The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Monday's Media Luncheon Kicks Off UTEP Game Week
10/26/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 26, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UAB head coach Neil Callaway met with members of the media Monday at his weekly press conference to preview this weekend's upcoming road game at UTEP.
Senior defensive lineman Anthony Barnes and sophomore punter Trey Ragland were also in attendance following the Blazers' 27-7 loss this past Saturday at Marshall.
UAB will wrap up a three-game road stretch, its longest of the season, when the Blazers travel to El Paso, Texas, for a Conference USA contest Saturday with UTEP. Game time is set for 1 p.m. MT (2 p.m. CT) at the Sun Bowl.
"(UTEP has) a lot of talent, a lot of athletes, and it's a game we're going to have to be ready to play in," Callaway said. "Going to UTEP is never easy. It's a long trip, a different environment, a different culture for our players. Hopefully, we'll go in there and focus on the game and get ready to play."
UTEP will have had three extra days to prepare for Saturday's game. The Miners played at home last Wednesday and overcame an 11-point, fourth-quarter deficit with two touchdowns in the final seven minutes to defeat Tulsa, 28-24.
Saturday's game will be carried on the Blazers ISP Sports Network and can be heard in the Birmingham area on flagship station WUHT-FM 107.7 with David Crane (play-by-play) and Jake Arians (color) on the call. The pregame show will begin 90 minutes prior to kickoff.
Head Coach Neil Callaway
On the Marshall game
"Obviously, it was very disappointing to go up there and lose that football game. I probably shouldn't say we lost it, rather we gave it away. Offensively, we moved the ball and were able to do some things running and throwing. We just kept shooting ourselves in the foot with all the penalties. That's something that is hard to explain. I wish I could sit up here and tell you why we had four personal fouls and jumped offsides four times, but I can't. That definitely had a lot to do with us not winning that football game. I don't want to take anything away from Marshall. They did a nice job, but we just didn't give ourselves a chance.
"Defensively, we played decent. We have some problems in the secondary with some injuries. Chase Daniel did not play and neither did Andre Hicks. We had to move Brandon Carlisle to free safety. We have some issues there that really I thought they exposed. Marshall had been more of a running football team and had struggled somewhat throwing the ball. But with the problems we had, they felt like they could throw it on us. That's a game that hopefully we'll learn from our mistakes. If we do, like always, I think we'll get better, but if we don't, we'll continue to struggle."
On the upcoming UTEP game
"The first thing I think about playing UTEP is, offensively, how explosive they are. Their quarterback is an outstanding player. They have two or three receivers that do an outstanding job, and they've done a nice job running the football. They have a nice tailback, not the biggest guy but more of a speed, slasher kind of guy. I don't think he'll be as downhill as (Marshall running back) Darius Marshall was last week, but they're both good tailbacks. But offensively, they are very capable and have a lot of weapons.
"Defensively, I think they do an excellent job rushing the quarterback. They have a lot of talent, a lot of athletes, and it's a game we're going to have to be ready to play in. Going to UTEP is never easy. It's a long trip, a different environment, a different culture for our players. Hopefully, we'll go in there and focus on the game and get ready to play."
On the team's mindset
"We're certainly not in the best of spirits. Marshall was a game I felt like we had a chance to win. Not taking anything away from Marshall, but I more or less felt like we gave it away with all the penalties, and that's not good."
On what a win would mean
"Any time you win, it helps. We do need to go out and play well and win a football game, but we're going to have to go earn it. Nobody's going to give it to us."
On losing consecutive games
"It's not a lot of fun, I can tell you that. But again, we can't look at anybody but ourselves. Certainly we've been out-matched a couple of games, but I think there have been a couple of games where we just haven't done our part. Like always, I think if we'll stick together and work hard, we'll be fine. But if we start separating then we'll start having problems. I don't anticipate any of that, but we have to be conscious of it, that's for sure."
On the number of penalties in the Marshall game
"It's like I told the staff, how our team plays is how we are, bottom line. If we have guys making mistakes, then we're not doing a good job teaching them. That's just how I feel. It's up to us as coaches to get it corrected and it's up to the players to get it corrected on the field. I think we're all in this together."
On Joe Webb's mentality
"I can't remember the numbers exactly, but I know our throwing improved last week. Joe threw the ball well and if we continue that trend I think we can be productive offensively. I think Joe's confidence was a little shaken after the SMU game and it has taken him a couple games to get back. I did see improvement last week against Ole Miss, who has a very good defense. I thought it was even better against Marshall. Hopefully he will continue that trend of getting back to where he was at the beginning of the year. If we do, then I think that will help everybody."
Senior DL Anthony Barnes
On the losses over the past two weeks
"It's very difficult. For one, it's difficult for me because I'm a senior, and as the weeks go by, it's getting shorter and shorter for me. But as a team, we wonder sometimes if this is really how it's supposed to be and what is wrong. We just have to stay focused, maintain our composure and continue to fight hard."
On still having the opportunity to turn the season around
"I understand that we still have a chance, but we have to buy into what the coaches are telling us. We can't have a great program around here if everybody wants to do their own thing. We all have to come together as one."
On the number of penalties in Saturday's loss at Marshall
"When you get penalized, it's hard on you because you start questioning your play. You're nervous about the next couple plays. You're mind goes, and you're not focused on the task at hand."
Sophomore P Trey Ragland
On the team's current mindset
"It's tough any time you lose two games straight. Like coach said today, everyone's got their head hung. We've talked about how last year Southern Miss was the same way, but then came back and won five or six games straight. They became bowl eligible, won their bowl game and completely turned the season around. That's really our goal right now to bounce back and turn this whole thing around."
On the team's ability to win more games this season
"It's like coach told us, the season's not over. There are still five games left and all five of them are winnable games. But we could also lose all five of them too. We have to cut out the penalties. We have a good shot of finishing up really strong and every team [left on the schedule] is beatable."
On being ready to turn the season around
"We're tired of [losing]. It's really frustrating to go through the same old thing over and over again. Especially when you have a game like Marshall, where we really gave the game away because of all the penalties. You can't dwell on it though. We played the game and it's over, so now we move on to the next game against UTEP."
