About how their team has rebounded well after the loss to Boise State, Mack said:
"You can't tell two days later if they just won or lost. They're ready to play the next game. We have a lot of goals ahead of us. We're not going to sit around and cry about something. We didn't after losing to (Southern California) or Colorado. Boise was a higher-ranked team. We don't cry over a loss. We move on to the next game." (HSA)
About how it is good that Kealoha Pilares has said that he can play on Saturday, Greg Salas said:
"Kealoha is a big-time playmaker. It's good to have him back." (HSA)
About how he is nicknamed the "Microwave" and is expected to bring energy in 3rd-down situations, Zach Masch said:
"I have to be ready quickly, like a microwave. I can't be like an oven. I keep myself mentally ready on the sideline, going through plays in my head. When it's time to get in there, I give it everything I have." (HSA)
About how he is their only starting DB without an interception or fumble recovery, Lametrius Davis said:
"Sometimes you don't get things your way. It's part of the game. You can always do other things to help your team." (HSA)
About the injured knee he has been playing with all season is better now that it was earlier this season, Davis said:
"I'm healthier than the beginning of the season. It's not an excuse, but it's pretty evident." (HSA)
Abot how he felt discomfort in his right knee while working out in January, Davis said:
"I knew I was hurt, but I don't remember hurting it." (HSA)
About the pain intensified when he competed in spring training, Davis said:
"It came to a point where it was hard to move laterally. I finally got an MRI on it. It was a torn meniscus." (HSA)
HSA Note: "He did not compete in the Warrior Bowl, then underwent arthroscopic surgery. He said his rehabilitation was hindered when he went to the mainland to take care of "some family matters.""
About how he doesn't want to use the knee injury as an excuse, Davis said:
"I didn't want to make it an excuse to why I wasn't playing well." (HSA)
HSA Note: "Davis said he aggravated his right knee against Louisiana Tech, and has only fully healed in the past week."
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101119_Hawaii_turns_the_page_after_loss.html
Friday, November 19, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Feature on punter Alex Dunnachie's reliable hands
About punter Alex Dunnachie's reliable hands, long-snapper Luke Ingram said that:
"we've never had a problem with him. He catches everything." (HSA)
About how Dunnachie only bobbled one snap in his 81 punts over his UH career, earlier this season at Utah State, Chris Tormey said:
"And that was in the driving rain." (HSA)
About the snap that he dropped at Utah State, Dunnachie said:
"It was purely a lapse in concentration. It's definitely not going to happen again. I was pretty hard on myself after that one. ... I managed to pick up the ball, and I didn't really care where I was going. I saw a pair of legs and kicked around them. I think we managed to squib a 30-yard punt with no return." (HSA)
About how Dunnachie has had only 4 out of 17 punts returned over the past 3 games, for a total of 11 yards, Tormey said:
"The first thing, obviously, is to catch the ball, and he's been very good at that. He's always had leg strength. He's starting to hone his craft. He's more comfortable with his technique." (HSA)
About how he worked on catching the ball since he was 7 years old in Australia, Dunnachie said:
"We would move the (Australia Rules) ball back and forth by kicking it and catching it. I grew up doing this." (HSA)
About being able to snap to a big target like the 6'6" Dunnachie, Ingram said:
"Alex is a big target. That helps out a lot. We're really fortunate to have a punter like that." (HSA)
About how he adopted the practice that Dallas Cowboy (and former UH punter) Mat McBriar used to practice the drop (releasing the ball slightly in front of where it is kicked) by bouncing a football, Dunnachie said:
"It's so vital to get that muscle memory. I can do (the drop) with my eyes closed. I do it watching TV. I do it sitting around the house. I bet I could do it in my sleep. I normally have a football wherever I go. It's all a matter of repetition." (HSA)
About how he's been able to kick the ball towards the sidelines and not outkick the coverage, Dunnachie said:
"The returners are pretty specialized guys. If he's back there, his team trusts him to do something with it, and he generally can. We're going to do our best to move him. Direction is a huge part of it. If we can pin him on the boundary, our coverage is right on top of him, and he'll have nowhere to go." (HSA)
About how Dunnachie has consistently met their goals of 45+ yard punts with a minimum hangtime of 4.5 seconds, even having a 5.2-second punt against BSU, Tormey said:
"He's been playing very well. He's really helped us." (HSA)
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101118_All_about_the_hangtime.html
"we've never had a problem with him. He catches everything." (HSA)
About how Dunnachie only bobbled one snap in his 81 punts over his UH career, earlier this season at Utah State, Chris Tormey said:
"And that was in the driving rain." (HSA)
About the snap that he dropped at Utah State, Dunnachie said:
"It was purely a lapse in concentration. It's definitely not going to happen again. I was pretty hard on myself after that one. ... I managed to pick up the ball, and I didn't really care where I was going. I saw a pair of legs and kicked around them. I think we managed to squib a 30-yard punt with no return." (HSA)
About how Dunnachie has had only 4 out of 17 punts returned over the past 3 games, for a total of 11 yards, Tormey said:
"The first thing, obviously, is to catch the ball, and he's been very good at that. He's always had leg strength. He's starting to hone his craft. He's more comfortable with his technique." (HSA)
About how he worked on catching the ball since he was 7 years old in Australia, Dunnachie said:
"We would move the (Australia Rules) ball back and forth by kicking it and catching it. I grew up doing this." (HSA)
About being able to snap to a big target like the 6'6" Dunnachie, Ingram said:
"Alex is a big target. That helps out a lot. We're really fortunate to have a punter like that." (HSA)
About how he adopted the practice that Dallas Cowboy (and former UH punter) Mat McBriar used to practice the drop (releasing the ball slightly in front of where it is kicked) by bouncing a football, Dunnachie said:
"It's so vital to get that muscle memory. I can do (the drop) with my eyes closed. I do it watching TV. I do it sitting around the house. I bet I could do it in my sleep. I normally have a football wherever I go. It's all a matter of repetition." (HSA)
About how he's been able to kick the ball towards the sidelines and not outkick the coverage, Dunnachie said:
"The returners are pretty specialized guys. If he's back there, his team trusts him to do something with it, and he generally can. We're going to do our best to move him. Direction is a huge part of it. If we can pin him on the boundary, our coverage is right on top of him, and he'll have nowhere to go." (HSA)
About how Dunnachie has consistently met their goals of 45+ yard punts with a minimum hangtime of 4.5 seconds, even having a 5.2-second punt against BSU, Tormey said:
"He's been playing very well. He's really helped us." (HSA)
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101118_All_about_the_hangtime.html
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Feature on Miah Ostrowski and his quest for one of the starting slot spots next season
About how the 5'8" Ostrowski can jump amazingly high, Bryant Moniz said:
"Miah can jump. He can make plays over defenders. He can dunk. He can touch the ceiling in the weight room, which is about 12 feet (high)." (HSA)
Asked about Ostrowski's potential, Moniz said:
"Unlimited." (HSA)
About how Ostrowski is one of their leading candidates for their 2 open starting slot spots next season, Mouse Davis said:
"First of all, he's a bright kid, and he has good athletic mobility, as we call it. He has quickness and he can catch the ball. If he works on things, he'll be a good player." (HSA)
HSA Note: "Davis also said that freshman slotback Allen Sampson and wideouts Darius Bright and Terence Bell will be considered for a slotback's job."
About how Ostrowski has been getting extended reps in practice over the past 3 weeks, Kealoha Pilares said:
"He likes to take reps. He has really good hands. I remember him from high school, and he's always had good hands. He'll have a good season next year." (HSA)
About grayshirting in 2007, redshirting in 2008, and being a scout team player in 2009, with considering trying out for UH's basketball team after being an all-state basketball player in high school, Ostrowski said:
"It was too early to give up. I needed to give (football) a shot. A lot of guys don't get opportunities until their junior or senior years. I knew I had time." (HSA)
About how he has gained weight to help him compete in football and now weighs 173, Ostrowski said:
"I'm picking it up." (HSA)
About how Salas and Pilares have been teaching him the offense but he does not try to emulate them, Ostrowski said:
"I try to watch and learn, but create my own feel for the offense. We're all different players. Nobody can be another Salas or Kealoha or me. Everyone is different." (HSA)
About his opportunity to get playing time next season, Ostrowski said:
"It's all in my hands. If I lose it, I lose it. It's all on me." (HSA)
About how he has gained 10 pounds since joining UH and now weighs 150, and wants to gain more weight, Allen Sampson said:
"I want to gain strength in my legs. I want to get stronger." (HSA)
About redshirting this season after being on the active roster for their first 3 games in case Rodney Bradley was not over his leg injury, Darius Bright said:
"I wanted to go in there and block or hit someone on special teams. But it was for the better to redshirt. It's going to work out in the long run." (HSA)
About getting the ball away from DB John Hardy-Tuilau in practice yesterday, Bright said:
"Just made a play on the ball. That was all." (HSA)
About how he has been lobbying to move from wideout to slotback, and how he got some reps with the first team in practice yesterday, Terence Bell said:
"That's where I want to go. That was nice. I like working with Moniz. I'm waiting for my chance." (HSA)
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101117_Ostrowski_waits_his_turn_at_slotback_for_Warriors.html
"Miah can jump. He can make plays over defenders. He can dunk. He can touch the ceiling in the weight room, which is about 12 feet (high)." (HSA)
Asked about Ostrowski's potential, Moniz said:
"Unlimited." (HSA)
About how Ostrowski is one of their leading candidates for their 2 open starting slot spots next season, Mouse Davis said:
"First of all, he's a bright kid, and he has good athletic mobility, as we call it. He has quickness and he can catch the ball. If he works on things, he'll be a good player." (HSA)
HSA Note: "Davis also said that freshman slotback Allen Sampson and wideouts Darius Bright and Terence Bell will be considered for a slotback's job."
About how Ostrowski has been getting extended reps in practice over the past 3 weeks, Kealoha Pilares said:
"He likes to take reps. He has really good hands. I remember him from high school, and he's always had good hands. He'll have a good season next year." (HSA)
About grayshirting in 2007, redshirting in 2008, and being a scout team player in 2009, with considering trying out for UH's basketball team after being an all-state basketball player in high school, Ostrowski said:
"It was too early to give up. I needed to give (football) a shot. A lot of guys don't get opportunities until their junior or senior years. I knew I had time." (HSA)
About how he has gained weight to help him compete in football and now weighs 173, Ostrowski said:
"I'm picking it up." (HSA)
About how Salas and Pilares have been teaching him the offense but he does not try to emulate them, Ostrowski said:
"I try to watch and learn, but create my own feel for the offense. We're all different players. Nobody can be another Salas or Kealoha or me. Everyone is different." (HSA)
About his opportunity to get playing time next season, Ostrowski said:
"It's all in my hands. If I lose it, I lose it. It's all on me." (HSA)
About how he has gained 10 pounds since joining UH and now weighs 150, and wants to gain more weight, Allen Sampson said:
"I want to gain strength in my legs. I want to get stronger." (HSA)
About redshirting this season after being on the active roster for their first 3 games in case Rodney Bradley was not over his leg injury, Darius Bright said:
"I wanted to go in there and block or hit someone on special teams. But it was for the better to redshirt. It's going to work out in the long run." (HSA)
About getting the ball away from DB John Hardy-Tuilau in practice yesterday, Bright said:
"Just made a play on the ball. That was all." (HSA)
About how he has been lobbying to move from wideout to slotback, and how he got some reps with the first team in practice yesterday, Terence Bell said:
"That's where I want to go. That was nice. I like working with Moniz. I'm waiting for my chance." (HSA)
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101117_Ostrowski_waits_his_turn_at_slotback_for_Warriors.html
Feature on Davone Bess and his fundraising work
About how he hasn't changed since signing his 3-year, $9 million extension with the Dolphins, Davone Bess said:
"The only thing different is the (financial) security aspect. That's the biggest difference. God forbid I get hurt, but at least there's something for my family if that should happen." (HSA)
About how the pink cleats he wore during a Monday night game last month (breast cancer awareness month) sold yesterday for $1,025 in an online auction to help fund cancer research, Bess said:
"Breast cancer hits a lot of families, some people I know. Anything I can do I'm more than willing." (HSA)
HSA Note: "A week from Saturday, the day before a road game against the Raiders, Bess headlines a dinner gathering in the East Bay to help his alma mater, Skyline High. The Davone Bess All-Star Luau is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 27 at a site to be determined on Oahu. It's a benefit for the American Cancer Society (Hawaii/Pacific chapter)."
Looking forward to holding a fundraiser on Oahu for the American Cancer Society, Bess said:
"I'm excited to come back to my second home and about the opportunity to do something for the community." (HSA)
When an organizer about the fundraiser for Skyline High School asked him how much he would require for an appearance fee, Bess said:
"Come on, man. You must be trippin'." (HSA)
About how they cannot be satisfied with their 5-4 record, Bess said:
"Our main focus has to be fixing ourselves. We feel like we can be a force to be reckoned with. We just need to work toward making ourselves effective and efficient and eliminate negative plays." (HSA)
http://www.staradvertiser.com/columnists/furtherreview/20101117_Dolphins_find_Bess_is_a_heck_of_a_catch.html
"The only thing different is the (financial) security aspect. That's the biggest difference. God forbid I get hurt, but at least there's something for my family if that should happen." (HSA)
About how the pink cleats he wore during a Monday night game last month (breast cancer awareness month) sold yesterday for $1,025 in an online auction to help fund cancer research, Bess said:
"Breast cancer hits a lot of families, some people I know. Anything I can do I'm more than willing." (HSA)
HSA Note: "A week from Saturday, the day before a road game against the Raiders, Bess headlines a dinner gathering in the East Bay to help his alma mater, Skyline High. The Davone Bess All-Star Luau is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 27 at a site to be determined on Oahu. It's a benefit for the American Cancer Society (Hawaii/Pacific chapter)."
Looking forward to holding a fundraiser on Oahu for the American Cancer Society, Bess said:
"I'm excited to come back to my second home and about the opportunity to do something for the community." (HSA)
When an organizer about the fundraiser for Skyline High School asked him how much he would require for an appearance fee, Bess said:
"Come on, man. You must be trippin'." (HSA)
About how they cannot be satisfied with their 5-4 record, Bess said:
"Our main focus has to be fixing ourselves. We feel like we can be a force to be reckoned with. We just need to work toward making ourselves effective and efficient and eliminate negative plays." (HSA)
http://www.staradvertiser.com/columnists/furtherreview/20101117_Dolphins_find_Bess_is_a_heck_of_a_catch.html
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Greg Salas named a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award
HSA Note: "Greg Salas and family friend Jeanne Barbosa then spent hours splicing and editing to create a highlight tape that would be sent to several Division I-A and I-AA football programs across the country in the fall of 2005. One of the copies ended up with Ron Lee, who was the Warriors' receivers coach under head coach June Jones at the time. The copy might have remained obscured among hundreds of others, if it weren't for Barbosa's persistence."
About how Jeanne Barbosa kept calling him to look at Greg Salas' highlight tape, Ron Lee said:
"She kept calling. I looked at the tape. Gosh, he was athletic." (HSA)
About how he was impressed with what he saw in Salas on the tape, Lee said:
"He had the natural ability to make catches, just like Davone (Bess)." (HSA)
About how the tape was mostly about Salas playing CB, Lee said:
"He was making some spectacular plays on defense." (HSA)
HSA Note: "Lee showed the video to Jones, who agreed that Salas had the potential to play receiver."
About how UH brought him in for a recruiting visit, Salas said:
"Jeanne called me, and said, 'His name is Ron, and Hawaii wants to trip you.'" (HSA)
About how his parents paid their own way to accompany him during the recruiting trip, Salas said:
"My parents were with me through all of the steps." (HSA)
About how JJ offered him a scholarship at the end of his recruiting trip, Salas said:
"He was great about the whole thing. He stressed I should take more visits (to other schools)." (HSA)
HSA Note: "Salas visited New Mexico, but, soon after, turned down other offers, including one from Utah, to commit to UH."
About how Salas had a great season last year (106 receptions for 1,590 yards and 8 TDs), Nick Rolovich said:
"He had a great year last year. We talked about him becoming a complete player, a team leader. He took that challenge. He had a great offseason. He has a lot of desire. He catches everything. I hope he finishes the year strong." (HSA)
About Salas being named one of 10 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award, Rolo said:
"That's not a surprise. He's one of the best. That shouldn't be big news." (HSA)
Noting that Biletnikoff had a long career with the Oakland Raiders, Salas said:
"I've been a Raider fan my whole life. My favorite player (Charles Woodson) ended up going to the Raiders." (HSA)
About how football has been important in his life, Salas said:
"I've been watching it ever since I can remember. I've been playing it since I was old enough to play." (HSA)
About how people in Hawaii keep thinking that he grew up in Hawaii, Salas said:
"They ask me, 'What high school did you go to.' They think I'm local." (HSA)
About how he loves local food, Salas said:
"I love garlic chicken, chicken katsu, mac salad." (HSA)
About rice, Salas said:
"If (the rice is) not sticky, I don't want to eat it." (HSA)
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101116_UH_cant_be_anything_but_Salasfied.html
About how Jeanne Barbosa kept calling him to look at Greg Salas' highlight tape, Ron Lee said:
"She kept calling. I looked at the tape. Gosh, he was athletic." (HSA)
About how he was impressed with what he saw in Salas on the tape, Lee said:
"He had the natural ability to make catches, just like Davone (Bess)." (HSA)
About how the tape was mostly about Salas playing CB, Lee said:
"He was making some spectacular plays on defense." (HSA)
HSA Note: "Lee showed the video to Jones, who agreed that Salas had the potential to play receiver."
