The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Football Meets With Media Regarding Game With Cincinnati
9/27/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 27, 2004
UAB Football Meets With Media Regarding Game With Cincinnati
Head coach Watson Brown and players discuss Bearcats at weekly luncheon
Sept. 27, 2004
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- UAB head coach Watson Brown, along with several members of the football team, talked with the local media here Monday about the Blazers upcoming game versus the Cincinnati Bearcats this Saturday at 7:00 (ET) in Cincinnati, Ohio. The game will be broadcast regionally on Comcast Sports Southeast (CSS).
This marks the eighth time the Blazers and Cincinnati will have met, with the Bearcats leading the series 5-2. The last time the two teams met was on October 11, 2003 at Legion Field, with the Blazers posting a 31-14 win.
The Blazers are coming off 35-28 win over Memphis. UAB won the game with 13 seconds left in the game on Corey White's 30-yard touchdown run. The Blazers totaled 539 yards of total offense and beat the Tigers for the fifth year in a row.
UAB quarterback Darrell Hackney, who threw for 398 yards, was named Conference USA offensive player of the week, it was announced by league officials on Monday morning. Hackney completed 21-of-31 passes (67.7 percent) in the game against Memphis.
"I was very proud of our kids for the way that they responded to the comeback by Memphis," said Brown. "Our defense stepped up and made two huge interceptions, while our offense also responded to Memphis' big drives by making two of their own and the last one was for the win."
UAB and Cincinnati are both 1-0 in conference play and enter the game in a five-way tie for first place. The Blazers are preparing for a tough game against the Bearcats, who are ranked fifth in the conference for total offense and fourth for total defense.
"Cincinnati has one of the best football teams in the conference on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball," said Brown. "The Cincinnati game is going to be kind of a reverse from this past week in that our defense is going to have to step up and make the big plays."
Cincinnati enters the game with a streak of four-straight Conference USA home-opener victories. The Bearcats last loss in a conference home opener was to UAB in 1999, which was the last time the Blazers won their first two C-USA games.
"It's another conference game and if you want to win a championship or go to a bowl game then you have to win road games," said Brown.
Player Quotes
LINEBACKER Zac Woodfin
On playing a big road game
"It is a challenging game but I think it helps us to get that first win because it just gives us so much confidence, especially beating a good team like Memphis. That gives us a lot of confidence to go on the road and try to play a great game and try to get our second (C-USA) win against Cincinnati."
On Cincinnati quarterback Gino Guidulgi
"Gino Guidulgi (Cincinnati quarterback) is someone that I have been playing against for four years and he is a senior like me. He has a great arm and great knowledge of the game. He can beat you in a lot of different ways but they (Cincinnati) are not as much of a spread offense as they were in the past, they area little bit more conventional now. They will try to mix their run and let him (Guidulgi) go deep and let him do what he can do. They are a going to be a very challenging offense."
On the Cincinnati Offense
"I think the new coach (Mark Dantonio) changed a lot around because last year they were a spread offense using four wide receivers with Gino (Guidulgi) throwing the ball around but now they are a two-tight end, two-back team that on occasion gets out into some three-receiver sets and let him work with that, but they are multi-dimensional now."
SAFETY Dominique Cosper
On the win over Memphis
"It was a big one especially because they (Memphis) had come back and tied it. It gave us a lot of confidence knowing that we held them off and are 1-0 in the conference and we're looking forward to the game this week at Cincinnati."
On Cincinnati quarterback, Gino Guidulgi
"We played against him (Gino Guidulgi) last year so we know he is capable of making plays. They are probably not throwing as much but I know that he can throw it."
On going back on the road for the first time since the Florida State loss
"In the past we have been a pretty good road team. Playing at Florida State in front of a full house I think will help us keep our composure for this game and help us not get too caught up in all the stuff going on around us. We just need to keep our heads focused on the game."
WIDE RECEIVER Norris Drinkard
On the win over Memphis "Knowing what our goals are, which is winning a conference championship and going to a bowl game, our attitude is great right now. That is what we needed to get over the hump and now we have started the season off pretty well by being 1-0 in the conference. Everybody is ready to play."
On being battle-tested after the Florida State game and using that as an advantage in the Memphis game
"Playing at Florida State really opened up a lot of our eyes, of course everybody is upset when they lose, but it was not just that we lost, it was that we knew we could have played better as far as our assignments. Everyone looked at the film and realized we were going to have to step it up a little bit more, so we came out for Memphis with a good attitude, followed our assignments and things just took care of themselves."
On how to avoid the letdown
"When you get a big win like that and knowing how good your team is and how you play together, it just helps you every Saturday when you go out to play. The defense and offense together both making plays helps win ballgames."
QUARTERBACK Darrell Hackney
On being named C-USA offensive player of the week
"I like team awards and there would not be anything better then to go to a bowl game, get a ring and win the conference championship. Individual awards are nice, but I'm a team player."
On the win over Memphis
"It really built up our confidence. We have to go on the road to play Cincinnati this week, and our confidence is up. We know what we have to do to win: take care of the ball, play good defense, make good plays, and hopefully come out with a win."
On Cincinnati's experience
"I think Cincinnati has a lot of seniors on their defense and while we have a lot of experienced players, we don't have many seniors on our offense. We just have to take care of the ball and make big plays when we get a chance."
