HONOLULU – University of Hawai`i Warrior football head coach Greg McMackin conducted his weekly press conference, recapping the Warriors' win over Weber State on Saturday and discussing the team's upcoming road game at Oregon State on Saturday, Sept. 13. Below are some excerpts from the press conference. Video of the press conference is available in the video section.

 

We were excited to play at home in front of our fans...excited there were almost 40,000 people there. I give credit to Ron McBride, he's a great coach and had his players ready to play and I was happy we won the ball game. I told everyone from the beginning they'd be a better team than people thought. I knew they'd be ready to play.

 

We started off fairly well but obviously the first half was too close for comfort. Our guys made some adjustments and got things together at halftime and were able to come out and win the ball game. I was very happy how all three phases of the team played in the second half. It shows that we were ready to play…it was a good win for us.

 

I thought they were running the ball better on us in the first half...only 14 yards in the first half…but we were getting plays for losses also (and they) ended up with -20 rushing. Defensively, we have nine goals and we reached eight of them. The only one we didn't reach, we gave up on that long pass which was really well executed. I thought it was well-covered, well-thrown, and well-caught…but that happens in a football game.

 

Offensively and team-wise I thought we really became a team in the second half. We've been working for a long time on the run-and-shoot. We have new receivers, new quarterbacks. In the second half we ran the offense how it should be run. Tyler (Gruanke) came in and his experience is something we needed and the receivers were catching the ball, the routes were correct. Ron Lee called a great game. We ran the ball at the end…I don't believe on running the score up on anybody.

 

The reason we brought him in was because he has experience in the offense. He had been doing well in practice with the second team reps. I was surprised we weren't moving it in the first half quite honestly, and I'll have to give Weber State credit for that. I was really happy how (Tyler) moved it and it seemed like the receivers who weren't catching the ball (in the first half) were catching it now and guys were making plays…I'm really happy for Tyler. He gets to play his senior year and if you do the right things good things will happen to you. He's been through a lot…so I really admire and respect him. As long as he continues to go in this direction, I think it's going to be fun.

If a quarterback is not doing his job, I'm not going to sit around and watch him not do the job. I'm going to get somebody else in there, just like a cornerback or a left tackle. I like all of our quarterbacks. We have guys who will be great quarterbacks, but we thought that we could bring them along in the offense a little faster.

 

The game balls went to Joshua Leonard who as a tackle did and outstanding job with eight or nine tackles, three for losses and just dominated the line of scrimmage the entire game. Offensively, obviously it (was) Tyler Graunke. He came in and did a great job. He moved us, he ran the offense and we've been looking for somebody to do that. On special teams it was Tim (Grasso). Tim did a great job of punting. He averaged 44 or 45 yards with three inside the 20.

 

Yeah that was a real surprise. We saw it on the film. He was stepping too close to the ball and before the game he was warming up and banging them. He kicked a 61-yarder and he was kicking the heck out of it but for some reason he stepped too close to the ball and it wasn't him. So it's something that's correctable and it's not going to be a problem. (Special Teams Coach) Ikaika (Malloe) is on top of it and we'll get that straightened out.

 

I don't really think of it that way. I don't see myself any different than I've ever been. Many people have…congratulated me but I don't even think about it because it's just like another win, or last week another loss.

 

We're going to play a good, hungry football team. They play USC after us and Utah after them. I would think they are going to give it their best shot to take us out and we're going to give them our best shot. They are really in need of a win and we're in need of keeping our string going. I'm looking forward to it. I hear there's going to be a lot of Hawaiian people up there, so I'm really excited about that too.

 

(It) will get me excited. I have a lot of friends and went to high school there and college and had a lot of calls. There might be a little more emotion, but right now I feel it's a job and a responsibility and I'm just trying to work hard. But it's going to get a little emotional probably.