About how UH brought him in for a recruiting visit, Salas said:
"Jeanne called me, and said, 'His name is Ron, and Hawaii wants to trip you.'" (HSA)
About how his parents paid their own way to accompany him during the recruiting trip, Salas said:
"My parents were with me through all of the steps." (HSA)
About how JJ offered him a scholarship at the end of his recruiting trip, Salas said:
"He was great about the whole thing. He stressed I should take more visits (to other schools)." (HSA)
HSA Note: "Salas visited New Mexico, but, soon after, turned down other offers, including one from Utah, to commit to UH."
About how Salas had a great season last year (106 receptions for 1,590 yards and 8 TDs), Nick Rolovich said:
"He had a great year last year. We talked about him becoming a complete player, a team leader. He took that challenge. He had a great offseason. He has a lot of desire. He catches everything. I hope he finishes the year strong." (HSA)
About Salas being named one of 10 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award, Rolo said:
"That's not a surprise. He's one of the best. That shouldn't be big news." (HSA)
Noting that Biletnikoff had a long career with the Oakland Raiders, Salas said:
"I've been a Raider fan my whole life. My favorite player (Charles Woodson) ended up going to the Raiders." (HSA)
About how football has been important in his life, Salas said:
"I've been watching it ever since I can remember. I've been playing it since I was old enough to play." (HSA)
About how people in Hawaii keep thinking that he grew up in Hawaii, Salas said:
"They ask me, 'What high school did you go to.' They think I'm local." (HSA)
About how he loves local food, Salas said:
"I love garlic chicken, chicken katsu, mac salad." (HSA)
About rice, Salas said:
"If (the rice is) not sticky, I don't want to eat it." (HSA)
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101116_UH_cant_be_anything_but_Salasfied.html
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Out-of-the-box Idea 2: WAC6 to Create a 3-Division C-USA
Before I go into the idea, I want to first establish why C-USA is better than MWC and the WAC for UH. UH's situation is unique in college football--not many non-AQ schools have such a rich local TV deal and no team has the travel situation UH has.
ESPN:
C-USA has ESPN, part of their slightly more than $12 million in TV money. They are currently negotiating with ESPN for their new TV deal and are reported to be discussing how much of a raise they will get (CBS CS gave C-USA a 15% raise in their just-completed negotiations).
WAC has ESPN and the WAC openly says that ESPN will decrease their money and time slots after Boise State leaves this year. C-USA therefore could be on ESPN more than the WAC.
MWC does not have ESPN. VS does *not* have the exposure like ESPN.
Second National TV Deal:
C-USA has CBS CS for their secondary national TV partner.
MWC has CBS CS as their second national TV partner.
The WAC does not have a second national TV partner.
TV Money:
C-USA has slightly more than $12 million per year in TV money, but that will increase after ESPN gives them the raise that is being negotiated.
MWC has $12 million per year in TV money, but that may decrease after they lose Utah and BYU. Comcast used the mtn channel to force Utah customers to get Comcast instead of Dish Network (mtn also wasn’t on DirecTV for years), putting most BYU games and a lot of Utah games on that channel. TCU went to VS/CBSCS while BYU mostly was on mtn.
WAC gets $4.5 million per year from ESPN, but the WAC openly admits that ESPN will be reducing that number after BSU leaves. ESPN already gave a lot of the WAC’s time slots to BYU and is paying BYU more than it paid the entire WAC conference!
Local TV Deal:
C-USA lets its schools have local TV deals. They can show all games not shown on national TV and have free replay rights to all games not on national TV. UH could keep PPV/Oceanic/K5.
MWC does NOT let its schools have local TV deals, a major reason why BYU left. The mtn channel is supposed to replace all local TV deals. UH would lose PPV/Oceanic/K5
WAC lets its schools have local TV deals, which allows UH to have its PPV/Oceanic/K5 deal.
NCAA Basketball Money:
C-USA got $9.1 mil in 2008-2009, up $850k from the previous year because their teams have been winning games in the NCAA tournament. C-USA should go over $10 million this year.
MWC got $4.1 mil in 2008-2009, up $100k from the previous year. They got 4 teams in the NCAA tournament and some of their teams win games every year in the tournament, so they should pass $5 million soon.
WAC got $3.1 million in 2008-2009, *down* $150k from the previous year. Nevada’s NCAA tournament run was a long time ago and the WAC hasn’t won a tournament game for years, so the WAC will drop before $3 million soon.
Football Bowl Games:
C-USA has bowl games every year against *3* AQ Conferences—SEC, ACC, Big East. Those bowl games pay at least $1 million (Liberty Bowl pays $1.7 million to each conference). They have 6 bowl game tie-ins and are the backups for some other bowls.
MWC has bowl games every year against *3* AQ Conferences—ACC (Independence Bowl) and 2 Pac-12 teams (Vegas Bowl, New Mexico Bowl). Those bowl games pay at least $1 million (New Mexico Bowl will be the highest at $1.25 million).
WAC has bowl games every year against *0* AQ Conferences. The MWC dumped the Humanitarian Bowl because it paid just the $750k minimum so that will have a MAC team (and the WAC will probably lose the bowl soon since BSU is now gone). The New Mexico Bowl dumped the WAC to get a Pac-12 team. The Hawaii Bowl gets C-USA and a bowl-eligible UH, whether or not UH is in the WAC. The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl does pit the WAC against the Pac-12, but only in 2013. Army gets that bowl in 2011 and Navy gets it in 2012. The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl is increasing its payout and clearly looking to end its relationship with the WAC. The Sun Belt has better bowl tie-ins than the new WAC!
Karl Benson:
C-USA does NOT have Karl Benson as a commissioner
MWC does NOT have Karl Benson as a commissioner
WAC has Karl Benson as a commissioner.
These are just a few of the reasons why C-USA is a far superior conference than the WAC and MWC for UH. Remember, UH is in a unique situation because PPV/Oceanic/K5 makes $2.5 mil for UH and most non-AQ schools (like Wyoming, Colorado State, UNLV, Nevada, etc.) cannot get those types of lucrative local TV deals. C-USA has triple the TV money, triple the NCAA basketball money, far better bowl games (which bring millions into the conference no matter which conference school plays in them or not), and would enable UH to keep PPV/Oceanic/K5 while being with ESPN.
Why This Makes Sense for C-USA
Why would C-USA want UH? We live in a world where all non-AQ schools have problems with their budget and cannot just give charity to bail out UH. The simple answer is that C-USA does *not* want to add UH and it makes NO sense for them to add UH. However, there is a solution…
The Presidents of UH and rest of the WAC6 should get together and approach C-USA about joining as a GROUP to create a third division! C-USA could become a *true* C-USA, spanning the entire country. This would create a great situation for its TV partners, as the conference would have football and basketball games in every time zone to choose from.
The current C-USA West would become C-USA Central and a C-USA West would be created. La Tech would go to C-USA Central and fit nicely with the Texas and Louisiana schools already there. UTEP would go to C-USA West—UTEP does not have a travel partner in C-USA right now, but NMSU is a *perfect* travel partner for UTEP. Remember, UTEP isn’t even in the same time zone as the rest of the Texas schools—they are an outlier for the Texas schools but a short hop to NMSU. I’ve driven between Las Cruces and El Paso and that is a very short and easy drive. Traveling to Ruston for the C-USA central schools (Houston, SMU, Rice, Tulsa, Tulane) is pretty easy, in many cases a shorter distance than going to UTEP.
Why would this make sense for C-USA?
1. This protects the conference in the case that the Big East, Big 12, and MWC raid it.
2. C-USA is currently negotiating its TV contract with ESPN, which gives a one-in-a-decade chance for the WAC6 to show C-USA how it can make MILLIONS more from ESPN by adding the WAC schools. If the ESPN TV deal was done already, this would not make sense…so, the WAC has less than a year to get this deal done. Let us crunch some numbers:
The WAC6 has 3 home games each year with BYU that it owns the TV rights to. ESPN already valued BYU games at $1.2 million in their negotiations.
UH has consistently been able to get Pac-10 schools to play at Aloha Stadium and ESPN always shows those games. In its upcoming schedules, UH has home games against Colorado, USC, Army, Washington, and Oregon State. The TV rights to those games are significant. Unfortunately, the other WAC6 members have small stadiums and/or are located in areas with few recruits, so they don’t add any big nonconference games to the TV deal.
The WAC6 has shown the willingness to play games on weekdays, and now with C-USA in every time zone the new C-USA could offer weekday doubleheaders to ESPN, something that would be great for ESPN and for the visibility of the conference. C-USA schools haven’t shown as much willingness to play games not on Saturday or Friday, so the WAC6 can offer to play those games as the road time to the other C-USA schools or just between the WAC6. This is a way for C-USA to get more TV exposure (and $$$), and is pretty much the only way that La Tech, SJSU, Idaho, NMSU, and Utah State will even get on ESPN2/ESPNU. C-USA schools would not mind home games on weekdays as much as they do road games, so this is a way that the WAC6 can help C-USA…and get on ESPN, which is good for the WAC6. Win-win.
3. NCAA basketball money is a big part of C-USA’s revenue—they get more NCAA basketball money than the WAC, MWC, and Big West *combined*. Utah State and NMSU have excellent basketball programs that have shown they can get into the NCAA tournament. UH is significantly improved under Gib. That is already half of the WAC6! However, the WAC6 *clearly* doesn’t bring the same level of NCAA basketball revenue as C-USA, so the WAC6 will offer to take *no* NCAA basketball money from the C-USA’s tournament credits. The WAC6 will be treated like a brand new conference and share in only the NCAA basketball money that they bring into the conference until their share exceeds the C-USA average. That will be painful for the WAC6 for the first few years…but gives them a big incentive to improve their basketball teams. Thus, C-USA will have more basketball games to sell to TV and will not lose any of the NCAA basketball money that they earned.
The alternative plan that I thought of is to tell C-USA that *no* WAC6 team will get a share of the NCAA basketball money until it sends a team to the NCAA basketball tournament. I actually like that idea better because each WAC6 school will only get money when it actually earns money for the conference. However, schools like SJSU might get $0 forever and that would hurt them…but, if they don’t earn anything, should they really get a full share forever?
4. Travel subsidies will be provided for current C-USA schools that have to travel to Hawaii. C-USA currently plays 8 conference games per season, so that means that *3* current C-USA schools will play UH each year…that is only 3 trips to Hawaii every 2 years for the current members. Subsidizing 3 trips over 2 years is *very* low-cost for UH. The current WAC hurts its teams because they have to travel to both Ruston and Honolulu. The new C-USA does *not* have that problem because Ruston is actually an easy road trip for C-USA Central teams!
5. The Hawaii Bowl will need to *double* its payout, going from $750k to $1.5 million. C-USA currently sends a team to the Hawaii Bowl and they end up *losing* money due to the manini payout and the high travel costs. Travel costs for Hawaii to go to the Hawaii Bowl are *very* low (a week for the team in a Sheraton hotel is not cheap, but at least no airfare is needed), so C-USA would save a lot of money. Increasing the payout would mean that instead of losing say $300k on the Hawaii Bowl, C-USA would net something like $1 million in profit. Consider that $1.3 million to be UH’s “buy-in” to C-USA. Maybe if this happens, UH won’t even have to provide travel subsidies…the conference can provide the subsidies out of Hawaii Bowl money.
Why do I say to double the payout? Right now the Hawaii Bowl is C-USA vs. UH, so a new opponent is needed. Doubling the payout is what is needed to get the Hawaii Bowl to jump past other similar bowls and get a *Pac-12* team. Having a Pac-12 team would increase TV ratings and the increased visibility should get sponsors to pay more—a game against a Pac-12 team is worth more than the current game against C-USA. If needed, HTA would be tapped to help boost the payout. This would put the Hawaii Bowl above the New Mexico Bowl (which just dumped the WAC) and the Kraft Bowl (which is hoping to dump the WAC). That means that the Hawaii Bowl would get a higher pick of Pac-12 teams then either of those bowls. If those bowls don’t want the WAC, $%#& them and steal their Pac-12 selection.
Some Loose Ends
Karl Benson would be a commissioner with no teams in his conference. He’s used to losing a lot of teams, but this would be a first even for him. He’s made a generous salary (I think he’s around $350k per year now) for so long from the WAC that I don’t feel badly for him…he’ll be fine financially and maybe some lower-level conference might want him someday.
Texas State and UT-San Antonio would really lose out on this deal, as there would be no conference for them to join. UT-San Antonio could use a few years to build up its team anyway. If C-USA gets raided by any conference (Houston to MWC, etc.) then maybe TXST and UTSA can be invited then. TXST and UTSA would prefer to be in C-USA than the WAC anyway.
One not-insignificant reason for C-USA to help kill the WAC is that it appears that the WAC is trying to take over C-USA territory. It appears that the WAC is giving up on being a *Western* conference and is going to have a Southwest focus—adding TXST, UTSA, and trying to get North Texas clearly shows the direction the WAC is going. That directly competes with C-USA for TV market, recruits, and media attention. If C-USA doesn’t respond, they will end up splitting one of their big markets (Texas) with the WAC, which will cost them *more* money than adding the WAC6.
How is this C-USA18 different than the WAC16? The TV contract will be more than $10 million more than what the WAC16 had. The divisions make a lot of geographic sense instead of that idiotic “pod” thing that the WAC16 looked at. The NCAA tournament money will pass $10 million and current C-USA schools won’t lose anything that they would have been getting—and current WAC6 schools wouldn’t have gotten much anyway in the WAC. The Bowl games are FAR better than what the WAC16 had. Money was the main reason the WAC16 broke apart and money will keep the C-USA 18 together…especially in these times where money is so crucial for Athletic Departments to survive.
The sad fact is that NMSU, SJSU, La Tech, Idaho, and Utah State bring *nothing* to attract a big national TV deal. They don't get TV ratings since they don't have large fan bases. They don't have TV-friendly high-scoring offenses like UH. They play in small stadiums that make it hard to attract big-name opponents.
Those 5 teams are only shown on national TV when they are playing a big opponent...but BSU, Fresno State, and Nevada aren't going to be conference opponents anymore. Schools bring value by getting AQ opponents to play at their stadiums--but those 5 teams *never* get that! They play bodybag games to cash $1 million checks, but that brings NOTHING to the conference since the home team owns all TV rights.
When I did my research, I found that UH is the *only* WAC6 school that is getting Pac-10 or military academies to play at their home stadium. BSU had home games with Pac-10 schools like Oregon and Oregon State. Fresno State had home games with AQ schools from all around the country. Nevada had a home game with Cal this season. The other WAC members travel to get paychecks and bring NOTHING to the conference's TV deal. So, I had to figure out how to have UH by itself justify the WAC6's TV value to C-USA...that was a hard problem because C-USA gets 3x the TV money than the WAC gets *with* BSU, Nevada, and Fresno.
Note: I learned from one of the comments that I was WRONG when I said that none of the other schools get military academies to play at their home stadium. Just this year (I don't know why I checked past years and not this year, that was my mistake) Navy played in Ruston. The commentor also said that it shouldn't matter if the game is played in home stadiums or at neutral sites, but there *can* be a significant difference. As we have seen numerous times over the past few years, neutral site games can be exempted under the conference TV deals and those TV rights can be sold separately...so, that would bring no value to the *Conference* TV deal. For example, this is how BYU was able to get games on ESPN by moving games out of Provo to another location in Utah. Boise State played a neutral site game against Virginia Tech this season and it was not covered under the WAC conference deal or the ACC TV deal (BSU got $1.25 million and Virginia Tech got over $2 million). BYU played Oklahoma at the Cowboys stadium, Oregon State played TCU at Cowboys stadium, etc.
By the way, I checked Navy's site and it appears that the Navy-Louisiana Tech game was just available on ESPN3. I checked the WAC announcement of the football games that ESPN was showing this season and the Louisiana Tech-Navy game was *not* listed. In other words, La Tech hosting Navy brought NO value to the WAC TV deal. When UH plays a Pac-10, Big 10, or military academy, those games are almost always on ESPN (not just ESPN3)...I cannot remember the last time a UH game against an opponent like that was not on ESPN or ESPN2. A game that ESPN does not bother to show on ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU brings *no* value to the conference TV deal. So, I was wrong that none of the other schools host nonconference schools from the Pac-10 or military academies...however, it appears that even when Louisiana Tech does so it brings ZERO value to a conference TV deal.
ESPN:
C-USA has ESPN, part of their slightly more than $12 million in TV money. They are currently negotiating with ESPN for their new TV deal and are reported to be discussing how much of a raise they will get (CBS CS gave C-USA a 15% raise in their just-completed negotiations).
WAC has ESPN and the WAC openly says that ESPN will decrease their money and time slots after Boise State leaves this year. C-USA therefore could be on ESPN more than the WAC.
MWC does not have ESPN. VS does *not* have the exposure like ESPN.
Second National TV Deal:
C-USA has CBS CS for their secondary national TV partner.
MWC has CBS CS as their second national TV partner.
The WAC does not have a second national TV partner.
TV Money:
C-USA has slightly more than $12 million per year in TV money, but that will increase after ESPN gives them the raise that is being negotiated.
MWC has $12 million per year in TV money, but that may decrease after they lose Utah and BYU. Comcast used the mtn channel to force Utah customers to get Comcast instead of Dish Network (mtn also wasn’t on DirecTV for years), putting most BYU games and a lot of Utah games on that channel. TCU went to VS/CBSCS while BYU mostly was on mtn.
WAC gets $4.5 million per year from ESPN, but the WAC openly admits that ESPN will be reducing that number after BSU leaves. ESPN already gave a lot of the WAC’s time slots to BYU and is paying BYU more than it paid the entire WAC conference!
Local TV Deal:
C-USA lets its schools have local TV deals. They can show all games not shown on national TV and have free replay rights to all games not on national TV. UH could keep PPV/Oceanic/K5.
MWC does NOT let its schools have local TV deals, a major reason why BYU left. The mtn channel is supposed to replace all local TV deals. UH would lose PPV/Oceanic/K5
WAC lets its schools have local TV deals, which allows UH to have its PPV/Oceanic/K5 deal.
