want to go to a bowl game." (HA)
About his reaction to the loss, Mike Washington said:
"We came in with confidence ... unfortunately we came up short and it's very disappointing,. I took it to heart, but we have to get ready to move on to the next game. It's definitely got me fired up. Big time." (HSB)
Happy with their play in the first and fourth quarters, Mack said:
"I thought we played solid in the first quarter and I was happy with the effort they gave in the fourth quarter. But we have to eliminate the mistakes we had in the second and third quarters." (HSB)
About how their WRs made some mistakes in the game, Ron Lee said:
"We did some good things, but we also had some breakdowns with our routes." (HSB)
HSB Note: "The Warriors will again enter Aloha Stadium to the band playing "Hawaii 5-0" this season. In recent years, the team's entrance was accompanied by theme music played over the public address system with starters introduced individually."
About how Florida outplayed them in all phases of the game, Mack said:
"I have no excuses and thought we were out-played in every phase of the game. They are definitely as good as Georgia." (HSB)
About the his first INT where he overthrew Bain near the end zone, Alexander said:
"That can't happen, especially in the red zone against a team like Florida. He was there, I just missed him." (HSB)
About playing in the Florida game, Inoke said:
"I just tried to relax and have fun. It was a blast to play against an opponent as good as Florida." (HSB)
Praising Tebow's ability to improvise, Adam Leonard said:
"When a play breaks down he has the ability to keep it going and make it into an even bigger play. He did that today and it's just a testament to how good he is." (HSB)
"We'll have to see what that's all about." (HA)
Adam Leonard said that speeches to the team may not reach some people, even if he would:
"talk until you are all out of breath." (HA)
About how they have to put the Florida game behind them, Adam said:
"The game is over. We can't go back in time. It is not a video game, you can't reset it. We gotta look to tomorrow." (HA)
About how they can still reach their goals this season, Mack said:
"I want to win the Western Athletic Conference and I want to go to a bowl game." (HA)
About his reaction to the loss, Mike Washington said:
"We came in with confidence ... unfortunately we came up short and it's very disappointing,. I took it to heart, but we have to get ready to move on to the next game. It's definitely got me fired up. Big time." (HSB)
Happy with their play in the first and fourth quarters, Mack said:
"I thought we played solid in the first quarter and I was happy with the effort they gave in the fourth quarter. But we have to eliminate the mistakes we had in the second and third quarters." (HSB)
About how their WRs made some mistakes in the game, Ron Lee said:
"We did some good things, but we also had some breakdowns with our routes." (HSB)
HSB Note: "The Warriors will again enter Aloha Stadium to the band playing "Hawaii 5-0" this season. In recent years, the team's entrance was accompanied by theme music played over the public address system with starters introduced individually."
About how Florida outplayed them in all phases of the game, Mack said:
"I have no excuses and thought we were out-played in every phase of the game. They are definitely as good as Georgia." (HSB)
About the his first INT where he overthrew Bain near the end zone, Alexander said:
"That can't happen, especially in the red zone against a team like Florida. He was there, I just missed him." (HSB)
About playing in the Florida game, Inoke said:
"I just tried to relax and have fun. It was a blast to play against an opponent as good as Florida." (HSB)
Praising Tebow's ability to improvise, Adam Leonard said:
"When a play breaks down he has the ability to keep it going and make it into an even bigger play. He did that today and it's just a testament to how good he is." (HSB)
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