The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Move Inside, Continue Work For Southern Miss
11/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 15, 2006
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB football team practiced indoors on Wednesday afternoon in shorts and shoulder pads as it continues its preparations for Saturday's battle with Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Miss. The Blazers went through 90 minutes of practice inside, as inclement weather lingered in Birmingham throughout the day.
The Blazers (3-7, 2-4) are searching for their first win over the Golden Eagles (6-4, 4-2) on Saturday. The two squads have met six previous times on the gridiron, with Southern Miss coming out victorious in all six games. The last meeting was on October 21, 2005, where the Golden Eagles escaped Birmingham with a 37-28 win over UAB.
Saturday is sure to be a tough battle as not only is the two schools rivals on the field, but they also have played each other very close in the past. The previous six meetings have been decided by nine points or less.
"We want to win this game," said UAB head coach Watson Brown. "We have never beaten them before. Southern Miss is always playing for the championship and they have a great program. We always catch them at their best because this game is a rivalry."
Even though the weather conditions forced practice indoors, the Blazers still went the full practice time. UAB continued to work on offensive schemes to get past Southern Miss' hard-nosed defense, as well as put in the defensive preparations necessary to stop the Golden Eagles' running attack.
"We are going to have to play well all around to win," said Brown. "Southern Miss is just a really good team and we are going to have to be consistent and play a good game to beat them."
UAB and Southern Miss are scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 18 at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Miss. The Conference USA contest will be nationally televised on CSTV and can also be heard on the Blazers ISP Sports Network, beginning with the pre-game show at 5:30 p.m. CST. Birmingham listeners can follow all the action on WYDE 101.1 FM. The broadcast can also be heard on WIQR 1410 AM in Montgomery.