NCAA Basketball Money:
C-USA got $9.1 mil in 2008-2009, up $850k from the previous year because their teams have been winning games in the NCAA tournament. C-USA should go over $10 million this year.
MWC got $4.1 mil in 2008-2009, up $100k from the previous year. They got 4 teams in the NCAA tournament and some of their teams win games every year in the tournament, so they should pass $5 million soon.
WAC got $3.1 million in 2008-2009, *down* $150k from the previous year. Nevada’s NCAA tournament run was a long time ago and the WAC hasn’t won a tournament game for years, so the WAC will drop before $3 million soon.
Football Bowl Games:
C-USA has bowl games every year against *3* AQ Conferences—SEC, ACC, Big East. Those bowl games pay at least $1 million (Liberty Bowl pays $1.7 million to each conference). They have 6 bowl game tie-ins and are the backups for some other bowls.
MWC has bowl games every year against *3* AQ Conferences—ACC (Independence Bowl) and 2 Pac-12 teams (Vegas Bowl, New Mexico Bowl). Those bowl games pay at least $1 million (New Mexico Bowl will be the highest at $1.25 million).
WAC has bowl games every year against *0* AQ Conferences. The MWC dumped the Humanitarian Bowl because it paid just the $750k minimum so that will have a MAC team (and the WAC will probably lose the bowl soon since BSU is now gone). The New Mexico Bowl dumped the WAC to get a Pac-12 team. The Hawaii Bowl gets C-USA and a bowl-eligible UH, whether or not UH is in the WAC. The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl does pit the WAC against the Pac-12, but only in 2013. Army gets that bowl in 2011 and Navy gets it in 2012. The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl is increasing its payout and clearly looking to end its relationship with the WAC. The Sun Belt has better bowl tie-ins than the new WAC!
Karl Benson:
C-USA does NOT have Karl Benson as a commissioner
MWC does NOT have Karl Benson as a commissioner
WAC has Karl Benson as a commissioner.
These are just a few of the reasons why C-USA is a far superior conference than the WAC and MWC for UH. Remember, UH is in a unique situation because PPV/Oceanic/K5 makes $2.5 mil for UH and most non-AQ schools (like Wyoming, Colorado State, UNLV, Nevada, etc.) cannot get those types of lucrative local TV deals. C-USA has triple the TV money, triple the NCAA basketball money, far better bowl games (which bring millions into the conference no matter which conference school plays in them or not), and would enable UH to keep PPV/Oceanic/K5 while being with ESPN.
Why This Makes Sense for C-USA
Why would C-USA want UH? We live in a world where all non-AQ schools have problems with their budget and cannot just give charity to bail out UH. The simple answer is that C-USA does *not* want to add UH and it makes NO sense for them to add UH. However, there is a solution…
The Presidents of UH and rest of the WAC6 should get together and approach C-USA about joining as a GROUP to create a third division! C-USA could become a *true* C-USA, spanning the entire country. This would create a great situation for its TV partners, as the conference would have football and basketball games in every time zone to choose from.
The current C-USA West would become C-USA Central and a C-USA West would be created. La Tech would go to C-USA Central and fit nicely with the Texas and Louisiana schools already there. UTEP would go to C-USA West—UTEP does not have a travel partner in C-USA right now, but NMSU is a *perfect* travel partner for UTEP. Remember, UTEP isn’t even in the same time zone as the rest of the Texas schools—they are an outlier for the Texas schools but a short hop to NMSU. I’ve driven between Las Cruces and El Paso and that is a very short and easy drive. Traveling to Ruston for the C-USA central schools (Houston, SMU, Rice, Tulsa, Tulane) is pretty easy, in many cases a shorter distance than going to UTEP.
Why would this make sense for C-USA?
1. This protects the conference in the case that the Big East, Big 12, and MWC raid it.
2. C-USA is currently negotiating its TV contract with ESPN, which gives a one-in-a-decade chance for the WAC6 to show C-USA how it can make MILLIONS more from ESPN by adding the WAC schools. If the ESPN TV deal was done already, this would not make sense…so, the WAC has less than a year to get this deal done. Let us crunch some numbers:
The WAC6 has 3 home games each year with BYU that it owns the TV rights to. ESPN already valued BYU games at $1.2 million in their negotiations.
UH has consistently been able to get Pac-10 schools to play at Aloha Stadium and ESPN always shows those games. In its upcoming schedules, UH has home games against Colorado, USC, Army, Washington, and Oregon State. The TV rights to those games are significant. Unfortunately, the other WAC6 members have small stadiums and/or are located in areas with few recruits, so they don’t add any big nonconference games to the TV deal.
The WAC6 has shown the willingness to play games on weekdays, and now with C-USA in every time zone the new C-USA could offer weekday doubleheaders to ESPN, something that would be great for ESPN and for the visibility of the conference. C-USA schools haven’t shown as much willingness to play games not on Saturday or Friday, so the WAC6 can offer to play those games as the road time to the other C-USA schools or just between the WAC6. This is a way for C-USA to get more TV exposure (and $$$), and is pretty much the only way that La Tech, SJSU, Idaho, NMSU, and Utah State will even get on ESPN2/ESPNU. C-USA schools would not mind home games on weekdays as much as they do road games, so this is a way that the WAC6 can help C-USA…and get on ESPN, which is good for the WAC6. Win-win.
3. NCAA basketball money is a big part of C-USA’s revenue—they get more NCAA basketball money than the WAC, MWC, and Big West *combined*. Utah State and NMSU have excellent basketball programs that have shown they can get into the NCAA tournament. UH is significantly improved under Gib. That is already half of the WAC6! However, the WAC6 *clearly* doesn’t bring the same level of NCAA basketball revenue as C-USA, so the WAC6 will offer to take *no* NCAA basketball money from the C-USA’s tournament credits. The WAC6 will be treated like a brand new conference and share in only the NCAA basketball money that they bring into the conference until their share exceeds the C-USA average. That will be painful for the WAC6 for the first few years…but gives them a big incentive to improve their basketball teams. Thus, C-USA will have more basketball games to sell to TV and will not lose any of the NCAA basketball money that they earned.
The alternative plan that I thought of is to tell C-USA that *no* WAC6 team will get a share of the NCAA basketball money until it sends a team to the NCAA basketball tournament. I actually like that idea better because each WAC6 school will only get money when it actually earns money for the conference. However, schools like SJSU might get $0 forever and that would hurt them…but, if they don’t earn anything, should they really get a full share forever?
4. Travel subsidies will be provided for current C-USA schools that have to travel to Hawaii. C-USA currently plays 8 conference games per season, so that means that *3* current C-USA schools will play UH each year…that is only 3 trips to Hawaii every 2 years for the current members. Subsidizing 3 trips over 2 years is *very* low-cost for UH. The current WAC hurts its teams because they have to travel to both Ruston and Honolulu. The new C-USA does *not* have that problem because Ruston is actually an easy road trip for C-USA Central teams!
5. The Hawaii Bowl will need to *double* its payout, going from $750k to $1.5 million. C-USA currently sends a team to the Hawaii Bowl and they end up *losing* money due to the manini payout and the high travel costs. Travel costs for Hawaii to go to the Hawaii Bowl are *very* low (a week for the team in a Sheraton hotel is not cheap, but at least no airfare is needed), so C-USA would save a lot of money. Increasing the payout would mean that instead of losing say $300k on the Hawaii Bowl, C-USA would net something like $1 million in profit. Consider that $1.3 million to be UH’s “buy-in” to C-USA. Maybe if this happens, UH won’t even have to provide travel subsidies…the conference can provide the subsidies out of Hawaii Bowl money.
Why do I say to double the payout? Right now the Hawaii Bowl is C-USA vs. UH, so a new opponent is needed. Doubling the payout is what is needed to get the Hawaii Bowl to jump past other similar bowls and get a *Pac-12* team. Having a Pac-12 team would increase TV ratings and the increased visibility should get sponsors to pay more—a game against a Pac-12 team is worth more than the current game against C-USA. If needed, HTA would be tapped to help boost the payout. This would put the Hawaii Bowl above the New Mexico Bowl (which just dumped the WAC) and the Kraft Bowl (which is hoping to dump the WAC). That means that the Hawaii Bowl would get a higher pick of Pac-12 teams then either of those bowls. If those bowls don’t want the WAC, $%#& them and steal their Pac-12 selection.
Some Loose Ends
Karl Benson would be a commissioner with no teams in his conference. He’s used to losing a lot of teams, but this would be a first even for him. He’s made a generous salary (I think he’s around $350k per year now) for so long from the WAC that I don’t feel badly for him…he’ll be fine financially and maybe some lower-level conference might want him someday.
Texas State and UT-San Antonio would really lose out on this deal, as there would be no conference for them to join. UT-San Antonio could use a few years to build up its team anyway. If C-USA gets raided by any conference (Houston to MWC, etc.) then maybe TXST and UTSA can be invited then. TXST and UTSA would prefer to be in C-USA than the WAC anyway.
One not-insignificant reason for C-USA to help kill the WAC is that it appears that the WAC is trying to take over C-USA territory. It appears that the WAC is giving up on being a *Western* conference and is going to have a Southwest focus—adding TXST, UTSA, and trying to get North Texas clearly shows the direction the WAC is going. That directly competes with C-USA for TV market, recruits, and media attention. If C-USA doesn’t respond, they will end up splitting one of their big markets (Texas) with the WAC, which will cost them *more* money than adding the WAC6.
How is this C-USA18 different than the WAC16? The TV contract will be more than $10 million more than what the WAC16 had. The divisions make a lot of geographic sense instead of that idiotic “pod” thing that the WAC16 looked at. The NCAA tournament money will pass $10 million and current C-USA schools won’t lose anything that they would have been getting—and current WAC6 schools wouldn’t have gotten much anyway in the WAC. The Bowl games are FAR better than what the WAC16 had. Money was the main reason the WAC16 broke apart and money will keep the C-USA 18 together…especially in these times where money is so crucial for Athletic Departments to survive.
The sad fact is that NMSU, SJSU, La Tech, Idaho, and Utah State bring *nothing* to attract a big national TV deal. They don't get TV ratings since they don't have large fan bases. They don't have TV-friendly high-scoring offenses like UH. They play in small stadiums that make it hard to attract big-name opponents.
Those 5 teams are only shown on national TV when they are playing a big opponent...but BSU, Fresno State, and Nevada aren't going to be conference opponents anymore. Schools bring value by getting AQ opponents to play at their stadiums--but those 5 teams *never* get that! They play bodybag games to cash $1 million checks, but that brings NOTHING to the conference since the home team owns all TV rights.
When I did my research, I found that UH is the *only* WAC6 school that is getting Pac-10 or military academies to play at their home stadium. BSU had home games with Pac-10 schools like Oregon and Oregon State. Fresno State had home games with AQ schools from all around the country. Nevada had a home game with Cal this season. The other WAC members travel to get paychecks and bring NOTHING to the conference's TV deal. So, I had to figure out how to have UH by itself justify the WAC6's TV value to C-USA...that was a hard problem because C-USA gets 3x the TV money than the WAC gets *with* BSU, Nevada, and Fresno.
Note: I learned from one of the comments that I was WRONG when I said that none of the other schools get military academies to play at their home stadium. Just this year (I don't know why I checked past years and not this year, that was my mistake) Navy played in Ruston. The commentor also said that it shouldn't matter if the game is played in home stadiums or at neutral sites, but there *can* be a significant difference. As we have seen numerous times over the past few years, neutral site games can be exempted under the conference TV deals and those TV rights can be sold separately...so, that would bring no value to the *Conference* TV deal. For example, this is how BYU was able to get games on ESPN by moving games out of Provo to another location in Utah. Boise State played a neutral site game against Virginia Tech this season and it was not covered under the WAC conference deal or the ACC TV deal (BSU got $1.25 million and Virginia Tech got over $2 million). BYU played Oklahoma at the Cowboys stadium, Oregon State played TCU at Cowboys stadium, etc.
By the way, I checked Navy's site and it appears that the Navy-Louisiana Tech game was just available on ESPN3. I checked the WAC announcement of the football games that ESPN was showing this season and the Louisiana Tech-Navy game was *not* listed. In other words, La Tech hosting Navy brought NO value to the WAC TV deal. When UH plays a Pac-10, Big 10, or military academy, those games are almost always on ESPN (not just ESPN3)...I cannot remember the last time a UH game against an opponent like that was not on ESPN or ESPN2. A game that ESPN does not bother to show on ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU brings *no* value to the conference TV deal. So, I was wrong that none of the other schools host nonconference schools from the Pac-10 or military academies...however, it appears that even when Louisiana Tech does so it brings ZERO value to a conference TV deal.
Out-of-the-box idea 1: Neutral site games for UH
One part of my plan to help raise revenue and boost recruiting for UH:
The 49ers will be playing in a new stadium in Santa Clara in the near future. That is a PRIME recruiting area for UH and there are are LOT of UH fans in the area (I see some of them every other year at SJSU games).
Whenever a new football stadium opens they need to use it for more than just NFL games to help generate money. The Dallas Cowboys' new stadium hosts 2 or so college football teams every year, the teams earning $4+ million, and the Redskins stadium hosted BSU/Virginia Tech this year and the teams earned over $3.5 million. The 49ers stadium will be looking to host college football games, and those games will be *events* that will get a lot of media attention and fans will flock to the new stadium.
Let us establish UH as one of the teams that is associated with that stadium! UH can give up 1 home game a year to play a neutral site game at the stadium. UH can contact *Pac-12* teams that will be interested in playing in the Bay Area for recruiting purposes. Remember, with the split in divisions for the Pac-12 there will be 2-4 Pac-12 teams that will not play a game in the Bay Area every year. Those teams will want to play in the Bay Area and UH can provide them with a solution for that!
This is the drawback for UH:
1. One less home game. Instead of having 7 or 8 home games, UH will have 6 or 7 home games. That is a loss of revenue, but with the difficulty in scheduling UH might be playing a D-IAA team that doesn't draw many fans anyway.
2. Increased travel. But we are talking about the BAY AREA, which has easy direct flights from Honolulu. With the WAC6 only having *1* California team and with very few nonconference games in Californai, UH needs more California games or recruiting will be hurt badly.
These are some of the benefits for UH:
1. HUGE monetary benefits. The going rate for a non-AQ school is between $1.25 million and $1.5 million, but instead of playing at an SEC stadium to earn that money UH will be playing at a neutral site against Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, or Colorado...whichever teams are shut out of Bay Area games due to the way the way the conference schedules their games. By the way, that number could be going up to $2 million with the revenue projections I've seen.
2. Pac-12 school at a neutral site is an attractive matchup that will get significant media attention. Recruits around the country will pay attention to the game, and since it will be designated a *UH* home game, UH will own the TV rights. If UH is indy, that would be worth a couple of millions. If UH is part of the WAC, they can still get $1-2 million like BSU got this year.
3. Pac-12 schools would love to play a game at 49ers stadium because it would help their Bay Area recruiting and give them a greater national profile. The 2 Pac-12 teams that are shut out of the Bay Area every 2 years will be the perfect targets for UH. The going rate for AQ schools in neutral site games is about $3 million, so they will be getting a HUGE payday that won't be coming from UH. What Pac-12 school is going to turn down $3 million plus a chance to keep their Bay Area recruiting going?
4. These are *winnable* games for UH, they aren't flying to Florida to play at someone else's home stadium. Winning these types of games is what UH needs to build its credibility. The only way for UH to get respect is to WIN...and we aren't talking about against D-IAA schools or NMSU, SJSU, etc.
To summarize:
1. UH comes out ahead financially.
2. UH gets a huge recruiting boost.
3. UH gets to play one division of the Pac-12 on a rotation basis.
*If* either of the LA NFL stadiums are built, UH could target those stadiums also. Maybe those would be better than the 49ers stadium for UH recruiting.
Note: With 2 teams being shut out of the Bay Area for 2-year stretches, UH could play one of those teams (say, Arizona) one year and the other one (say, Arizona State) the other year. Then the next 2-year period 2 other Pac-12 teams will be shut out of the Bay Area and UH could rotate through those teams.
The 49ers will be playing in a new stadium in Santa Clara in the near future. That is a PRIME recruiting area for UH and there are are LOT of UH fans in the area (I see some of them every other year at SJSU games).
Whenever a new football stadium opens they need to use it for more than just NFL games to help generate money. The Dallas Cowboys' new stadium hosts 2 or so college football teams every year, the teams earning $4+ million, and the Redskins stadium hosted BSU/Virginia Tech this year and the teams earned over $3.5 million. The 49ers stadium will be looking to host college football games, and those games will be *events* that will get a lot of media attention and fans will flock to the new stadium.
Let us establish UH as one of the teams that is associated with that stadium! UH can give up 1 home game a year to play a neutral site game at the stadium. UH can contact *Pac-12* teams that will be interested in playing in the Bay Area for recruiting purposes. Remember, with the split in divisions for the Pac-12 there will be 2-4 Pac-12 teams that will not play a game in the Bay Area every year. Those teams will want to play in the Bay Area and UH can provide them with a solution for that!
This is the drawback for UH:
1. One less home game. Instead of having 7 or 8 home games, UH will have 6 or 7 home games. That is a loss of revenue, but with the difficulty in scheduling UH might be playing a D-IAA team that doesn't draw many fans anyway.
2. Increased travel. But we are talking about the BAY AREA, which has easy direct flights from Honolulu. With the WAC6 only having *1* California team and with very few nonconference games in Californai, UH needs more California games or recruiting will be hurt badly.
These are some of the benefits for UH:
1. HUGE monetary benefits. The going rate for a non-AQ school is between $1.25 million and $1.5 million, but instead of playing at an SEC stadium to earn that money UH will be playing at a neutral site against Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, or Colorado...whichever teams are shut out of Bay Area games due to the way the way the conference schedules their games. By the way, that number could be going up to $2 million with the revenue projections I've seen.
