The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Hold Second Scrimmage Of Fall Camp
8/18/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 18, 2007
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- The UAB football team held its second scrimmage of the preseason Saturday at Legion Field and head coach Neil Callaway said the Blazers still have a long way to move forward before it heads to Michigan State in two weeks when they open the 2007 season.
"I'm concerned," Callaway said after the scrimmage. "We have so many freshmen and young people that haven't played at this level. I'm concerned about where we are at right now and we certainly have got to get a lot better."
Callaway's assessment of his team's performance was that the offense did some good things at time, though he didn't think quarterbacks Sam Hunt and Joseph Webb "was very sharp today." He saw little on the defensive side that was pleasing.
"I think offensively we came out and moved the ball well early," said Callaway. "We kind of stalled in the middle and then got it going again at the end. Defensively, I'm really disappointed. I just don't think we're playing as a team or with any purpose. I think we've got a bunch of guys out there just going through the motions. We've got to get some things straightened out on defense."
The defense's showing was especially disappointing to Callaway after what they had shown this past week in practice. "During the week, I thought they (the defense) had the upper hand, but today, that wasn't the case. We have to have guys play hard, play together and play as a team."
One of the early offensive plays that caught attention was a nice 26-yard touchdown catch by Sylvester Mencer on a pass from Webb. Mencer was one of five receivers to finish with at least four receptions as he had four for 40 yards. Redshirt freshman Mike Jones and senior Nick Coon led the way with five grabs for 67 and 77 yards, respectively. Coon also was on the receiving end of a 50-yard touchdown pass by Webb.
Tight end Jeffrey Anderson caught four passes for 61 yards while Blake Thackston had four for 40.
Webb finished with 182 yards passing as he hit 12-of-24 passes with two touchdowns and one interception. Hunt completed 9-of-26 for 63 yards with one interception. Redshirt freshman QB Anthony Speight hit 6-of-16 for 64 yards with an interception.
Though his signal-callers didn't play as well as the head coach would have liked on Saturday, Callaway likes what he sees in his quarterbacks, so much so he hasn't determined a starter yet for the opener.
"I think we have two fine quarterbacks," said Callaway, "and they haven't separated themselves from each other. They are a lot alike; they have a lot of similarities like I have said before. We've got to decide soon how we want to handle this thing and make some decisions."
In the running game, it was true freshman Dexter Barnett who led the way as he had 71 yards on eight carries, including long runs of 20, 19 and 19 yards.
"I thought for it being his first time in a "team, live drill", he did some good things," said Callaway. "He showed he's got vision and is a running back who can make some plays."
Webb ran the ball seven times and tallied 37 yards on the ground with a 16-yard touchdown run. He also had a 33-yard run for a score called back due to a holding penalty.
Jim Mitchell, a sophomore transfer from Presbyterian College, finished the scrimmage with 29 yards on six carries.
On the defensive side, redshirt freshman defensive end Bryant Turner was among the leading tacklers in the scrimmage with five and he had two quarterback sacks. Three Blazers recorded interceptions: safety Will Dunbar (0 yards), freshman Marquis Coleman (19 yards) and sophomore Brandon Carlisle (20 yards).
The UAB placekickers were perfect on four field goal attempts Saturday. Swayze Waters converted his only try, a 45-yarder, while freshman Charlie Edwards hit from 30 yards out and fellow freshman Trey Ragland connected from 47 and 19 yards away.
The Blazers are just two weeks away from their season opener against Michigan State on Sept. 1 at 11 a.m. CT, and will be televised live on ESPN2.
Tickets for the upcoming season are now available for purchase online at UABsports.com or by contacting the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-8221. Single-game tickets begin at $15.
