The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Turn Focus To First Road Game At Troy
9/14/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 14, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - After a pair of Conference USA games to open the season, the UAB football team is looking ahead to its first road test of the season with a Saturday game at in-state foe Troy. Kickoff between the Blazers and the Trojans is slated for 2:30 p.m. CT.
UAB head coach Neil Callaway, along with three Blazer football players, were in attendance at Monday's media luncheon to briefly reflect on this past weekend's 35-33 loss to SMU and the upcoming game at Troy. CB Brandon Carlisle, C Jake Seitz and DE Derek Slaughter were on hand for interviews at the weekly luncheon.
Callaway put the weight of this past Saturday's loss to SMU, which moved UAB to 1-1 on the year, on his shoulders. He feels that his team was not ready or prepared to play entering the contest.
"I think it was a game that showed that we couldn't handle success very well," said Callaway. "I take full responsibility for it. I didn't have them ready to play.
"On the bright side, they came out and played well in the second half. I am proud for the way the guys responded at halftime, came back out and got after it.
"Defensively, I think we played very physical. Offensively, we have to cut down on the turnovers. If we do that, I think we'll be fine."
Callaway sees many challenges awaiting his team at Troy on Saturday, but thinks it will be important to see how the Blazers respond following their first loss of the season.
"Talent-wise, they'll be the most talented team we've played to this point," said Callaway. "Their defensive line is big and physical and can run. Their receivers have a lot of speed. Their quarterback does a nice job of running what they're doing offensively.
"It'll be interesting to watch us play in someone else's house. I'm just anxious to see this team play again Saturday after what we did last Saturday."
UAB and Troy are scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff at Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium. The in-state matchup will be televised regionally by CSS (Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast).
The UAB/Troy game will also be carried on the Blazers ISP Sports Network and can be heard in the Birmingham area on flagship station WUHT-FM 107.7. The pregame show will begin at 1:00 p.m.
Head Coach Neil Callaway
On this past Saturday's loss to SMU:
"I think it was a game that showed that we couldn't handle success very well. I take full responsibility for it. I didn't have them ready to play. On the bright side, they came out and played well in the second halftime. I am proud for the way the guys responded at half, came back out and got after it. Defensively, I think we played very physical. Offensively, we have to cut down on the turnovers. If we do that, I think we'll be fine."
On Troy head coach Larry Blakeney:
"I take my hat off to coach Blakeney and his staff for the things he's accomplished down there. He's done a tremendous job. I was fortunate enough to coach with Larry for eight years at Auburn. He's a fine person, a good coach and does a great job."
On the challenges of facing Troy:
"Talent-wise, they'll be the most talented team we've played to this point. Their defensive line is big and physical and can run. Their receivers have a lot of speed. Their quarterback does a nice job of running what they're doing offensively. They do a great job in special teams. They have a kickoff return guy that can really make some things happen. They do a good job with the punt team. It'll be a tremendous challenge, and I look forward to watching us respond."
On renewing the UAB-Troy series after a two-year break:
"This is the first time I've played Troy. I think it's a great game for us. I'm sure they feel the same way. I think it can become a good rivalry that we can both benefit from, and I think it's a good matchup."
On the play of UAB's defense:
"I think we've really improved there. We're making things happen, which we haven't done the previous two years, largely because we have a little better athletes than we've had in the past. We're playing two-deep at almost every spot, so we're able to keep some guys fresh. I really like the way they're playing physical, and I think that will pay dividends for us down the road."
On playing the first road game of the season:
"It'll be interesting to watch us play in someone else's house. I'm just anxious to see this team play again Saturday after what we did last Saturday."
On the team's mindset going to Troy:
"We better have a chip on our shoulder because Troy is the most talented team we've played to this point. They've won three conference championships in a row, and we're going to their house, so we better be ready to play."
On missed opportunities in the loss to SMU:
"We had opportunities and didn't cash in on them. But football is a bottom-line business, either you do it or you don't, and we didn't get it done Saturday."
Senior CB Brandon Carlisle
On the team's reaction to Saturday's loss to SMU:
"I think the team is upset as a whole. We let ourselves down, as well as the coaches. Defensively, we didn't do the things that we needed to do to get off the field and make plays. "
On SMU's offense:
"I don't think they threw anything at us that we hadn't seen before. I think we made mental mistakes and people weren't where they were supposed to be. We didn't fill those gaps and we didn't do our jobs defensively."
On facing Troy:
"I think it's going to be a good game. I went down there last time we faced Troy when I was a redshirt and it was a great atmosphere. The stadium will probably be packed and it's on TV. It's a great in-state rivalry and there is a lot on the line. I know we will be ready."
Senior C Jake Seitz
On how the team feels about Saturday's loss to SMU:
"I definitely would say that the whole team is taking it (the loss) hard. I don't know if that's something I would have been able to say in the past. I would say after Saturday's loss the whole team was upset."
On how the offense fought back against SMU:
"We had some adversity because it was a pretty awful first half. We (the offense) came out and wanted to fight our way back, and we certainly did that. But, college football is a bottom-line business and we lost. I certainly think that we can take away some good things from that game."
On moving on from the loss:
"You can't let a loss hang over you too long. You don't want it to dominate your thoughts, but you need to remember it every time you suit up and not let it happen again."
On Troy's defense:
"They do a good job of rushing the passer. They have a great front seven, probably the best we will face all year, except for maybe Ole Miss and Texas A&M."
Junior DE Derek Slaughter
On the loss to SMU:
"That game was hard because we beat ourselves. SMU didn't come out with anything that surprised us. We just came out extremely flat and not ready to play. Because of the that, time wasn't on our side in the second half and we lost."
On not being ready to play against SMU:
"Practice last week wasn't very good. We tried to pick it up at the end of the week, but Tuesday and Wednesday's practices did not go well. You practice like you play. We came out in the first half Saturday's game just like we came out in Tuesday's practice."
On facing Troy this weekend:
"This is a big game because Troy is 0-2 and they're hungry for a win. We are coming off a loss too, so we're both going to go at it and it's going to be hard. They don't want to be 0-3 and we sure don't want to be 1-2, so everybody's going to want to win."
On the best way to prepare for a road game:
"We have to focus everyday at practice and listen to everything the coaches say. The coaches have been in many road games so we need to listen to what they're telling us to do. We also just need to go out and play hard Saturday."