2. Pac-12 school at a neutral site is an attractive matchup that will get significant media attention. Recruits around the country will pay attention to the game, and since it will be designated a *UH* home game, UH will own the TV rights. If UH is indy, that would be worth a couple of millions. If UH is part of the WAC, they can still get $1-2 million like BSU got this year.
3. Pac-12 schools would love to play a game at 49ers stadium because it would help their Bay Area recruiting and give them a greater national profile. The 2 Pac-12 teams that are shut out of the Bay Area every 2 years will be the perfect targets for UH. The going rate for AQ schools in neutral site games is about $3 million, so they will be getting a HUGE payday that won't be coming from UH. What Pac-12 school is going to turn down $3 million plus a chance to keep their Bay Area recruiting going?
4. These are *winnable* games for UH, they aren't flying to Florida to play at someone else's home stadium. Winning these types of games is what UH needs to build its credibility. The only way for UH to get respect is to WIN...and we aren't talking about against D-IAA schools or NMSU, SJSU, etc.
To summarize:
1. UH comes out ahead financially.
2. UH gets a huge recruiting boost.
3. UH gets to play one division of the Pac-12 on a rotation basis.
*If* either of the LA NFL stadiums are built, UH could target those stadiums also. Maybe those would be better than the 49ers stadium for UH recruiting.
Note: With 2 teams being shut out of the Bay Area for 2-year stretches, UH could play one of those teams (say, Arizona) one year and the other one (say, Arizona State) the other year. Then the next 2-year period 2 other Pac-12 teams will be shut out of the Bay Area and UH could rotate through those teams.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Sol Elimimian is the West's nominee for CFL Rookie of the Year
VS = Vancouver Sun
VS Note: "Elimimian will attend the CFL award ceremonies at Edmonton's Windspear Centre as the West's nominee for rookie of the year. Davis was named as the West's choice for special teams player of the year in voting by CFL coaches and members of the Football Reporters of Canada."
VS Note: "Like Davis, Elimimian, a linebacker, finished with a flourish. He led the Lions in tackles, with 77, placing him among the CFL's top 10, even though he missed two games because of injury and really didn't solidify his position at middle linebacker until close to midseason."
About how he worried that he might not make the team after he missed almost 2 weeks of training camp with a hamstring injury, Sol said:
"I was scared, because I wasn't getting the opportunities. I was unknown, and guys get cut all the time, just for being hurt. I understood the situation. They had no reason to keep me. Like, if they'd sent me home, I wouldn't have been upset. But they gave me a fair shake. I told Wally [coach Buono] that once I got in there, he wouldn't regret the decision." (VS)
VS Note: "At the University of Hawaii, Elimimian was known as the "Pineapple Express" or the "Nigerian Nightmare", owing to his roots in Africa. He was born in Calabar, Nigeria and moved to the United States with his family so his father, Isaac, could pursue university studies. He's a retired English and philosophy professor."
About how he is not surprised at all with Sol's success, Lions teammate and his UH roommate Adam Leonard said:
"Absolutely, I'm the least surprised person about what he's been able to do. I've been witnessing his abilities for the last six years. From Day One, you could tell he's a guy who plays at a high level. All he needed was an opportunity here. I knew he was going to make the most of it." (VS)
About how it took him time to get comfortable with the CFL, Sol said:
"I really didn't get into my groove until Week 7 or Week 8. That was when I started to get comfortable.Early in the season, they weren't sure what kind of player I was. And I was hurt. But they gave me time to mature and grow." (VS)
Not worried about the cold weather that is expected for their playoff game this weekend, Sol said:
"If anything, all it [the cold] will do is motivate me." (VS)
http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/football/lions/Poor+start+great+finish+Lion+cubs/3815814/story.html
VS Note: "Elimimian will attend the CFL award ceremonies at Edmonton's Windspear Centre as the West's nominee for rookie of the year. Davis was named as the West's choice for special teams player of the year in voting by CFL coaches and members of the Football Reporters of Canada."
VS Note: "Like Davis, Elimimian, a linebacker, finished with a flourish. He led the Lions in tackles, with 77, placing him among the CFL's top 10, even though he missed two games because of injury and really didn't solidify his position at middle linebacker until close to midseason."
About how he worried that he might not make the team after he missed almost 2 weeks of training camp with a hamstring injury, Sol said:
"I was scared, because I wasn't getting the opportunities. I was unknown, and guys get cut all the time, just for being hurt. I understood the situation. They had no reason to keep me. Like, if they'd sent me home, I wouldn't have been upset. But they gave me a fair shake. I told Wally [coach Buono] that once I got in there, he wouldn't regret the decision." (VS)
VS Note: "At the University of Hawaii, Elimimian was known as the "Pineapple Express" or the "Nigerian Nightmare", owing to his roots in Africa. He was born in Calabar, Nigeria and moved to the United States with his family so his father, Isaac, could pursue university studies. He's a retired English and philosophy professor."
About how he is not surprised at all with Sol's success, Lions teammate and his UH roommate Adam Leonard said:
"Absolutely, I'm the least surprised person about what he's been able to do. I've been witnessing his abilities for the last six years. From Day One, you could tell he's a guy who plays at a high level. All he needed was an opportunity here. I knew he was going to make the most of it." (VS)
About how it took him time to get comfortable with the CFL, Sol said:
"I really didn't get into my groove until Week 7 or Week 8. That was when I started to get comfortable.Early in the season, they weren't sure what kind of player I was. And I was hurt. But they gave me time to mature and grow." (VS)
Not worried about the cold weather that is expected for their playoff game this weekend, Sol said:
"If anything, all it [the cold] will do is motivate me." (VS)
http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/football/lions/Poor+start+great+finish+Lion+cubs/3815814/story.html
PPV sales are down about 13% this year, ticket sales are slightly up (thank you USC!)
HSA Note: "An independent auditor's report said the department's revenue from ticket sales dropped by $283,000 from $7,191,000 in fiscal year 2009 to $6,908,000 in the fiscal year that concluded June 30."
HSA Note: "A more than 15 percent drop in PPV sales was reported in FY 2010 and sales of the season package plunged nearly 12 percent. The audit showed local radio and TV revenue at $3,064,000 in FY 2009 and $2,835,000 in FY 2010, while football ticket sales produced $4.8 million in FY 2009 and $4.6 million in FY 2010."
About how PPV sales are down this year (FY11), JD said:
"I know (PPV) sales are down double digits this year -- I believe it is around 12-14 percent -- so far through the first five games." (HSA)
HSA Note: "With the price of PPV raised again this year, Donovan said actual revenue from PPV sales is trending down about 10-12 percent. The price rose about $20 this year, with Oahu renewal subscribers paying $420. UH's football tickets issued average through five games at Aloha Stadium this season is 36,894. Last year at the same point it was 35,272. UH receives a guarantee of $2.3 million each year for its local TV rights and a portion of additional sales at certain levels."
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101112_Economy_subpar_teams_blamed_for_ticket_sales_drop.html
HSA Note: "A more than 15 percent drop in PPV sales was reported in FY 2010 and sales of the season package plunged nearly 12 percent. The audit showed local radio and TV revenue at $3,064,000 in FY 2009 and $2,835,000 in FY 2010, while football ticket sales produced $4.8 million in FY 2009 and $4.6 million in FY 2010."
About how PPV sales are down this year (FY11), JD said:
"I know (PPV) sales are down double digits this year -- I believe it is around 12-14 percent -- so far through the first five games." (HSA)
HSA Note: "With the price of PPV raised again this year, Donovan said actual revenue from PPV sales is trending down about 10-12 percent. The price rose about $20 this year, with Oahu renewal subscribers paying $420. UH's football tickets issued average through five games at Aloha Stadium this season is 36,894. Last year at the same point it was 35,272. UH receives a guarantee of $2.3 million each year for its local TV rights and a portion of additional sales at certain levels."
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101112_Economy_subpar_teams_blamed_for_ticket_sales_drop.html
UH is keeping its options open after the WAC announced its expansion
Giving UH's reaction to the WAC's expansion announcement, JD said:
"We will look at all our options, including staying in the WAC." (HSA)
"We need to look at where the WAC is, where it is going and what the long-term plan is and (then) we'll look at all of our options." (HSA)
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101112_Expanded_WAC_still_might_not_sate_UH.html
"We will look at all our options, including staying in the WAC." (HSA)
"We need to look at where the WAC is, where it is going and what the long-term plan is and (then) we'll look at all of our options." (HSA)
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101112_Expanded_WAC_still_might_not_sate_UH.html
Thursday, November 11, 2010
The UH Athletic Department's Deficit was cut be $1 million in FY2010
HSA Note: "An independent auditor's report listed a $1,612,417 deficit on spending of $29.6 million for fiscal year 2010, which closed June 30, down from $2,632,408 in 2009."
About projecting a deficit of about $800k in FY2011, JD added:
"We believe we can be in the black for (fiscal year 2012) short of any major shock and what happens with the conference situation." (HSA)
HSA Note: "The accumulated net deficit, built up over nine years, is $9,584,181, which Donovan pledged to begin paying down when the department gets in the black. UH has operated at a deficit for eight of the past nine years through three athletic administrations. The lone year in the black, fiscal year 2008, was due to a $4.4 million Sugar Bowl payout and resulted in a $295,243 surplus."
About the reduced deficit, the audit report by Accuity LLP said:
"Management is making progress in the areas of cost containment and revenue enhancement in order to reduce the department's dependence on fiscal support from other university units. However, as the goal of the department is to run a quality program in compliance with Title IX, cost containment will continue to be a challenge." (HSA)
JD said that the deficit was cut:
"without cutting services directly tied to our student-athletes such as trainers, academic counselors, coaches etc." (HSA)
JD said that the areas they cut were in:
"administration, sports information, ticket office and others, which will leave us in a much better competitive situation over the next five years than if we had cut (from) sports directly." (HSA)
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101111_Athletics_slashes_deficit_by_over_1M.html
About projecting a deficit of about $800k in FY2011, JD added:
"We believe we can be in the black for (fiscal year 2012) short of any major shock and what happens with the conference situation." (HSA)
HSA Note: "The accumulated net deficit, built up over nine years, is $9,584,181, which Donovan pledged to begin paying down when the department gets in the black. UH has operated at a deficit for eight of the past nine years through three athletic administrations. The lone year in the black, fiscal year 2008, was due to a $4.4 million Sugar Bowl payout and resulted in a $295,243 surplus."
About the reduced deficit, the audit report by Accuity LLP said:
"Management is making progress in the areas of cost containment and revenue enhancement in order to reduce the department's dependence on fiscal support from other university units. However, as the goal of the department is to run a quality program in compliance with Title IX, cost containment will continue to be a challenge." (HSA)
JD said that the deficit was cut:
"without cutting services directly tied to our student-athletes such as trainers, academic counselors, coaches etc." (HSA)
JD said that the areas they cut were in:
"administration, sports information, ticket office and others, which will leave us in a much better competitive situation over the next five years than if we had cut (from) sports directly." (HSA)
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101111_Athletics_slashes_deficit_by_over_1M.html
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Feature article on the Scout Bowl scrimmage
HSA Note: "As part of the bye-week activities, the Warriors planned on conducting the annual Scout Bowl involving redshirts and scout-team players. Because of numerous injuries, the format was changed from two teams to an offense-versus-defense format. A complicated scoring system was created for the defense, awarding points for interceptions, forced fumbles and third-down failures."
About calling the play as the offense's "head coach" when they went to overtime with the score tied at 30, with the offense getting the ball at the 25 and needing to score to win, Bryant Moniz said:
"It was a good time to go for the double-move route." (HSA)
"It was overtime period. It was time to go for it." (HSA)
About running a stick patter, where he faked to the outside then cut back on a post route, getting open between 2 safeties to catch the game-winning pass from David Graves, Justin Clapp said:
"It's a phenomenal feeling. All the credit goes to the line. They had to pass-block for that. And credit goes to David for throwing a dime ball to me. It was just perfect." (HSA)
Praising Justin Clapp for the game-winning TD, David Graves said:
"He was so wide open I didn't want to mess up the throw. Those are the scariest ones when they're wide open." (HSA)
About playing with a broken left thumb and a sprained finger on his throwing hand, Graves said:
"I'm just dinged up. It's nothing I can't play through." (HSA)
About his 75-yard TD catch-and-run, walk-on Terence Bell said:
"It was an end route, and I came across. I was lucky enough to see the window. Cayman (Shutter) threw a great ball. I made the rest of it happen." (HSA)
About his 9-yard TD run where he knocked down 3 defenders, Sterling Jackson said:
"It feels good to get out there and play." (HSA)
HSA Note: "Jackson is 6-foot-1, weighs 228 pounds and, Moniz insists, "intimidates like Brock Lesnar." "
Praising Sterling Jackson, RB coach Brian Smith said:
"He has explosive speed. He's a physical player. He has really good leg drive. He does a good job of running hard and finishing his runs." (HSA)
About bear-hugging Bell when he made a leaping catch near the sideline and tossing him out of bounds for an incompletion, Terry Wilson said:
"Coach (Rich) Miano always teaches us to press out of bounds. That's why we go through old-school training every day." (HSA)
About how Moses Samia made 2 of his 2.5 sacks using 2-handed thrusts, Siaki Cravens said:
"See those clubs right there. Those are 3X glove sizes right there. That's all power. I'm pretty sure (the offensive lineman) gets nervous when he lines up in front of him. He uses those big hands and clubs people with them." (HSA)
About how he will focus on football training this spring instead of playing for UH's baseball team, Samia said:
"I'm worrying about football right now." (HSA)
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101110_Warriors_see_into_the_future.html
About calling the play as the offense's "head coach" when they went to overtime with the score tied at 30, with the offense getting the ball at the 25 and needing to score to win, Bryant Moniz said:
"It was a good time to go for the double-move route." (HSA)
"It was overtime period. It was time to go for it." (HSA)
About running a stick patter, where he faked to the outside then cut back on a post route, getting open between 2 safeties to catch the game-winning pass from David Graves, Justin Clapp said:
"It's a phenomenal feeling. All the credit goes to the line. They had to pass-block for that. And credit goes to David for throwing a dime ball to me. It was just perfect." (HSA)
Praising Justin Clapp for the game-winning TD, David Graves said:
"He was so wide open I didn't want to mess up the throw. Those are the scariest ones when they're wide open." (HSA)
About playing with a broken left thumb and a sprained finger on his throwing hand, Graves said:
"I'm just dinged up. It's nothing I can't play through." (HSA)
About his 75-yard TD catch-and-run, walk-on Terence Bell said:
"It was an end route, and I came across. I was lucky enough to see the window. Cayman (Shutter) threw a great ball. I made the rest of it happen." (HSA)
About his 9-yard TD run where he knocked down 3 defenders, Sterling Jackson said:
"It feels good to get out there and play." (HSA)
HSA Note: "Jackson is 6-foot-1, weighs 228 pounds and, Moniz insists, "intimidates like Brock Lesnar." "
Praising Sterling Jackson, RB coach Brian Smith said:
"He has explosive speed. He's a physical player. He has really good leg drive. He does a good job of running hard and finishing his runs." (HSA)
About bear-hugging Bell when he made a leaping catch near the sideline and tossing him out of bounds for an incompletion, Terry Wilson said:
"Coach (Rich) Miano always teaches us to press out of bounds. That's why we go through old-school training every day." (HSA)
About how Moses Samia made 2 of his 2.5 sacks using 2-handed thrusts, Siaki Cravens said:
"See those clubs right there. Those are 3X glove sizes right there. That's all power. I'm pretty sure (the offensive lineman) gets nervous when he lines up in front of him. He uses those big hands and clubs people with them." (HSA)
About how he will focus on football training this spring instead of playing for UH's baseball team, Samia said:
"I'm worrying about football right now." (HSA)
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101110_Warriors_see_into_the_future.html
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Mack said that the Hawaii Bowl gives UH a chance to play well on national TV after having the BSU game on national TV
Even though their final 3 games are against 1-8 SJSU, 2-7 NMSU, and 1-8 UNLV, Mack said that:
"these aren't gimmes coming up. Virginia Tech may have thought that, and they lost to James Madison after they lost to Boise State. We can't afford to do that. We have a good season going, even though we had a bad, tough loss." (HSA)
About how the BSU loss hurt because it was on national TV but at least they will be on national TV for the Hawaii Bowl, Mack said:
"That's why the bowl game is so important. That's the next time we're going to be on national television. That's why I feel so fortunate, and these players have worked so hard and beaten some good teams to get to a point of being in a bowl game. Now we've got to win the games up to the bowl game." (HSA)
About how his right forearm's injury (that kept him out of 6 games after it was fractured) was aggravated during their first defensive series against BSU, Spencer Smith said:
"It's sore. I have to keep rehabbing it." (HSA)
About how they won't be having a draft for a Scout Bowl like they had in past years, Austin Hansen said:
"I'd have to take David Graves, because he plays both ways." (HSA)
About how RB Sterling Jackson would have been one of the first 2 players drafted for the Scout Bowl, Siaki Cravens said:
"Did you see how big that man is? He's probably going to be our starting running back next year. He's a downhill runner. He's powerful. He's fast. He has great acceleration. At that weight, he's hard to tackle. We went against him in fall (training camp). We weren't sure if he was going to redshirt or not. I'm 240 pounds, but running into him, I felt it. I think he's going to run all over everybody. That's my MVP right there." (HSA)
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101109_These_arent_gimmes.html
"these aren't gimmes coming up. Virginia Tech may have thought that, and they lost to James Madison after they lost to Boise State. We can't afford to do that. We have a good season going, even though we had a bad, tough loss." (HSA)
About how the BSU loss hurt because it was on national TV but at least they will be on national TV for the Hawaii Bowl, Mack said:
"That's why the bowl game is so important. That's the next time we're going to be on national television. That's why I feel so fortunate, and these players have worked so hard and beaten some good teams to get to a point of being in a bowl game. Now we've got to win the games up to the bowl game." (HSA)
About how his right forearm's injury (that kept him out of 6 games after it was fractured) was aggravated during their first defensive series against BSU, Spencer Smith said:
"It's sore. I have to keep rehabbing it." (HSA)
About how they won't be having a draft for a Scout Bowl like they had in past years, Austin Hansen said:
"I'd have to take David Graves, because he plays both ways." (HSA)
About how RB Sterling Jackson would have been one of the first 2 players drafted for the Scout Bowl, Siaki Cravens said:
"Did you see how big that man is? He's probably going to be our starting running back next year. He's a downhill runner. He's powerful. He's fast. He has great acceleration. At that weight, he's hard to tackle. We went against him in fall (training camp). We weren't sure if he was going to redshirt or not. I'm 240 pounds, but running into him, I felt it. I think he's going to run all over everybody. That's my MVP right there." (HSA)
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101109_These_arent_gimmes.html
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Quotes from the UH-Boise State game 11/6/10
BSU = Official Boise State Athletics website
AP = Associated Press
IS = Idaho Statesman
AO = Arbiter Online
HSA = Honolulu Star-Advertiser
KHON = KHON2.com
Note: UH's website did not have any quotes from the game.
