The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Football Switches Fields In Preparation For Southern Miss
11/24/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 24, 2004
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Inclement weather and poor field conditions at UAB's on-campus practice facility forced the Blazer football team to move today's practice to a nearby high school. Still, Watson Brown's club got a solid workout in this afternoon in preparation for UAB's final regular season game Saturday. The Blazers travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., to face Southern Miss in a 2 p.m. (CT) kickoff at M.M. Roberts Stadium.
UAB practiced at Vestavia Hills High School. The Blazers (7-3, 5-2 Conference USA) spent Tuesday in Bell Gymnasium, so the move outdoors was a welcome one for Brown.
"We had four inches of rain here and just couldn't get out (on our practice field)," Brown said. "We got out on a dry surface, the same kind Southern Miss has, so it was good for us in a lot of ways."
The Blazers will visit Hattiesburg for the first time since the 2001 season. Southern Miss installed Momentum Turf by Sportexe prior to this year's play at Roberts Stadium.
UAB, which is bowl-eligible, is coming off a 20-14 over Army Saturday in West Point, N.Y. The Blazers look for win No. 8 on the season this weekend for the first time. UAB has never reached eight wins in a football season. Not only does Southern Miss stand in UAB's way, but the Golden Eagles have beaten UAB four straight times. Southern Miss narrowly escaped Legion Field with a 17-12 win last season.
Southern Miss stands at 5-4 overall and 4-3 in C-USA play. The Golden Eagles are desperate for that bowl-eligibility-clinching sixth victory, but have lost three-straight games and four of five. USM finishes the season versus California on Dec. 4 in Hattiesburg.
"There's an awful lot for both teams to play for in this," Brown said. "We've got a chance to finish second in the league by ourselves. They're trying to get bowl eligible. We've all got a lot to play for.
"As far as practice goes, we were a little rusty starting out, but as practice went on, we got better and better," Brown added. "We're healthy and ready, so we'll see what happens on Saturday."
The UAB football team will gather on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. at the Green and Gold Room in Bartow Arena to celebrate Thanksgiving as a group, then practice again Thursday afternoon. The Blazers will then bus to Hattiesburg on Friday morning.
Saturday's game will not be televised, but will be carried live on the Blazer Sports Network (101.1 FM in Birmingham).
