The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Look For First Road Win Saturday At Army
10/21/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 21, 2002
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- UAB head coach Watson Brown held his weekly press conference here Monday afternoon as he and the Blazer football team look forward to this week's game at Army.
Saturday's game, which kicks off at 1:00 p.m. EST at Michie Stadium in West Point, N. Y., will be the third time the Blazers have met the Black Knights on the playing field. UAB has won both of the previous meetings, including a 55-3 decision at Legion Field last year. The Blazers' 55 points represented the most they've scored since moving to the NCAA Division 1-A ranks. UAB was also victorious (27-7) in the initial matchup on Nov. 18, 2000 at West Point.
The Blazers are coming off a 35-14 loss to the Green Wave of Tulane. UAB led 14-13 early in the second period but was held scoreless in the last 40 minutes of play.
UAB redshirt freshman quarterback Darrell Hackney has started the past three games for the Blazers and has passed for 690 yards and six touchdowns in that stretch. He has hit 52.7 percent of his throws (49-of-93) in three games. Sophomore wide receiver Roddy White has 13 (207 yards) catches of his 19 recorded this season in the last three games. He has also made touchdown catches in back to back games.
Army is coming off a 56-42 loss to the Houston Cougars last Saturday. The Black Knights recorded their highest point total for the season against the Cougars as freshman quarterback Zac Dahman passed for 353 yards and four touchdowns. The Black Knights had a total of 459 yards offense in the game.
Below are a few comments from head coach Watson Brown and several players.
Watson Brown on the Tulane game: "We played better than we had on the road. We lost to a good team that played well. We played a much better offensive/defensive game. Our kicking team got us this week. Their punter should have been MVP of the week as far as I am concerned. He is their punter and their kicker and he did a great job. They just outplayed us. That was by far the best we have played on the road, but it still wasn't good enough. They have a good kicking team. That was our worst kicking performance all year. It was the first punt returned against us in eight years. It was frustrating. The mismatch in the game was their defensive line against our offensive line. Once we lost field position they got the lead on us and it really got tough for us to hang on and move the ball."
On the Army game: "This is a huge game for us. We win this one we are 3-1 in the league, we are right in the hunt with an open date. We lose it, we are 2-2. We are not dead, but there is a big difference in 3-1 and 2-2. We've got to lay everything on the line and try to find a way to win the game. Army is a much better team up there than they are on the road. They have had major road problems in this league. Everybody that goes up there fights them for their life to get a win up there. We have got to find a way to win. They throw the ball around a lot like we do, so this could be a long game."
Chris Brown: "A win at Army would be huge. It would put us at 3-1, right up there at the top of the conference. We can't expect a win just because of their record. We went to Lafayette and they were 0-3 and look what happened. We can't take anyone for granted. We have got to go in there and play hard. They throw the ball a lot. The game is going to be determined by how we play. And I think we are up for the challenge."
Darrell Hackney: "I have to do my best every game. I can't settle for a loss. I can't settle for not doing my best. I am hard on myself. With a win or a loss, the head coach and the quarterback get the credit or get downed. We played a hard game but we didn't make enough plays in the second half. They made better plays than we did. We only made one long play for 30 yards to Chico Cleveland, but that wasn't enough to win the game. I think they (six sacks) were coverage sacks and offensive line sacks. I should have gotten rid of the ball of half of them, so I take some of the blame. Tulane knew I was limited on my mobility and they came after me. They played a good game. Our goals are still unlimited and if we beat Army, we are still on track."