------------------- Quotes from the UH coaches ----------------------
About how the final score was closer because they won the turnover battle 3-0, Mack said:
"We didn't quit. I thought our guys played hard, but usually when you win the turnover battle, it's a little closer than that. Probably it was closer because we did win the turnover battle. Shoot, they could have had a lot more points." (BSU, HSA)
"Shoot, they could have had a lot more points." (AP)
Giving credit to Boise State, Mack said:
"I give all the credit to Boise State. I think they deserve the ranking they have. That's the best team we have played. They are what they are advertised. Offensively, defensively, they are as advertised." (BSU)
"They're what they're advertised as." (HSA)
About how Boise State played well, Mack said:
"They're just a good football team. I give them all the credit. The quarterback was hot. The receivers are great. The offensive line is the toughest we've faced. Defensively, nobody has shut us down like that." (BSU, IS)
"The quarterback was hot. The receivers are great. The offensive line is the toughest we've faced." (HSA)
"Nobody has shut us down like that." (HSA)
About how they didn't execute well, Mack said:
"We're going to have to look at the films and see what our execution was like. It wasn't very good, but I'm not so sure that Boise State didn't have something to do with that." (BSU)
"We're going to have to look at the film and see what our execution was like. It wasn't very good. But I'm not so sure that Boise State didn't have something to do with that." (AP)
Praising Alex Dunnachie's punting in the game, Mack said:
"They outplayed us in all phases.But our punter had a great game." (HSA)
About how Boise State did not lose any timing during their bye week, Mack said:
"They had a bye, and I didn't think it hurt their timing at all. Kellen Moore was right on the money." (BSU)
About how Boise State took Greg Salas out of their offense, Mack said:
"Without playing Kealoha (Pilaraes), it left us one short. They did take (Greg) Salas away, which, that's what I would do too if we don't have Kealoha." (BSU)
About holding Pilares out of this game, Mack said:
"I didn't want to take a chance on screwing him up. During warm-ups, it started tightening up on him. I said, 'Heck, with it. A game isn't worth screwing up a guy's future.'" (HSA)
About how they converted just 3 out of 14 3rd downs, Mack said;
"We didn't play third down well at all. They outplayed us in all phases." (HSA)
About how BSU's defense focused on Salas and single covered their outside receivers, Offensive Coordinator Nick Rolovich said:
"They were very aware of Salas. They gave (us) a lot of stuff to the outside guys." (HSA)
About how BSU's DEs dominated and took them out of their game plan by eliminating all long routes, Mack said:
"We couldn't get into our game plan because their defensive ends are such good rushers. Any type of long route, we're not going to get it off." (IS)
Looking forward to putting this game behind him, Defensive Coordinator Dave Aranda said:
"It was one of those days. Soon, it will be over with. It's time to put this day to bed." (HSA)
About how nothing they tried worked, Aranda said:
"I've been in games, where no matter what you try, it's not successful. This was one of those games." (HSA)
"No matter what we did, we couldn't make any plays. We tried a couple of different things. A zone. A man. A pressure. We weren't executing." (HSA)
About how they expected BSU to go no-huddle, Aranda said:
"We thought they would try a no-huddle (offense)." (HSA)
------------------- Quotes from the UH players ----------------------
About how the crowd was a factor in the game, Bryant Moniz said:
"With the silent count, (the Boise defenders) got that extra beat on us. And even in the huddle, guys got the wrong calls." (HSA)
"The crowd made it hard to get a good jump off the snap." (HSA)
About how BSU made things difficult for their offense, Moniz said:
"They did their homework. They made it hard to get to our slots. They disguised their pressures very well and noise was a big factor." (HSA, IS)
About BSU's pass rush (7 sacks), Moniz said:
"There was a lot of pressure. They made it tough for us to get into a rhythm." (HSA)
About how the loud crowd forced them to go to a silent count, which forced their tackles to watch the snap. center Bronson Tiwanak said:
"it's hard for them to get out (of their stance) quickly." (HSA)
About how BSU "mixed things up" with their blitz tendencies, Alex Green said:
"They like to blitz a lot, but it was nothing we hadn't seen. But sometimes the down and yards were not what we expected. We expected blitz on third down, but they came on first and second down." (HSA)
About how BSU's defense stopped them from doing what they normally do, Green said:
"They did a really good job of containing us. The D-line played hard and got to the quarterback a lot. It was hard for us to make plays. We couldn't do what we usually do." (HSA)
About how nickel back Winston Venable would bump him off his route and then release him to a safety in zone coverage, Greg Salas said;
"They had a guy re-route me, and another guy on (deep coverage). It was very frustrating." (HSA)
About how he had tightness in his hamstring during warmups, Kealoha Pilares said:
"I tried to sprint, and I felt I tweaked it again. It felt sore. I knew I couldn't go 100 percent." (HSA)
About how he is able to reduce the defense's attention on Greg Salas, Pilares said:
"In this offense, everyone works together." (HSA)
About how they missed Kealoha Pilares, Rodney Bradley said:
"You definitely feel the absence. Things aren't the same (without Pilares)." (HSA)
About how they won the turnover battle, Corey Paredes said:
"You figure. (Forcing turnovers) obviously correlated with our wins. We got turnovers today, we tried to get the ball in the offense's hands." (HSA)
About why they did not blitz much in the game, Mana Silva said:
"We just wanted to play our coverages and get pressure with our front four." (HSA)
About how their defense did not execute, Silva (who had 2 INTs and 13 tackles in the game) said:
"They did a good job executing what they do well. I thought we came out ready to play. We just didn't execute what we needed to do." (HSA)
Note: Silva now had 13 interceptions at UH, tied for the school career record. His 7 interceptions this season leads the country
About how they couldn't sack Kellen Moore, DE Kamalu Umu said:
"He just avoids you. When we got a good pass rush, we couldn't get him. He was always one step ahead." (HSA)
About how their game plan was to take away Moore's primary receiver on each play, LB Aaron Brown said:
"You take away his first read, and he'll go to the second read, and the third read and the fourth read." (HSA)
-------------- Quotes from the Boise State coaches -----------------
Happy with how his team played, head coach Chris Petersen said:
"We are [feeling really good about it]. It was a complete team effort. All three phases were good. We have tremendous respect for Hawai'i, they are playing great. We just happened to be hitting on all cylinders today and I'm glad, because we need to do that to do what we want to do." (BSU)
"It was a complete team effort. All three phases were good. We have tremendous respect for Hawaii. We just happened to be hitting on all cylinders today and I'm glad, because we need to do that to do what we want to do." (AP)
"We have tremendous respect for Hawaii — they are playing great. We just happened to be hitting on all cylinders today, and I'm glad, because we need to do that to do what we want to do." (HSA)
About how he didn't expect their defense to do that well, Petersen said:
"To hold that offense down and get as many sacks as we did, that was much-needed and unexpected." (IS)
About how he didn't expect a blowout win but he knew his players were up for the game, Petersen said:
"I certainly didn't think that would happen going into it. I know this, though: Our guys were ready to play." (IS)
About using DE Ryan Winterswyk at TE in this game (2 of BSU's TEs are out with injury), Petersen said:
"We may get Ryan more involved. Ryan's a heck of an athlete. He can do it and he's smart. Because of our numbers there, we may start to build on his package a little bit." (IS)
About how first-year Defensive Coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski has done well since Tennessee hired away their DC from last season, Petersen said:
"We didn't miss a beat from day one." (IS)
About using a no huddle offense in this game, Petersen said:
"We've been dabbling and experimenting. It was pretty clean…it's hard when you don't major in that. It's a little bit outside of who we are. Sometimes we go back and forth between who we are and someone else. But we like it. You can see it took a little bit to get into a rhythm early on with a couple false starts. But it is something that we like and something we want to continue to build on." (BSU)
"We always have no huddle a couple times a year that's not a two-minute drill for us. We've been dabbling and experimenting and it was pretty clean. It's hard when you don't major in that. It's a little outside of who we are so sometimes we go back and forth from being who we are and someone else. I like it." (AO)
"It was pretty clean. It's hard when you don't major in that. It's a little bit outside of who we are. ... It is something that we like and something that we want to continue to build on." (IS)
"It just kind of presented itself. We had a few extra days to prepare for it." (HSA)
"We've been dabbling and experimenting. It was pretty clean. ... It's hard when you don't major in that." (HSA)
About using the no-huddle offense to limit UH's defensive adjustments, offensive coordinator Brian Harsin said:
"I think Hawaii does such a good job of mixing up looks. They do such a good job of giving you a variety." (HSA)
"I think Hawaii does such a good job of mixing up looks. They do such a good job of giving you a variety. It's hard to get a bead on them." (IS)
About how future opponents will now have to prepare for the possibility that they will use a no-huddle offense, Harsin said:
"I think it's a good changeup for us to have in there and something we can continue to build and still keep the stuff that we do with the movement and those types of things. We can keep that variety in there for other teams to look at." (IS)
About how he always feels dread and doubt in the minutes before kickoff on game days, first-year Defensive Coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski said:
"The stress is all self-induced." (IS)
About holding UH to 196 yards of total offense, the fewest UH had since 1998 (before JJ), Kwiatkowski said:
"There's no way I was going to say or believe we would be able to shut them down like that. Today was our day." (IS)
About replacing his pre-game nerves with relief and a sense of satisfaction, Kwiatkowski said:
"I want us to be as good as we should be." (IS)
------------- Quotes from the Boise State players -------------------
About how they sped up their offense in this game, Kellen Moore said:
"It was nice to get that no huddle going. Obviously I think everyone knows I love the thing. It just kind of presented itself. We had a few extra days to prepare for it, be able to rep in that no huddle situation and get guys more comfortable with it. I love the quick tempo. You get completions. If you screw up you have about five or six seconds to think about it then you move on. It's just attacking on offense. You have to keep getting after that defense." (BSU)
"I love the quick tempo and you just get completions. If you screw up you have about five to ten seconds to think about it and then you have to move on. It's just an attacking offense and we just have to keep getting after that defense." (AO, IS)
"I love the quick tempo. You get completions. If you screw up, you have about 5 or 6 seconds to think about it, then you move on. It's just attacking on offense. You have to keep getting after that defense." (HSA)
"I love the quick tempo. It's just an attacking offense." (IS)
"Obviously I think everyone knows I love the thing. We had a few extra days to prepare for it, be able to rep in that no-huddle situation and get guys more comfortable with it." (IS)
"The tempo helps get the defense into more base coverages and base defenses. They don't have time to throw in their unique blitzes and things like that when they only have a short few seconds to call plays." (HSA, IS)
About setting the school record with 85 career TD passes, Moore said:
"It is a pretty cool deal. Being in the QB room, recognizing all of the past quarterbacks that played here and played really well; you're held to a very high standard here when you're playing quarterback. [The records] are something I might realize a little bit more later, but it's just been an awesome time." (BSU, IS)
"It's a pretty cool deal being in the QB room and recognizing and all the past quarterbacks that player here, played very well. All the quarterbacks here are held to a very high standard. It's probably something I'll realize a little bit later, but it's been an awesome time." (AO)
"It's a pretty cool deal. The records are something I might realize a little bit more later." (AP)
About his 2 interceptions in this game, doubling his season total, Moore said:
"Stupid throws on my part. Sometimes you're maybe feeling a little too confident." (IS)
About how it was important for them to play well against a good opponent on ESPN, Moore said:
"Today was a big game with a big opponent with the TV exposure. It was our opportunity to show our best brand of football, and I think we played pretty well." (AP)
About how they knew that UH had the momentum from a 6-game winning streak, Moore said:
"We were well aware of the momentum they were carrying into this game. It was our job to get after them early and see what happens." (IS)
Praising Austin Pettis (8 receptions for 122 yards and a TD), who broke the Boise State record for career receptions (196), Moore said:
"Big time receiver who is very reliable. I'm really fortunate to have these wide receivers surrounding me. They make great plays. I trust them and they trust me and I think everything works very well. Austin has come up with big play after big play throughout his career and we are still expecting a few more." (AO)
Praising Kellen Moore and how he ran their no-huddle offense, Austin Pettis said:
"He's so smart and he could call all of those plays himself if he really wanted to. When you dumb it down for the defense and they can't do as much because we're snapping the ball so quick, it makes it that much easier for him to read the defense and get the ball out quick." (IS)
About how the emergence of Tyler Shoemaker as a 3rd WR threat has helped their offense, Austin Pettis said:
"There's not many teams around the nation that have three receivers who can go out night-in and night-out and make some plays like we've been doing the past couple weeks. It's helping our offense out by opening up things and then you put Doug in the backfield and you've got a headache for d-coordinators. (Shoemaker) stepping up took a lot of pressure off me and Titus (Young), and I think Kellen as well." (AO)
"Not many teams have three receivers who can go out night after night and make plays like we have the past couple of games." (IS)
IS Note: "The no-huddle also emphasized the Broncos' strength at wide receiver — Pettis, Tyler Shoemaker (five catches, 117 yards) and Young (five, 99) were outstanding — and minimized the loss of two tight ends to injury.
About how their secondary proved themselves in this game, George Iloka said:
"Hopefully we silenced the critics for one more week. I felt like we did a pretty good job out there. The d-line was getting after it for four quarters, and it really helped us out a lot. But I feel like we played well the whole game." (BSU)
Asked how he felt they did in the game, Iloka said:
"It felt good…the d-line was doing their thing and the secondary was back there confusing them. It felt good, that an offense of that caliber, you could shut them out all the way into the fourth quarter." (BSU)
About their success rushing the passer in this game, Shea McClellin said:
"I think it was pretty big for our defense. The [defensive backs] had coverage so we were able to get there. When we got pressure they were able to break it up." (BSU)
"In the second half, the O-line just couldn't handle us." (IS)
About being able to keep UH's offense from scoring much, McClellin said:
"We knew they would get yards coming in here. We just had to not let them score. That was our main thing." (BSU, HSA)
Happy with how they played on offense and defense, McClellin said:
"If our offense and defense dominate on the same day, it's a really cool thing to see." (IS)
--------------- Other quotes from the game --------------
About 12-year-old Stephen Kinsey (battling non-Hodgkin lymphoma), who was a BSU coach for a day during the game as his wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Petersen said:
"I just want to start by thanking Stephen and his family for being here. He's good luck for the Broncos." (AO)
IS Note: "The Broncos and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Idaho gave 12-year-old Stephen Kinsey of San Antonio a one-of-a-kind experience the past three days — one that took his mind off his cancer and the burglars who ransacked the family home last month. Stephen, who wanted to be a coach for a day at Boise State, spent Friday and Saturday with the Broncos."
Talking with his Dad (Bryan) midway through the second quarter, Stephen said:
"I don't want it to end." (IS)
About how they did all they could to make the weekend special for Stephen, Barb Petersen (Chris Petersen's wife, a Make-A-Wish volunteer and a wish parent herself) said:
"We just wanted to make it as great as we could make it. It's fun to see him be a celebrity this weekend because he's going to be going through a lot over the next few years." (IS)
IS Note: "The tumor couldn't be removed. It was intertwined with too many nerves. He started chemotherapy on Christmas Day — and another problem popped up. Unbeknownst to his parents, one of Stephen's kidneys had killed the other."
About the condition of her son, Betsy said:
"The cancer cells are still there. The tumor is smaller." (IS)
About the chemo and everything else he's going through, Stephen said:
"It hasn't been easy, but it's getting easier." (IS)
IS Note: "Stephen's cancer was particularly painful to the family because his siblings also face medical challenges. Bethany, 9, has a pacemaker because her heart would stop and she'd pass out. She also has diabetes. Jonathan, 5, has a pacemaker and the same rare ailment as his sister, as well as asthma."
About dealing with all of the adversity they have had, Betsy (who home-schools her kids) said:
"When Bethany got her pacemaker. I said, 'God can do whatever he wants to my kids, I just want him to let me keep my kids.' So far, he's done some things to my kids, but he's let me keep them. That's all I want. We definitely have our days where it's, 'Are you flippin' kidding me?' " (IS)
About how Stephen fell for BSU (and its blue turf) in 2002 when he was 4 years old, his Dad Bryan said:
"Boise State is our team. This is our team that we share together." (IS)
About how he wears a beat-up, gray BSU hat even though he has a newer hat, Bryant said:
"I wear this one everywhere. I don't want people to think I'm a bandwagon jumper. I call it the pre-Oklahoma fans." (IS)
IS Note: "The Petersens have a history with Make-A-Wish. Their youngest son, 12-year-old Sam, took a wish trip to SeaWorld and LegoLand in the San Diego area in 2006. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor when he was 1 and took his trip when he was old enough to have input in the destination."
