The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Preview Southern Miss Matchup
11/24/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB football team closes the 2014 regular season on Saturday when the Blazers travel to Southern Miss. UAB (5-6, 3-4 C-USA) will be looking to gain bowl eligibility for the first time since the 2004 season.
Head coach Bill Clark met with members of the media on Monday to preview the matchup and recap the previous game against Marshall.
The Blazers are coming off a hard-fought loss to the No. 18 Thundering Herd on Saturday, a 23-18 contest where UAB held Marshall to its lowest point total of the season.
Saturday's game will be televised on the American Sports Network and can be seen locally in Birmingham on WABM My68. Fans may also listen on the Blazer IMG Sports Network with David Crane (play-by-play), Steve Irvine (analyst) and Sam Miller (sideline reporter) on the call.
For more information on the UAB football team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_Football). For more on all Blazer sports teams follow the official Twitter account of UAB Athletics (@UABAthletics).
Head Coach Bill Clark
Opening comments
"Going back to last week's game, we talked to the team already this morning and talked about the great effort. Moral victories are not what we are working for, but we are very proud of them for a great game. It was definitely a war, but we had to quickly turn our attention to this game (against Southern Miss). We've got a huge game this week. It's the last regular season game. For (USM), it's senior day, so it's going to be a big deal to them. It's a rivalry game. We have played these guys more than anybody in our history. Guys on our team played in Mississippi and know guys on their team and vice versa. It's a big game for us, so we had to put that one behind us as quickly as possible."
On if it's tougher to recover emotionally or physically
"I would say the emotional toll. We came back and came out of that game pretty healthy. They have had a week and a number of days off before playing us. As the game progressed, it became tougher because you look at all the what-ifs and chances to win. It's tough, but I think our guys are ready. They know what's in front of them. We talked about it immediately after the game. We had to put this one behind us as quickly as possible. We said that before we played FAU, after Arkansas. It was really not the 24-hour rule, but the 24-second rule. We had to move on immediately. I think that is their mindset. Sometimes it is harder to do than just to say it, but I think that is the plan and they are ready for it."
On using bowl eligibility as motivation
"When we came in, I probably shocked a lot of them when I said we want to win a conference championship. That was a goal. I have said that many times here. Based within that is our record and getting bowl eligible. That is a huge deal, especially given our history here. They know it. They talk about it. That's one of those things that I don't have to talk about because they are going to say it for me. It is a big deal."
On USM QB Nick Mullens
"I watched him against UTSA and he looked fine. He is a tough player. I watched him in high school. I knew his high school coach (Chip Lindsey), who is there now at Southern Miss as the offensive coordinator. He has taken some shots because he is going to sit in there and throw the ball. He doesn't run out. He makes his throws. He has taken some hits but he just keeps getting up. This guy is tough."
On Mullens having control of offense
"I'm sure that was the head coach's idea getting his coach who knows him and knows what he is all about. He is a young guy, but he was in a great offense in high school. They run the same spread style. It is probably just a really good fit for all of them."
On preparing for the unexpected
"Anytime a team has a week or even a week and a few days off, you've got a chance to see anything and that always scares me, specifically from a defensive standpoint. What are the things when you have extra time that you are going to see? There is a chance for more trick plays and there are formations that you haven't seen. Even though you say in week 12 that you have seen everything, that is always a concern for me with someone coming off an open date. Against Marshall, they had about three onside kicks and played really aggressively in that game. That's what I expect. They are going to let it all hang out."
On UAB players remembering last year's USM game
"I'm sure that is one of those things that they remember. That would probably be pretty hard to forget, especially since that was the last game of the year and a rival game. It was a big win for Southern Miss."
On Southern Miss' improvement
"They played Mississippi State before we did so I really got to watch that game. The first thing that struck me is that they are 100 percent better defensively. Their defensive line will be one of the better ones we have seen. Compared to what we just saw, they're not as big, but they are maybe even more active. They are very athletic and they play a lot of man coverage in the secondary. They are aggressive and they are going to make you earn your throws. That was what first jumped out to me. Physically, they just look so much better. And that can happen in our league. You can be right there and lose the game. Up until (Mullens) got hurt a few weeks ago, they were scoring a lot of points. Anytime you lose your quarterback that just changes things. From the first time I saw them early in the season, I thought they looked differently, specifically defensively."
