bleedCrimson.net: Your thoughts on the game against Nevada?
DeWayne Walker: It was much more competitive than last year. Last year was a disaster game. I really thought we made some improvements schematically on defense and we get one more shot at these guys next year before they leave the conference. I just didn't feel the score indicated how the game actually went. I thought we moved the ball on them pretty good on them throughout the game we just couldn't score any touchdowns. Obviously Manley throwing the pick six didn't help us any. The one touchdown before halftime was uneventful but for the most part I really thought we improved this year versus last year.

bc.net: Your defense did a good job of containing Colin Kaepernick's running game holding him to under 50 yards of rushing.
DW: I thought Coach Lindsey came up with a great game plan and I think our defense did a great job. I think we kept him to 48 yards rushing. They probably threw the ball a little bit more. I think the game was never close enough for them to feel that we were threatening them but I knew they felt like we were just more competitive and we made them earn everything they got. I think they took a couple more chances throwing the ball just trying to get Kaepernick ready for the Boise game but again I thought it was a good gameplan and I thought we executed pretty good.

bc.net: Your offensive performance in the game was pretty good and you had a couple of drives end in Nevada territory at the end of the game that could have changed the score a little bit.
DW: It's good to see Manley and Taveon hook up a little bit and Marcus Allen. I think we're going to have to continue to have those kind of combinations in the passing game to continue to be competitive offensively in this conference. Everybody in this conference, the quarterbacks are good and they always have a couple receivers they can go do as well as having one or two running backs that they can go to. We're definitely moving in that direction offensively, to score more points and be more competitive.

bc.net: Saturday you face Hawai'i and they're known for their potent offense but their defense has been playing very well and is in the top 10 in takeaways.
DW: Yeah, there's no question. A lot of people focus on what they're doing offensively but I think the way the defense is playing has really helped them to become one of the top two or three teams in our conference. From the first game against USC to where they are right now they're a totally different defense and right now they're playing good ball.

bc.net: What are some things that your defense needs to do against the Hawai'i passing game?
DW: We've got to put a body on a body whether it's man or zone coverage. We're going to have to tackle well. These guys are strong, strong players. Down below they do a good job with breaking tackles. We're going to have to make tackles and get these guys down.

bc.net: What will the matchup with Hawai'i receiver Greg Salas look like? Is that a situation where you can put Davon House or one of the other receivers on him and cover him man-to-man or will you give his defender some help?
DW: It's pretty hard because they do so many different things with him in the slot. They go to their three by one sets and they get their number two and number three real close so it's real hard to get the kind of matchup that we would like, the best matchup for House is when they put wideouts out wide. That's the kind of matchup that's a little easier for us to execute. But when they move them around like they do with Salas, moreso as an inside guy than an outside guy, it's kind of tough to really defend him the way we want.

bc.net: Offensively what are you looking for from your team?
DW: You've gotta score points. I know they're strong in the middle with their tackles so running the ball is going to be tough. I think their front seven is pretty stout. We're going to have to find a way to throw the ball around a little bit and get on their edges a little bit as opposed to trying to run downhill on them. It's going to be a challenge for us because they have a really good front seven and they do a good job.

bc.net: With this being the last game of the season, what are some things that you're looking for specifically from your team as you head into the offseason
DW: Just be competitive. Despite the score last week I thought we were still pretty competitive in that game. We're still learning how to be competitive against teams. They're a little more talented than we are so we're just trying to get a good feel for our competitive still. We just want to get out there and fight these guys for four quarters and see where we are in the fourth quarter.

bc.net: Saturday is senior day for your guys. What has this group meant to your team both last year in your first year and this year?
DW: Most of these guys have been around here for a while and there's been a lot of losing that they've endured. For these guys to come in and buy into our vision and buy into what our staff is trying to do, this senior class has been very fun to coach. It's a good group of guys and all these guys are going to be successful and we're going to miss them.

bc.net: Having faced both Boise State and Nevada now what do you see in that matchup on Friday?
DW: It's going to be a good game. You can never count Nevada out. Coach Ault does a good job with his football team but I just think this Boise team is a real good football team and I think any time you have 'ol Kellen leading your team, I think it's always going to be a tough bet when he's your quarterback and he's the leader of your football team. I just think Boise is going to be tough to beat.