About the importance of this weekend to Stephen's family, Barb Petersen said:
"It's just such a break, and a chance to get away from all the weight of what they're going through and they can just play and have fun and put everything else on hold." (IS)
About how BSU did an amazing job for Stephen, Berry said:
"This is above and beyond, I have to say. That's what makes it so cool." (IS)
IS Note: "The Kinseys arrived in Boise on Thursday to find a welcoming committee at the airport, a digital billboard honoring Stephen along the freeway and a hotel room stuffed full of all things blue and orange."
About their welcome on Thursday, Bryan said:
"If tomorrow and the next day are a tenth of what today was, that will be unreal." (IS)
IS Note: "AmeriTel Inns provided the accommodations — and did a little shopping, too. The two-bedroom suite was decorated with Boise State bed linens for the kids, blue-and-orange towels, Boise State-themed cookies, sodas and candy and a collection of banners — all of it for the Kinseys to take home."
About how he wanted to be able to enter the room after they took pictures of it, Stephen said:
"Is that enough? I want to go in." (IS)
About their BSU-themed room, Stephen said:
"I might just want to stay here for the whole trip." (IS)
About the happiness Stephen is having this weekend, Betsy said:
"He way, way deserves it." (IS)
IS Note: "On Oct. 29, burglars hit the Kinsey home. They took family heirloom jewelry, the kids' video games and the 50-inch TV. They left behind a mess of trash, apparently using the garbage cans to haul away the loot."
About being robbed on October 29, Betsy said:
"I guess we had a blue-light special going that day." (IS)
IS Note: "Stephen and Bryan went to lunch with quarterbacks Kellen Moore, Joe Southwick and Mike Coughlin. They attended the quarterbacks meeting. They hung out in the locker room. And they watched the Broncos' light practice, where Stephen played catch on the sideline with Sam."
About how their QBs hung out with Stephen on Friday, Kellen Moore said:
"It was an awesome experience. We were just really trying to understand, what's this love for Boise State? Just a neat kid, soft-spoken, quiet. We understand he's going through some tough times, but at the same time he's enjoying this." (IS)
About the helmet that BSU gave Stephen that is autographed by the entire team, Bryan said:
"He's holding onto that for dear life." (IS)
IS Note: "All day, players addressed Stephen as "Coach Kinsey." And at the end of practice, he broke the team huddle with "Go Broncos!" "
About how Stephen was treated as a part of the team all day on Friday, Bryan said:
"It's not anything like we could have ever imagined. It's like a million times better." (IS)
IS Note: "The Kinseys arrived at Bronco Stadium by limo Saturday. They joined the coaches' wives' tailgate party. And Stephen and Bryan spent a large chunk of the warm-ups chatting with Petersen at midfield.
Then Stephen provided one of the most spine-tingling moments in Bronco Stadium history.
With the fog machine shrouding the field to the 15-yard line, Stephen walked hand-in-hand with defensive end Shea McClellin, who led the team out of the tunnel with the Hammer.
Stephen held a mallet — a miniature version of the Hammer. The rest of the Broncos spilled onto the field around Stephen."
About Stephen holding a mallet to lead the team onto the field before the game, Kellen Moore said:
"That was probably the coolest thing ever. It was a special moment." (IS)
About how he couldn't run with the team so he tried to stay out of their way as they ran onto the field, Stephen said:
"I was like, 'I can't run that fast,' " (IS)
IS Note: "Stephen spent the game on the Broncos' sideline, wearing a white polo (with "Kinsey" embroidered on it) and khakis — just like the coaches."
IS Note: "At Friday's quarterbacks meeting, offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin asked Stephen to name his favorite offensive style. His response: No-huddle. The Broncos, coincidentally, installed a larger-than-usual package of no-huddle plays for Saturday's game. They used it almost exclusively in the first half."
About how they executed their no-huddle offense for Stephen, offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin said:
"We executed for him. There's definitely more motivation from the group being around him in our meetings." (IS)
Proud of how his players do community service and how they react to special situations like with Stephen, Chris Petersen said:
"I don't think anybody since I've been here has been around us like that. Our players always surprise me sometimes how hard they play, but it also surprises me the job that they do at events and with community service and certainly with special situations like this." (IS)
About what he thinks about BSU, Bryan said:
"Oh, they're No. 1. Hands down. In all aspects." (IS)
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/11/06/1408413/wish-comes-true-on-the-blue.html
KHON Note: "Colt Brennan and Benny Agbayani were among the UH fans who showed up to Barefoot League in Kapahulu to watch the Warriors take on Boise State."
Before the game, Colt Brennan said about UH:
"Hawaii is a great football team and hopefully they can kind of spark something." (KHON)
About the slow start UH had in the game, Colt said:
"Obviously it's not the way we wanted to start the game." (KHON)
AP = Associated Press
IS = Idaho Statesman
AO = Arbiter Online
HSA = Honolulu Star-Advertiser
KHON = KHON2.com
Note: UH's website did not have any quotes from the game.
------------------- Quotes from the UH coaches ----------------------
About how the final score was closer because they won the turnover battle 3-0, Mack said:
"We didn't quit. I thought our guys played hard, but usually when you win the turnover battle, it's a little closer than that. Probably it was closer because we did win the turnover battle. Shoot, they could have had a lot more points." (BSU, HSA)
"Shoot, they could have had a lot more points." (AP)
Giving credit to Boise State, Mack said:
"I give all the credit to Boise State. I think they deserve the ranking they have. That's the best team we have played. They are what they are advertised. Offensively, defensively, they are as advertised." (BSU)
"They're what they're advertised as." (HSA)
About how Boise State played well, Mack said:
"They're just a good football team. I give them all the credit. The quarterback was hot. The receivers are great. The offensive line is the toughest we've faced. Defensively, nobody has shut us down like that." (BSU, IS)
"The quarterback was hot. The receivers are great. The offensive line is the toughest we've faced." (HSA)
"Nobody has shut us down like that." (HSA)
About how they didn't execute well, Mack said:
"We're going to have to look at the films and see what our execution was like. It wasn't very good, but I'm not so sure that Boise State didn't have something to do with that." (BSU)
"We're going to have to look at the film and see what our execution was like. It wasn't very good. But I'm not so sure that Boise State didn't have something to do with that." (AP)
Praising Alex Dunnachie's punting in the game, Mack said:
"They outplayed us in all phases.But our punter had a great game." (HSA)
About how Boise State did not lose any timing during their bye week, Mack said:
"They had a bye, and I didn't think it hurt their timing at all. Kellen Moore was right on the money." (BSU)
About how Boise State took Greg Salas out of their offense, Mack said:
"Without playing Kealoha (Pilaraes), it left us one short. They did take (Greg) Salas away, which, that's what I would do too if we don't have Kealoha." (BSU)
About holding Pilares out of this game, Mack said:
"I didn't want to take a chance on screwing him up. During warm-ups, it started tightening up on him. I said, 'Heck, with it. A game isn't worth screwing up a guy's future.'" (HSA)
About how they converted just 3 out of 14 3rd downs, Mack said;
"We didn't play third down well at all. They outplayed us in all phases." (HSA)
About how BSU's defense focused on Salas and single covered their outside receivers, Offensive Coordinator Nick Rolovich said:
"They were very aware of Salas. They gave (us) a lot of stuff to the outside guys." (HSA)
About how BSU's DEs dominated and took them out of their game plan by eliminating all long routes, Mack said:
"We couldn't get into our game plan because their defensive ends are such good rushers. Any type of long route, we're not going to get it off." (IS)
Looking forward to putting this game behind him, Defensive Coordinator Dave Aranda said:
"It was one of those days. Soon, it will be over with. It's time to put this day to bed." (HSA)
About how nothing they tried worked, Aranda said:
"I've been in games, where no matter what you try, it's not successful. This was one of those games." (HSA)
"No matter what we did, we couldn't make any plays. We tried a couple of different things. A zone. A man. A pressure. We weren't executing." (HSA)
About how they expected BSU to go no-huddle, Aranda said:
"We thought they would try a no-huddle (offense)." (HSA)
------------------- Quotes from the UH players ----------------------
About how the crowd was a factor in the game, Bryant Moniz said:
"With the silent count, (the Boise defenders) got that extra beat on us. And even in the huddle, guys got the wrong calls." (HSA)
"The crowd made it hard to get a good jump off the snap." (HSA)
About how BSU made things difficult for their offense, Moniz said:
"They did their homework. They made it hard to get to our slots. They disguised their pressures very well and noise was a big factor." (HSA, IS)
About BSU's pass rush (7 sacks), Moniz said:
"There was a lot of pressure. They made it tough for us to get into a rhythm." (HSA)
About how the loud crowd forced them to go to a silent count, which forced their tackles to watch the snap. center Bronson Tiwanak said:
"it's hard for them to get out (of their stance) quickly." (HSA)
About how BSU "mixed things up" with their blitz tendencies, Alex Green said:
"They like to blitz a lot, but it was nothing we hadn't seen. But sometimes the down and yards were not what we expected. We expected blitz on third down, but they came on first and second down." (HSA)
About how BSU's defense stopped them from doing what they normally do, Green said:
"They did a really good job of containing us. The D-line played hard and got to the quarterback a lot. It was hard for us to make plays. We couldn't do what we usually do." (HSA)
About how nickel back Winston Venable would bump him off his route and then release him to a safety in zone coverage, Greg Salas said;
"They had a guy re-route me, and another guy on (deep coverage). It was very frustrating." (HSA)
About how he had tightness in his hamstring during warmups, Kealoha Pilares said:
"I tried to sprint, and I felt I tweaked it again. It felt sore. I knew I couldn't go 100 percent." (HSA)
About how he is able to reduce the defense's attention on Greg Salas, Pilares said:
"In this offense, everyone works together." (HSA)
About how they missed Kealoha Pilares, Rodney Bradley said:
"You definitely feel the absence. Things aren't the same (without Pilares)." (HSA)
About how they won the turnover battle, Corey Paredes said:
"You figure. (Forcing turnovers) obviously correlated with our wins. We got turnovers today, we tried to get the ball in the offense's hands." (HSA)
About why they did not blitz much in the game, Mana Silva said:
"We just wanted to play our coverages and get pressure with our front four." (HSA)
About how their defense did not execute, Silva (who had 2 INTs and 13 tackles in the game) said:
"They did a good job executing what they do well. I thought we came out ready to play. We just didn't execute what we needed to do." (HSA)
Note: Silva now had 13 interceptions at UH, tied for the school career record. His 7 interceptions this season leads the country
About how they couldn't sack Kellen Moore, DE Kamalu Umu said:
"He just avoids you. When we got a good pass rush, we couldn't get him. He was always one step ahead." (HSA)
About how their game plan was to take away Moore's primary receiver on each play, LB Aaron Brown said:
"You take away his first read, and he'll go to the second read, and the third read and the fourth read." (HSA)
-------------- Quotes from the Boise State coaches -----------------
Happy with how his team played, head coach Chris Petersen said:
"We are [feeling really good about it]. It was a complete team effort. All three phases were good. We have tremendous respect for Hawai'i, they are playing great. We just happened to be hitting on all cylinders today and I'm glad, because we need to do that to do what we want to do." (BSU)
"It was a complete team effort. All three phases were good. We have tremendous respect for Hawaii. We just happened to be hitting on all cylinders today and I'm glad, because we need to do that to do what we want to do." (AP)
"We have tremendous respect for Hawaii — they are playing great. We just happened to be hitting on all cylinders today, and I'm glad, because we need to do that to do what we want to do." (HSA)
About how he didn't expect their defense to do that well, Petersen said:
"To hold that offense down and get as many sacks as we did, that was much-needed and unexpected." (IS)
About how he didn't expect a blowout win but he knew his players were up for the game, Petersen said:
"I certainly didn't think that would happen going into it. I know this, though: Our guys were ready to play." (IS)
About using DE Ryan Winterswyk at TE in this game (2 of BSU's TEs are out with injury), Petersen said:
"We may get Ryan more involved. Ryan's a heck of an athlete. He can do it and he's smart. Because of our numbers there, we may start to build on his package a little bit." (IS)
About how first-year Defensive Coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski has done well since Tennessee hired away their DC from last season, Petersen said:
"We didn't miss a beat from day one." (IS)
About using a no huddle offense in this game, Petersen said:
"We've been dabbling and experimenting. It was pretty clean…it's hard when you don't major in that. It's a little bit outside of who we are. Sometimes we go back and forth between who we are and someone else. But we like it. You can see it took a little bit to get into a rhythm early on with a couple false starts. But it is something that we like and something we want to continue to build on." (BSU)
"We always have no huddle a couple times a year that's not a two-minute drill for us. We've been dabbling and experimenting and it was pretty clean. It's hard when you don't major in that. It's a little outside of who we are so sometimes we go back and forth from being who we are and someone else. I like it." (AO)
"It was pretty clean. It's hard when you don't major in that. It's a little bit outside of who we are. ... It is something that we like and something that we want to continue to build on." (IS)
"It just kind of presented itself. We had a few extra days to prepare for it." (HSA)
"We've been dabbling and experimenting. It was pretty clean. ... It's hard when you don't major in that." (HSA)
About using the no-huddle offense to limit UH's defensive adjustments, offensive coordinator Brian Harsin said:
"I think Hawaii does such a good job of mixing up looks. They do such a good job of giving you a variety." (HSA)
"I think Hawaii does such a good job of mixing up looks. They do such a good job of giving you a variety. It's hard to get a bead on them." (IS)
About how future opponents will now have to prepare for the possibility that they will use a no-huddle offense, Harsin said:
"I think it's a good changeup for us to have in there and something we can continue to build and still keep the stuff that we do with the movement and those types of things. We can keep that variety in there for other teams to look at." (IS)
About how he always feels dread and doubt in the minutes before kickoff on game days, first-year Defensive Coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski said:
"The stress is all self-induced." (IS)
About holding UH to 196 yards of total offense, the fewest UH had since 1998 (before JJ), Kwiatkowski said:
"There's no way I was going to say or believe we would be able to shut them down like that. Today was our day." (IS)
About replacing his pre-game nerves with relief and a sense of satisfaction, Kwiatkowski said:
"I want us to be as good as we should be." (IS)
------------- Quotes from the Boise State players -------------------
About how they sped up their offense in this game, Kellen Moore said:
"It was nice to get that no huddle going. Obviously I think everyone knows I love the thing. It just kind of presented itself. We had a few extra days to prepare for it, be able to rep in that no huddle situation and get guys more comfortable with it. I love the quick tempo. You get completions. If you screw up you have about five or six seconds to think about it then you move on. It's just attacking on offense. You have to keep getting after that defense." (BSU)
"I love the quick tempo and you just get completions. If you screw up you have about five to ten seconds to think about it and then you have to move on. It's just an attacking offense and we just have to keep getting after that defense." (AO, IS)
"I love the quick tempo. You get completions. If you screw up, you have about 5 or 6 seconds to think about it, then you move on. It's just attacking on offense. You have to keep getting after that defense." (HSA)
"I love the quick tempo. It's just an attacking offense." (IS)
"Obviously I think everyone knows I love the thing. We had a few extra days to prepare for it, be able to rep in that no-huddle situation and get guys more comfortable with it." (IS)
"The tempo helps get the defense into more base coverages and base defenses. They don't have time to throw in their unique blitzes and things like that when they only have a short few seconds to call plays." (HSA, IS)
About setting the school record with 85 career TD passes, Moore said:
"It is a pretty cool deal. Being in the QB room, recognizing all of the past quarterbacks that played here and played really well; you're held to a very high standard here when you're playing quarterback. [The records] are something I might realize a little bit more later, but it's just been an awesome time." (BSU, IS)
"It's a pretty cool deal being in the QB room and recognizing and all the past quarterbacks that player here, played very well. All the quarterbacks here are held to a very high standard. It's probably something I'll realize a little bit later, but it's been an awesome time." (AO)
"It's a pretty cool deal. The records are something I might realize a little bit more later." (AP)
About his 2 interceptions in this game, doubling his season total, Moore said:
"Stupid throws on my part. Sometimes you're maybe feeling a little too confident." (IS)
About how it was important for them to play well against a good opponent on ESPN, Moore said:
"Today was a big game with a big opponent with the TV exposure. It was our opportunity to show our best brand of football, and I think we played pretty well." (AP)
About how they knew that UH had the momentum from a 6-game winning streak, Moore said:
"We were well aware of the momentum they were carrying into this game. It was our job to get after them early and see what happens." (IS)
Praising Austin Pettis (8 receptions for 122 yards and a TD), who broke the Boise State record for career receptions (196), Moore said:
"Big time receiver who is very reliable. I'm really fortunate to have these wide receivers surrounding me. They make great plays. I trust them and they trust me and I think everything works very well. Austin has come up with big play after big play throughout his career and we are still expecting a few more." (AO)
Praising Kellen Moore and how he ran their no-huddle offense, Austin Pettis said:
"He's so smart and he could call all of those plays himself if he really wanted to. When you dumb it down for the defense and they can't do as much because we're snapping the ball so quick, it makes it that much easier for him to read the defense and get the ball out quick." (IS)
About how the emergence of Tyler Shoemaker as a 3rd WR threat has helped their offense, Austin Pettis said:
"There's not many teams around the nation that have three receivers who can go out night-in and night-out and make some plays like we've been doing the past couple weeks. It's helping our offense out by opening up things and then you put Doug in the backfield and you've got a headache for d-coordinators. (Shoemaker) stepping up took a lot of pressure off me and Titus (Young), and I think Kellen as well." (AO)
"Not many teams have three receivers who can go out night after night and make plays like we have the past couple of games." (IS)
IS Note: "The no-huddle also emphasized the Broncos' strength at wide receiver — Pettis, Tyler Shoemaker (five catches, 117 yards) and Young (five, 99) were outstanding — and minimized the loss of two tight ends to injury.
