Lokahi Pauole is a seasoned veteran entering his fifth year at UCF. The offensive lineman recapped Saturday's second scrimmage, heaping praise on the running game while also expressing optimism about the offense in general.
Pauole offered his initial thoughts on the scrimmage:
"I thought it was great. The emphasis today was to just run the ball. Put our hands in the dirt and see what we've got up front. I think we did that exact thing. I think the coaches have a great understanding at this point after the scrimmage of where the chips fall and how we look up front. I love the way we got after it and how we competed today."
Asked about what stands out about this year's offensive line, Pauole said this:
"The biggest thing is that we have a lot of veterans in this group. Veterans from other schools and veterans that were returning. That's a big key to being successful in the Big 12. There's gonna be a lot of big guys up front, new competition. I feel like we're ready for it. This group, it's special because all the new transfers, all the new freshmen, it seems like they've been here for years."
On the competition at center:
"All of them are great players. Caden Kitler, I was with him last year. He's kind of like a season vet at this point. Drake (Metcalf), he came in like a veteran. He's a smart guy, Stanford guy. Obviously, they're pretty smart over there. So he got the playbook going pretty fast. Bula (Schmidt), he's just a dog. He'll just come out there and whack the dude in front of him and make some plays. It's exciting. Whoever we got up front, I'm ready to play with."
On the OL depth:
"I've played with a lot of great offensive linemen here at UCF. They're not paying you no lip service. We're a legit group up front. There's not much more I can say about that."
On competing against UCF's defensive line:
"The defensive line is probably the best I've seen yet. Like I've said, I've been here for a while. I know what it looks like. Ricky Barber and Big Lee (Hunter) holding it down in the middle. Then when they're out, (Kervins) Choute and Matthew Alexander coming in. It's like no step down. That's something you need upfront.
"It starts with those guys. The defense, the linebackers, the corners, they can't do their job without the d-line creating pressure, creating movement. And then when we got the d-ends, Josh (Celiscar) and Drop (Tre'Mon Morris-Brash) is like a 1-2 punch. It's like lightning and thunder, man. I'm just glad I got to go against them every day in camp."
On what individual players stood out during the scrimmage:
"Mark-Antony Richards had a great day today. He had a physical run. It's something we love to see, especially being an offensive lineman. When we can't make those blocks down field, when you see a running back breaking tackles and doing all that, man, it just gets you excited. Another one is (Demarkcus) Bowman. I love the running back room we've got. They're going crazy."
Lokahi was asked about the tragic fires in his home state of Hawaii (Maui).
"It's just a really sad day for the Hawaiian Islands. Sad day for the country. It's a tourist destination, a spot where everyone loves to visit. I donated to help out community. I took some of my NIL money and donated back to them. I just feel like in Hawaii, we're all a family. Ohana is a real thing. Even though I'm from Oahu and I don't have any immediate family over there in Maui, you're connected somehow.
"Prayers out to them. I'm praying for them every day, reaching out to who I can reach out to. I appreciate everyone who's been reaching out to me. It means a lot. If there's anything I can say, if you guys have or have never visited Hawaii before, don't be afraid to donate. Don't be afraid to help out, especially in this trying time."
What makes Lokahi excited about this offense?
"The offense, we still have the run game that we had last year, so I'm excited about that. But the main emphasis this year was pushing the ball down field. Coach (Darin) Hinshaw has been pointed it out to us: Hey, we're taking shots this year. That's what I'm excited about. I see plays made down the field with balls being caught like I've never seen before. I'm excited, man. The wide receiver room, the QB room is just clicking, which is a great thing."
This is Lokahi's final year of eligibility and a big year for UCF too, going into the Big 12. What does he want to accomplish?
"It's kind of cliche, but I treat literally every day like it's my last at this point. Whether it was the first day of fall camp, I was like, hey, this is gonna be my last first day of fall camp today. Last big scrimmage, you know what I mean? So, there's, there's just a bunch of first lasts and I'm just super grateful for it. I'm blessed to be here. I really love playing football. I just love being at this place. The expectations are high. There's a lot of individual awards that I can win, but I'm big on team success, how we're gonna win the championship this year."
