The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Football Readies For Army
11/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 17, 2004
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB football team practiced for two hours Wednesday afternoon, continuing preparations for Saturday's Conference USA road contest at Army. The Blazers and Black Knights take the field at Michie Stadium in West Point, N.Y., at 1 p.m. (ET).
"They are a better team (than last year)," UAB head coach Watson Brown said of an improved Army squad under the direction of first-year head coach Bobby Ross. "They're all back. They've got all those players from a year ago. They're older, they're playing better and it's just a better football team. You watch them play at home and their confidence level and everything is just fantastic. Both times we've been up there, it's been tough. It doesn't matter, every time you go to play them up there, it's really hard."
UAB is coming off a 20-7 victory over Houston last Saturday at Legion Field. With the win, the Blazers moved to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in Conference USA play. Brown and the Blazers look to avoid a letdown after gaining bowl eligibility for the third time in five years.
"We've talked hard about that," Brown acknowledged. "Being bowl eligible was one of our goals, but that wasn't all of them. We've got a lot left on the table here and there's a lot to play for - second place in this league being one of them. I hope a letdown isn't the case, because not letting that happen has been discussed."
Army lost to Tulane, 45-31, in New Orleans on Saturday. The Black Knights have a 2-7 record and a 2-5 C-USA mark. This is the last season Army will be a member of Conference USA.
"Practice went really well and we're having another good week of practice," Brown added. "They (Army) give us a totally different look on defense that what we've gone against recently, that's for sure. So, we've been spending a little bit more time on the technical aspects of the game plan, but I think we're picking it up.
"I hope the players have that same attitude and hunger they did last week," Brown said. "We had a great week of practice then and it had a lot to do with us winning last week. It looks like they have that attitude again, but we'll see on Saturday."
The game will be carried live on the Blazer Sports Network (101.1 FM in Birmingham).