About how their secondary proved themselves in this game, George Iloka said:
"Hopefully we silenced the critics for one more week. I felt like we did a pretty good job out there. The d-line was getting after it for four quarters, and it really helped us out a lot. But I feel like we played well the whole game." (BSU)
Asked how he felt they did in the game, Iloka said:
"It felt good…the d-line was doing their thing and the secondary was back there confusing them. It felt good, that an offense of that caliber, you could shut them out all the way into the fourth quarter." (BSU)
About their success rushing the passer in this game, Shea McClellin said:
"I think it was pretty big for our defense. The [defensive backs] had coverage so we were able to get there. When we got pressure they were able to break it up." (BSU)
"In the second half, the O-line just couldn't handle us." (IS)
About being able to keep UH's offense from scoring much, McClellin said:
"We knew they would get yards coming in here. We just had to not let them score. That was our main thing." (BSU, HSA)
Happy with how they played on offense and defense, McClellin said:
"If our offense and defense dominate on the same day, it's a really cool thing to see." (IS)
--------------- Other quotes from the game --------------
About 12-year-old Stephen Kinsey (battling non-Hodgkin lymphoma), who was a BSU coach for a day during the game as his wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Petersen said:
"I just want to start by thanking Stephen and his family for being here. He's good luck for the Broncos." (AO)
IS Note: "The Broncos and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Idaho gave 12-year-old Stephen Kinsey of San Antonio a one-of-a-kind experience the past three days — one that took his mind off his cancer and the burglars who ransacked the family home last month. Stephen, who wanted to be a coach for a day at Boise State, spent Friday and Saturday with the Broncos."
Talking with his Dad (Bryan) midway through the second quarter, Stephen said:
"I don't want it to end." (IS)
About how they did all they could to make the weekend special for Stephen, Barb Petersen (Chris Petersen's wife, a Make-A-Wish volunteer and a wish parent herself) said:
"We just wanted to make it as great as we could make it. It's fun to see him be a celebrity this weekend because he's going to be going through a lot over the next few years." (IS)
IS Note: "The tumor couldn't be removed. It was intertwined with too many nerves. He started chemotherapy on Christmas Day — and another problem popped up. Unbeknownst to his parents, one of Stephen's kidneys had killed the other."
About the condition of her son, Betsy said:
"The cancer cells are still there. The tumor is smaller." (IS)
About the chemo and everything else he's going through, Stephen said:
"It hasn't been easy, but it's getting easier." (IS)
IS Note: "Stephen's cancer was particularly painful to the family because his siblings also face medical challenges. Bethany, 9, has a pacemaker because her heart would stop and she'd pass out. She also has diabetes. Jonathan, 5, has a pacemaker and the same rare ailment as his sister, as well as asthma."
About dealing with all of the adversity they have had, Betsy (who home-schools her kids) said:
"When Bethany got her pacemaker. I said, 'God can do whatever he wants to my kids, I just want him to let me keep my kids.' So far, he's done some things to my kids, but he's let me keep them. That's all I want. We definitely have our days where it's, 'Are you flippin' kidding me?' " (IS)
About how Stephen fell for BSU (and its blue turf) in 2002 when he was 4 years old, his Dad Bryan said:
"Boise State is our team. This is our team that we share together." (IS)
About how he wears a beat-up, gray BSU hat even though he has a newer hat, Bryant said:
"I wear this one everywhere. I don't want people to think I'm a bandwagon jumper. I call it the pre-Oklahoma fans." (IS)
IS Note: "The Petersens have a history with Make-A-Wish. Their youngest son, 12-year-old Sam, took a wish trip to SeaWorld and LegoLand in the San Diego area in 2006. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor when he was 1 and took his trip when he was old enough to have input in the destination."
About the importance of this weekend to Stephen's family, Barb Petersen said:
"It's just such a break, and a chance to get away from all the weight of what they're going through and they can just play and have fun and put everything else on hold." (IS)
About how BSU did an amazing job for Stephen, Berry said:
"This is above and beyond, I have to say. That's what makes it so cool." (IS)
IS Note: "The Kinseys arrived in Boise on Thursday to find a welcoming committee at the airport, a digital billboard honoring Stephen along the freeway and a hotel room stuffed full of all things blue and orange."
About their welcome on Thursday, Bryan said:
"If tomorrow and the next day are a tenth of what today was, that will be unreal." (IS)
IS Note: "AmeriTel Inns provided the accommodations — and did a little shopping, too. The two-bedroom suite was decorated with Boise State bed linens for the kids, blue-and-orange towels, Boise State-themed cookies, sodas and candy and a collection of banners — all of it for the Kinseys to take home."
About how he wanted to be able to enter the room after they took pictures of it, Stephen said:
"Is that enough? I want to go in." (IS)
About their BSU-themed room, Stephen said:
"I might just want to stay here for the whole trip." (IS)
About the happiness Stephen is having this weekend, Betsy said:
"He way, way deserves it." (IS)
IS Note: "On Oct. 29, burglars hit the Kinsey home. They took family heirloom jewelry, the kids' video games and the 50-inch TV. They left behind a mess of trash, apparently using the garbage cans to haul away the loot."
About being robbed on October 29, Betsy said:
"I guess we had a blue-light special going that day." (IS)
IS Note: "Stephen and Bryan went to lunch with quarterbacks Kellen Moore, Joe Southwick and Mike Coughlin. They attended the quarterbacks meeting. They hung out in the locker room. And they watched the Broncos' light practice, where Stephen played catch on the sideline with Sam."
About how their QBs hung out with Stephen on Friday, Kellen Moore said:
"It was an awesome experience. We were just really trying to understand, what's this love for Boise State? Just a neat kid, soft-spoken, quiet. We understand he's going through some tough times, but at the same time he's enjoying this." (IS)
About the helmet that BSU gave Stephen that is autographed by the entire team, Bryan said:
"He's holding onto that for dear life." (IS)
IS Note: "All day, players addressed Stephen as "Coach Kinsey." And at the end of practice, he broke the team huddle with "Go Broncos!" "
About how Stephen was treated as a part of the team all day on Friday, Bryan said:
"It's not anything like we could have ever imagined. It's like a million times better." (IS)
IS Note: "The Kinseys arrived at Bronco Stadium by limo Saturday. They joined the coaches' wives' tailgate party. And Stephen and Bryan spent a large chunk of the warm-ups chatting with Petersen at midfield.
Then Stephen provided one of the most spine-tingling moments in Bronco Stadium history.
With the fog machine shrouding the field to the 15-yard line, Stephen walked hand-in-hand with defensive end Shea McClellin, who led the team out of the tunnel with the Hammer.
Stephen held a mallet — a miniature version of the Hammer. The rest of the Broncos spilled onto the field around Stephen."
About Stephen holding a mallet to lead the team onto the field before the game, Kellen Moore said:
"That was probably the coolest thing ever. It was a special moment." (IS)
About how he couldn't run with the team so he tried to stay out of their way as they ran onto the field, Stephen said:
"I was like, 'I can't run that fast,' " (IS)
IS Note: "Stephen spent the game on the Broncos' sideline, wearing a white polo (with "Kinsey" embroidered on it) and khakis — just like the coaches."
IS Note: "At Friday's quarterbacks meeting, offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin asked Stephen to name his favorite offensive style. His response: No-huddle. The Broncos, coincidentally, installed a larger-than-usual package of no-huddle plays for Saturday's game. They used it almost exclusively in the first half."
About how they executed their no-huddle offense for Stephen, offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin said:
"We executed for him. There's definitely more motivation from the group being around him in our meetings." (IS)
Proud of how his players do community service and how they react to special situations like with Stephen, Chris Petersen said:
"I don't think anybody since I've been here has been around us like that. Our players always surprise me sometimes how hard they play, but it also surprises me the job that they do at events and with community service and certainly with special situations like this." (IS)
About what he thinks about BSU, Bryan said:
"Oh, they're No. 1. Hands down. In all aspects." (IS)
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/11/06/1408413/wish-comes-true-on-the-blue.html
KHON Note: "Colt Brennan and Benny Agbayani were among the UH fans who showed up to Barefoot League in Kapahulu to watch the Warriors take on Boise State."
Before the game, Colt Brennan said about UH:
"Hawaii is a great football team and hopefully they can kind of spark something." (KHON)
About the slow start UH had in the game, Colt said:
"Obviously it's not the way we wanted to start the game." (KHON)
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Quotes before the UH-Boise State game 11/6/10
About how Boise State's offense attacks the weaknesses of the defense, Rich Miano said:
"They don't give you a lot of tendencies, like this formation means this or that. They don't attack you based on what they do well. They attack you based on what they think you don't do well. They attack weaknesses." (HSA)
About facing Boise State, Dave Aranda said:
"They're a real challenge." (HSA)
About how he's playing as a true freshman instead of their original plan to redshirt him so that he could gain weight, John Hardy-Tuilau said:
"Right now I'm trying to contribute. During the offseason, I hope to get bigger." (HSA)
Praising Hardy-Tuilau, Aranda said:
"John is a real instinctive player. He takes to coaching. You tell him one time, he gets it. Ever since he's (started), we've played better." (HSA)
About how Luke Ingram was able to snap the ball into a helmet when he was challenged to do so, Shane Austin said:
"The rumors are true. He is the man. One word: flawless." (HSA)
About how he rubs the artificial surface granules onto the football for added grip in rainy conditions, Luke Ingram said:
"Any kind of texture you can get helps." (HSA)
Praising FG holder Austin and punter Alex Dunnachie, Ingram said:
"Snapping isn't as hard as catching. I'm lucky to have guys with great hands back there." (HSA)
About how they have been looking forward to this game since their offseason workouts, Kealoha Pilares said:
"We've been looking at this game for the longest time. In the summer, we were preparing for the (season-opening) USC game, but this was always in the back of our head. When you think about the important games -- the people you want to play, the good teams -- Boise State automatically comes up. It's a great opportunity." (HSA)
About facing Boise State, Chris Tormey said:
"We focus one game at a time. Every week, there's a new hump. This week, we have a big hump." (HSA)
About how they are approaching the game, Greg Salas said:
"It's a big game. We can't treat it like it's a different game. We have to treat it like it's another travel game. But we know what it represents." (HSA)
Asked about Boise State's strengths, Gordy Shaw said:
"Where do I begin?" (HSA)
Evaluating Boise State's DL, Rolo said:
"No weaknesses." (HSA)
About facing Boise State, Pilares said:
"It'll be a hard test. We'll keep doing what we're doing. As Coach Mouse (Davis) said, they might have athletes, but they can only play 11 (at a time)." (HSA)
When he and some of their other coaches went to the Texas home of a highly rated recruit and wondered if they could make a connection with him, Chris Petersen said:
"One of the first things we said was, 'Do you know anything about Boise State?' And, he's like, 'Oh, yeah, you guys have been my favorite team for a long time.' (So) we're thinking, 'OK, well, that's a first.' " (HSA)
HSA Note: "The player -- who they ended up signing -- eventually told Petersen, "I've seen you play on ESPN a lot and the blue turf is great.""
HSA Note: "Today's game is the fifth of an expected seven regular-season Broncos games the network will show this season and 46th in Boise State's decade in the WAC. By contrast, it will be UH's second on the network this year and 28th on ESPN in a decade."
And the Broncos have made it pay off with a 38-7 record on ESPN, including nine consecutive victories entering the UH game.
About how all of their exposure on ESPN (they are 38-7 on ESPN) has helped build their program, Petersen said:
"I think it has helped our program tremendously." (HSA)
About the importance of ESPN to their program, assistant AD Max Corbet said:
"We can't put a price tag on the national exposure we have received from having several of our games on ESPN each year." (HSA)
About how Boise State has been good for ESPN, ESPN spokesman Michael Humes said:
"Boise State has given ESPN and college football fans a lot of exciting games, outstanding finishes and memorable moments. This year's win over Virginia Tech on Labor Day still stands as the highest-rated (7.3) and most-viewed (7.25 million households) college football game this season across all (networks), broadcast and cable." (HSA)
HSA Note: "Boise State's attractiveness was one of the driving forces behind the most recent WAC TV contract that pays approximately $4.5 million per season and guarantees member schools at least 16 football appearances. Without the Broncos, who move to the Mountain West Conference in 2011, the contract will be open to renegotiation."
About the "spy" that videotaped their practice, Cal Lee said:
"If he's a spy, he's a bad spy." (HSA)
HSA Note: "Especially since the coach is Tommy Heffernan and the "spy" isn't very smart (except he knew to start packing up when Heffernan headed his way). The "spy" had set up his camera in the open and he wore a bright red shirt. He'd arrived late at Meridian High on Thursday, but did get some great shots of UH players milling around and working on their touchdown celebrations."
HSA Note: "More likely he's a TV guy just trying to gather some background footage for the 6 p.m. news"
About Boise State's blue field, Corey Paredes said during their walk-through at the stadium:
"Just another field, yeah Coach? The ground is blue, but we're not looking at the ground." (HSA)
Responding to Paredes, Cal Lee said:
"That's right. Don't look down. There's nobody there but our ancestors." (HSA)
About why they lost in 2006 in Boise, Spencer Smith said:
"Special teams." (HSA)
About how they didn't have problems playing on the blue turf, Smith said:
"Not at field level. On film it's hard to see, but not on the field." (HSA)
About how they will play Boise State anywhere, Mack pointed to the hotel parking lot and said:
"We'll play them right out there if they want. We don't care." (HSA)
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101106_Boise_State_is_built_to_deceive_and_defeat.html
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101106_Warriors_dreams_are_right_in_front_of_them.html
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101106_Blue_turf_ESPN_just_a_part_of_Boise_States_popularity.html
http://www.staradvertiser.com/columnists/furtherreview/20101106_Turf_color_wont_matter_in_UHs_last_visit_to_Boise.html
"They don't give you a lot of tendencies, like this formation means this or that. They don't attack you based on what they do well. They attack you based on what they think you don't do well. They attack weaknesses." (HSA)
About facing Boise State, Dave Aranda said:
"They're a real challenge." (HSA)
About how he's playing as a true freshman instead of their original plan to redshirt him so that he could gain weight, John Hardy-Tuilau said:
"Right now I'm trying to contribute. During the offseason, I hope to get bigger." (HSA)
Praising Hardy-Tuilau, Aranda said:
"John is a real instinctive player. He takes to coaching. You tell him one time, he gets it. Ever since he's (started), we've played better." (HSA)
About how Luke Ingram was able to snap the ball into a helmet when he was challenged to do so, Shane Austin said:
"The rumors are true. He is the man. One word: flawless." (HSA)
About how he rubs the artificial surface granules onto the football for added grip in rainy conditions, Luke Ingram said:
"Any kind of texture you can get helps." (HSA)
Praising FG holder Austin and punter Alex Dunnachie, Ingram said:
"Snapping isn't as hard as catching. I'm lucky to have guys with great hands back there." (HSA)
About how they have been looking forward to this game since their offseason workouts, Kealoha Pilares said:
"We've been looking at this game for the longest time. In the summer, we were preparing for the (season-opening) USC game, but this was always in the back of our head. When you think about the important games -- the people you want to play, the good teams -- Boise State automatically comes up. It's a great opportunity." (HSA)
About facing Boise State, Chris Tormey said:
"We focus one game at a time. Every week, there's a new hump. This week, we have a big hump." (HSA)
About how they are approaching the game, Greg Salas said:
"It's a big game. We can't treat it like it's a different game. We have to treat it like it's another travel game. But we know what it represents." (HSA)
Asked about Boise State's strengths, Gordy Shaw said:
"Where do I begin?" (HSA)
Evaluating Boise State's DL, Rolo said:
"No weaknesses." (HSA)
About facing Boise State, Pilares said:
"It'll be a hard test. We'll keep doing what we're doing. As Coach Mouse (Davis) said, they might have athletes, but they can only play 11 (at a time)." (HSA)
When he and some of their other coaches went to the Texas home of a highly rated recruit and wondered if they could make a connection with him, Chris Petersen said:
"One of the first things we said was, 'Do you know anything about Boise State?' And, he's like, 'Oh, yeah, you guys have been my favorite team for a long time.' (So) we're thinking, 'OK, well, that's a first.' " (HSA)
HSA Note: "The player -- who they ended up signing -- eventually told Petersen, "I've seen you play on ESPN a lot and the blue turf is great.""
HSA Note: "Today's game is the fifth of an expected seven regular-season Broncos games the network will show this season and 46th in Boise State's decade in the WAC. By contrast, it will be UH's second on the network this year and 28th on ESPN in a decade."
And the Broncos have made it pay off with a 38-7 record on ESPN, including nine consecutive victories entering the UH game.
About how all of their exposure on ESPN (they are 38-7 on ESPN) has helped build their program, Petersen said:
"I think it has helped our program tremendously." (HSA)
About the importance of ESPN to their program, assistant AD Max Corbet said:
"We can't put a price tag on the national exposure we have received from having several of our games on ESPN each year." (HSA)
About how Boise State has been good for ESPN, ESPN spokesman Michael Humes said:
"Boise State has given ESPN and college football fans a lot of exciting games, outstanding finishes and memorable moments. This year's win over Virginia Tech on Labor Day still stands as the highest-rated (7.3) and most-viewed (7.25 million households) college football game this season across all (networks), broadcast and cable." (HSA)
HSA Note: "Boise State's attractiveness was one of the driving forces behind the most recent WAC TV contract that pays approximately $4.5 million per season and guarantees member schools at least 16 football appearances. Without the Broncos, who move to the Mountain West Conference in 2011, the contract will be open to renegotiation."
About the "spy" that videotaped their practice, Cal Lee said:
"If he's a spy, he's a bad spy." (HSA)
HSA Note: "Especially since the coach is Tommy Heffernan and the "spy" isn't very smart (except he knew to start packing up when Heffernan headed his way). The "spy" had set up his camera in the open and he wore a bright red shirt. He'd arrived late at Meridian High on Thursday, but did get some great shots of UH players milling around and working on their touchdown celebrations."
HSA Note: "More likely he's a TV guy just trying to gather some background footage for the 6 p.m. news"
About Boise State's blue field, Corey Paredes said during their walk-through at the stadium:
"Just another field, yeah Coach? The ground is blue, but we're not looking at the ground." (HSA)
Responding to Paredes, Cal Lee said:
"That's right. Don't look down. There's nobody there but our ancestors." (HSA)
About why they lost in 2006 in Boise, Spencer Smith said:
"Special teams." (HSA)
About how they didn't have problems playing on the blue turf, Smith said:
"Not at field level. On film it's hard to see, but not on the field." (HSA)
About how they will play Boise State anywhere, Mack pointed to the hotel parking lot and said:
"We'll play them right out there if they want. We don't care." (HSA)
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101106_Boise_State_is_built_to_deceive_and_defeat.html
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101106_Warriors_dreams_are_right_in_front_of_them.html
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101106_Blue_turf_ESPN_just_a_part_of_Boise_States_popularity.html
http://www.staradvertiser.com/columnists/furtherreview/20101106_Turf_color_wont_matter_in_UHs_last_visit_to_Boise.html
Friday, November 5, 2010
MSNBC feature article on the UH-BSU game
MSNBC Note: "Both coaches insist the showdown will have all the intensity of their 2007 matchup, when a Hawaii offense led by Colt Brennan and Davone Bess outscored the Broncos to win the conference title and a trip to the Sugar Bowl."
About how they know that UH will be a big challenge for their team, Chris Petersen said:
"Our team gets it. To have a team that is as hot as anybody in the country right now — this is going to be a good, tough, hard-nosed WAC championship-type game." (MSNBC)
About their last chance to win on Boise State's field, Bryant Moniz said:
"We know the opportunity is ahead of us, being the only WAC team to beat them on their field, and maybe the last team to do it. So we're ready for the challenge." (MSNBC)
About how a commentator said earlier this week that they have to play a perfect game against UH to impress voters, Petersen said:
"I was thinking to myself: 'No we don't.' That's not our thing. Then one of the other kids said to me: 'Whatever just happened to winning the game?'" (MSNBC)
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/40033312/ns/sports-college_football/
About how they know that UH will be a big challenge for their team, Chris Petersen said:
"Our team gets it. To have a team that is as hot as anybody in the country right now — this is going to be a good, tough, hard-nosed WAC championship-type game." (MSNBC)
About their last chance to win on Boise State's field, Bryant Moniz said:
"We know the opportunity is ahead of us, being the only WAC team to beat them on their field, and maybe the last team to do it. So we're ready for the challenge." (MSNBC)
About how a commentator said earlier this week that they have to play a perfect game against UH to impress voters, Petersen said:
"I was thinking to myself: 'No we don't.' That's not our thing. Then one of the other kids said to me: 'Whatever just happened to winning the game?'" (MSNBC)
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/40033312/ns/sports-college_football/
Warrior Quotes 11/5/10 (Star-Advertiser, Idaho Statesman, and Arbiter Online)
AO = Arbiter Online
IS = Idaho Statesman
Asked if the Boise State game was a big game to him, Bryant Moniz grinned and said:
"Not to me. It's just another game. Just another Saturday afternoon of football." (HSA)
Asked when running their offense became "easy" for him, Moniz said it started since the Charleston Southern game:
"Ever since the fourth game." (HSA)
Moniz said that their success is the fruit of:
"hard work in the summer and in fall camp." (HSA)
About how Moniz' personality keeps him calm during big games, Bronson Tiwanak said:
"He doesn't pressure out in big situations. He's always cool head. He's a good leader." (HSA)
About how their team is treating the Boise State game like any other team, Tiwanak said:
"Obviously (Boise State is) a very good team. But it's just the next game on our schedule. We can't do anything different." (HSA)
About how they are approaching the Boise State game like any of their other games, Greg Salas said:
"We know what this game represents. But you have to stay true to yourself. If you start doing things differently you might psyche yourself out. Every game is a big game, because we want to win every game we play. We're looking forward to the opportunity." (HSA)
HSA Note: "During yesterday's closed practice at Meridian High School, a man, hiding behind a fence, was spotted trying to video the Warriors' drills. Tommy Heffernan, the Warriors' strength and conditioning coach, was summoned. He sprinted toward the man, who, in a panic, packed his video equipment quickly and fled. As Heffernan returned to the field, he was greeted with rousing applause."
About Tommy Heffernan scaring away the man videotaping their practice, Corey Paredes said:
"That was an awesome play. That was awesome to see Coach Tommy on that 50-yard burst. That guy immediately got scared." (HSA)
About Heffernan running towards the videotaping man, Mack said:
"The only thing Tommy didn't do was jump over the fence. I thought he'd do a flip over the fence." (HSA)
About what he said to the videotaping game, Heffernan said:
"I told him to get out, and he got out." (HSA)
About Corey Paredes intercepting 3 passes during their 7-on-7 drills, Mouse Davis said:
"How about that? We're thinking he can play the slot." (HSA)
About people talking about him playing offense, Paredes said:
"I was a receiver in high school. hat's why I was disappointed in the balls I dropped in earlier games." (HSA)
About talking with Paredes about playing offense, Salas said:
"He told me he played receiver in high school. I told him: 'You're about to move back with all of the plays you're making.' We're about to put him into the slot. He's doing great. He's having a great year." (HSA)
About how the defense works on reading plays and forcing turnovers, working on stripping away the football from ballcarriers during each practice, Paredes said:
"We're trying to get the ball. You have to practice how you're going to play. You cannot expect to get that stuff in the game if you cannot get it in practice." (HSA)
Happy with their practice, Mack said:
"I thought it was a really good practice. Their speed was good. We played fast, on both sides of the ball." (HSA)
"We got a good look. We did a lot of good things in practice." (HSA)
About giving up 5 inches and 36 pounds when he's matched up with Greg Salas, CB Jerrell Gavins (5'9", 174-pounds) said:
"That's a challenge to me. I look at it as, I always say I want to go pro. If I go pro, I'll probably be one of the smallest dudes in the league. The average receiver is 6-2. Andre Johnson (of the Texans) is 6-5. That's what I want to go against. Let's do it. I can jump pretty high." (IS)
About how their secondary has been waiting for a game like this to challenge them, Gavins said:
"The D-line has been dominating. The linebackers had their games. We've been waiting for our game all season, a throwing team. This is our game." (IS)
About how they should have improved their tackling after their coaches emphasized fundamentals during last week's extra practices and their defense even practiced against their starting offense at times, DE Shea McClellin said:
"I think we addressed it pretty well." (IS)
About how UH got his respect when they routed Utah State in Utah, Chris Petersen said:
"Right then and there, I said, 'These guys are different this year.'" (IS)
About how this will be their first daytime game this season, Petersen said:
"I'm nervous about that. That's where we always want to play, but it's the first one so it's going to be different for us." (HSA)
About their kickers, special teams coach Jeff Choate said:
"Trevor (Harman) will kick off. He's starting to get more comfortable with that. He's been more consistent with the placement of the ball. He's actually practiced really well punting the ball. He just needs those game reps. If he'll perform in the game like he has in practice, I think we'll be very happy with him there. He's a guy who can probably handle long field goals for us. We just don't want to put that much on Trevor at this point. … (Jimmy Pavel) actually had a really good practice on Sunday. He was out for three weeks, too. There are some timing things that are coming back. … He's just got to make those extra points and short kicks for us." (IS)
Upset when he heard an ESPN commentator saying that they needed to make a statement against UH and play perfect, Petersen said:
"I'm thinking, 'No we don't.' That's not our thing. We're trying to play the best that we can play and as hard as we can play." (AO)
About talking with one of his players who heard the ESPN commentator, telling the player to ignore what the commentators said, Petersen said:
"One of our kids was standing there and he said, 'What ever happened to just winning the game?' I said, 'That's why we don't listen to these guys because you just play hard and that's what it's all about.'" (AO)
About how they will play their best against UH and know that UH beat the other top teams in the WAC, safety George Iloka said:
"They've taken down two of the top dogs in Nevada and Fresno (State). I know they're coming here with their best shot and we're going to defend our home and give them our best shot." (AO)
Not worrying about the voters, CB Jamar Taylor said:
"I feel like every game is a statement game, but whatever happens in the polls, we can't worry about. At the end of the season, if they choose us to go to a BCS game we'll roll with it. If they don't, we'll play our other bowl game and just keep trying to improve and come away with our perfect season." (AO)
About how they need to beat UH to win the WAC championship, Iloka said:
"To be honest with you, I could care less about any of that (BCS hype). We went undefeated last year, went to a BCS bowl game. Barely got in there, whatever. It doesn't really faze me anymore. The only thing we can control is the WAC. If we lose this game (versus Hawai'i) then what do have to show for this season? We don't have a WAC championship and we're definitely not going to a BCS bowl game." (AO)
About how UH is different this year, Iloka said:
"They're playing with a swagger that you can feel on film." (AO)
About the challenge that UH poses, Petersen said:
"You don't take the number one (passing) offense in the country and the defense getting that many turnovers for things to just go great. We're excited. This is going to be a tough, hard-nosed, WAC Championship type of game." (AO)
About how UH's offense is on a roll and will be hard to stop, Iloka said:
"They're on the same page and that really helps when the quarterback (Moniz) and all of his receivers are on the same page. … the way he's throwing it, it's like they (receivers) talked about that. That's what they do and that's what they go over. It's really hard to stop a team when the quarterback and receivers are on the same page and right now all of those guys could start anywhere in the country. We're just going to have our hands full as a defense." (AO)
About how UH will throw the ball against them, safety Jeron Johnson said:
"They're going to come out and throw the ball 50 times a game, probably more than that. It's on us. The opportunities are there. We have great coverage and good eyes so we've just got to get out there and make good plays." (AO)
About how Alex Green is ideal for UH's offense, Petersen said:
"He's the style that they like. A big guy who can protect and they give him the ball and he's a bruising type runner who can go north and south. He'll make you pay in a hurry." (AO)
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101105_Warriors_are_loose_ready_for_Boise_State.html
http://www.staradvertiser.com/columnists/furtherreview/20101105_Monizs_hot_hand_cool_head_make_all_the_difference_for_UH.html
http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2010/11/04/ccripe/boise_states_gavins_eager_challenge_against_hawaii_warriors_winn
http://arbiteronline.com/2010/11/04/big-surprise-broncos-focused-on-hawai%E2%80%99i-not-bcs-slide/
http://arbiteronline.com/2010/11/04/battle-for-the-wac-bsu-hawaii-last-two-undefeated-teams-in-conferenc-play/
IS = Idaho Statesman
Asked if the Boise State game was a big game to him, Bryant Moniz grinned and said:
"Not to me. It's just another game. Just another Saturday afternoon of football." (HSA)
Asked when running their offense became "easy" for him, Moniz said it started since the Charleston Southern game:
"Ever since the fourth game." (HSA)
Moniz said that their success is the fruit of:
"hard work in the summer and in fall camp." (HSA)
About how Moniz' personality keeps him calm during big games, Bronson Tiwanak said:
"He doesn't pressure out in big situations. He's always cool head. He's a good leader." (HSA)
About how their team is treating the Boise State game like any other team, Tiwanak said:
"Obviously (Boise State is) a very good team. But it's just the next game on our schedule. We can't do anything different." (HSA)
About how they are approaching the Boise State game like any of their other games, Greg Salas said:
"We know what this game represents. But you have to stay true to yourself. If you start doing things differently you might psyche yourself out. Every game is a big game, because we want to win every game we play. We're looking forward to the opportunity." (HSA)
HSA Note: "During yesterday's closed practice at Meridian High School, a man, hiding behind a fence, was spotted trying to video the Warriors' drills. Tommy Heffernan, the Warriors' strength and conditioning coach, was summoned. He sprinted toward the man, who, in a panic, packed his video equipment quickly and fled. As Heffernan returned to the field, he was greeted with rousing applause."
About Tommy Heffernan scaring away the man videotaping their practice, Corey Paredes said:
"That was an awesome play. That was awesome to see Coach Tommy on that 50-yard burst. That guy immediately got scared." (HSA)
About Heffernan running towards the videotaping man, Mack said:
"The only thing Tommy didn't do was jump over the fence. I thought he'd do a flip over the fence." (HSA)
About what he said to the videotaping game, Heffernan said:
"I told him to get out, and he got out." (HSA)
About Corey Paredes intercepting 3 passes during their 7-on-7 drills, Mouse Davis said:
"How about that? We're thinking he can play the slot." (HSA)
About people talking about him playing offense, Paredes said:
"I was a receiver in high school. hat's why I was disappointed in the balls I dropped in earlier games." (HSA)
About talking with Paredes about playing offense, Salas said:
"He told me he played receiver in high school. I told him: 'You're about to move back with all of the plays you're making.' We're about to put him into the slot. He's doing great. He's having a great year." (HSA)
About how the defense works on reading plays and forcing turnovers, working on stripping away the football from ballcarriers during each practice, Paredes said:
"We're trying to get the ball. You have to practice how you're going to play. You cannot expect to get that stuff in the game if you cannot get it in practice." (HSA)
Happy with their practice, Mack said:
"I thought it was a really good practice. Their speed was good. We played fast, on both sides of the ball." (HSA)
"We got a good look. We did a lot of good things in practice." (HSA)
About giving up 5 inches and 36 pounds when he's matched up with Greg Salas, CB Jerrell Gavins (5'9", 174-pounds) said:
"That's a challenge to me. I look at it as, I always say I want to go pro. If I go pro, I'll probably be one of the smallest dudes in the league. The average receiver is 6-2. Andre Johnson (of the Texans) is 6-5. That's what I want to go against. Let's do it. I can jump pretty high." (IS)
About how their secondary has been waiting for a game like this to challenge them, Gavins said:
"The D-line has been dominating. The linebackers had their games. We've been waiting for our game all season, a throwing team. This is our game." (IS)
About how they should have improved their tackling after their coaches emphasized fundamentals during last week's extra practices and their defense even practiced against their starting offense at times, DE Shea McClellin said:
"I think we addressed it pretty well." (IS)
About how UH got his respect when they routed Utah State in Utah, Chris Petersen said:
"Right then and there, I said, 'These guys are different this year.'" (IS)
About how this will be their first daytime game this season, Petersen said:
"I'm nervous about that. That's where we always want to play, but it's the first one so it's going to be different for us." (HSA)
About their kickers, special teams coach Jeff Choate said:
"Trevor (Harman) will kick off. He's starting to get more comfortable with that. He's been more consistent with the placement of the ball. He's actually practiced really well punting the ball. He just needs those game reps. If he'll perform in the game like he has in practice, I think we'll be very happy with him there. He's a guy who can probably handle long field goals for us. We just don't want to put that much on Trevor at this point. … (Jimmy Pavel) actually had a really good practice on Sunday. He was out for three weeks, too. There are some timing things that are coming back. … He's just got to make those extra points and short kicks for us." (IS)
Upset when he heard an ESPN commentator saying that they needed to make a statement against UH and play perfect, Petersen said:
"I'm thinking, 'No we don't.' That's not our thing. We're trying to play the best that we can play and as hard as we can play." (AO)
About talking with one of his players who heard the ESPN commentator, telling the player to ignore what the commentators said, Petersen said:
"One of our kids was standing there and he said, 'What ever happened to just winning the game?' I said, 'That's why we don't listen to these guys because you just play hard and that's what it's all about.'" (AO)
About how they will play their best against UH and know that UH beat the other top teams in the WAC, safety George Iloka said:
"They've taken down two of the top dogs in Nevada and Fresno (State). I know they're coming here with their best shot and we're going to defend our home and give them our best shot." (AO)
Not worrying about the voters, CB Jamar Taylor said:
"I feel like every game is a statement game, but whatever happens in the polls, we can't worry about. At the end of the season, if they choose us to go to a BCS game we'll roll with it. If they don't, we'll play our other bowl game and just keep trying to improve and come away with our perfect season." (AO)
About how they need to beat UH to win the WAC championship, Iloka said:
"To be honest with you, I could care less about any of that (BCS hype). We went undefeated last year, went to a BCS bowl game. Barely got in there, whatever. It doesn't really faze me anymore. The only thing we can control is the WAC. If we lose this game (versus Hawai'i) then what do have to show for this season? We don't have a WAC championship and we're definitely not going to a BCS bowl game." (AO)
About how UH is different this year, Iloka said:
"They're playing with a swagger that you can feel on film." (AO)
About the challenge that UH poses, Petersen said:
"You don't take the number one (passing) offense in the country and the defense getting that many turnovers for things to just go great. We're excited. This is going to be a tough, hard-nosed, WAC Championship type of game." (AO)
About how UH's offense is on a roll and will be hard to stop, Iloka said:
"They're on the same page and that really helps when the quarterback (Moniz) and all of his receivers are on the same page. … the way he's throwing it, it's like they (receivers) talked about that. That's what they do and that's what they go over. It's really hard to stop a team when the quarterback and receivers are on the same page and right now all of those guys could start anywhere in the country. We're just going to have our hands full as a defense." (AO)
About how UH will throw the ball against them, safety Jeron Johnson said:
"They're going to come out and throw the ball 50 times a game, probably more than that. It's on us. The opportunities are there. We have great coverage and good eyes so we've just got to get out there and make good plays." (AO)
About how Alex Green is ideal for UH's offense, Petersen said:
"He's the style that they like. A big guy who can protect and they give him the ball and he's a bruising type runner who can go north and south. He'll make you pay in a hurry." (AO)
http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20101105_Warriors_are_loose_ready_for_Boise_State.html
http://www.staradvertiser.com/columnists/furtherreview/20101105_Monizs_hot_hand_cool_head_make_all_the_difference_for_UH.html
http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2010/11/04/ccripe/boise_states_gavins_eager_challenge_against_hawaii_warriors_winn
http://arbiteronline.com/2010/11/04/big-surprise-broncos-focused-on-hawai%E2%80%99i-not-bcs-slide/
http://arbiteronline.com/2010/11/04/battle-for-the-wac-bsu-hawaii-last-two-undefeated-teams-in-conferenc-play/
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