The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Meet the Press: Bill Clark Press Conference Transcription
8/28/2017 4:22:00 PM | Football
Opening Statement:
"We've had a lot of time to talk previously about all the great things that have happened here and with the return, the countdown clock, bringing this thing back and now its game week. That's a different mode for us around here than we've been in a long time. We're excited for all the different things going on at our school and our community and at the stadium.
"We got to go over to Legion on Saturday and had our last scrimmage and it was the best I've ever seen it. There is a lot of excitement going on. "We've got the concert on Friday night and a lot of things leading up to it, but with all that said, we've got to do our job and prepare for this game.
"I think we've had a really good camp, relatively injury free and I think everybody is going to come into this game in pretty good shape. It's a big week for us getting prepared and seeing what a real game week looks like. We started school today so there is always an adjustment there, the reason we are here is to get a degree. We want our guys to go in and have a great week with class and get into a routine with going to class and tutors and study hall. We'll see how we handle that and hopefully we do a good job with that.
"All in all, I thought we had a pretty good camp and I'm pleased with the guys up to this point and we'll see how this week goes."
On the difference between gameday and a scrimmage:
"I think we try to make things as game like as possible but there is no way to truly simulate a game. The urgency, energy and knowing that this one really counts. For football, there is no we'll come back and see you at your place or we'll get them at home or a conference tournament. It's a one-time shot usually. Almost in every occasion you only get one chance and we do keep up with this game forever. That video will be replayed over and over and that's how we want to approach it. Hopefully our guys have seen that's kind of the urgency we create in practice as much as we possibly can. We haven't played a game in a while so we'll see how we react but I think we've done a good job simulating."
On how you push away the distraction of the return and focus on football:
"I think for us it looks like a Monday morning meeting I've had for years and years, I'm more concerned with school starting. That is a different dynamic but we've meet on that and talked about academics but I think for us we've got to be about the business of playing football. Letting the fans be fans and I'm excited about that, it's a big deal for us. I'm excited but we've got to do our jobs."
On handling the hype:
"We've been talking about it for so long and people ask us over and over how we get these guys ready and I think we've pointed to this week. It's coming and that clock is ticking and while it has seemed like forever it'll be here before we know it. We make the most of our time and now here it is and I think it is an enjoyment for our guys, this is what they have been working for. It's just being in the moment and getting our job done, we've just got to stay focused on the job at hand. As we say, if we're playing in a parking lot or in a stadium full of people, it should be the same to us. We want them to enjoy the history and know that this is something they can look back on and will be a special moment.
On the sense of relief once Saturday is over:
"There is going to be relief once the ball is kicked off, when that game is over we'll be getting ready for game two. What I don't want us to lose is how important this is for our school and our community. Hopefully our community feels that sense of, we need you, we need you week three and every week after that. We need you but for me it'll be good to just be in a routine."
On if it has hit personally that the season is finally here:
"I think so; it has been game week to me for a while. We've done this so many times that I know it's coming and as I've said before, I don't know how a coach could get very arrogant when every Saturday you go and get your oil checked. You come back to reality every single week so I've tried not to forget that and hopefully our players and coaches feel that way too."
On what it'll be like to have game tape to look at:
"It's going to be great for us, for me when our coaches are writing up a synopsis of what that scrimmage looked like and now we finally have a game to look at. We're ready to play somebody else."
On how much sleep he'll get on Friday night:
"Historically I sleep pretty good the night before because the hay is already in the barn but I'm always going to wake up early. I don't know, I hope it'll feel like another game but obviously we've got some things going on the night before and as great as that is we don't need to let it distract us."
On if there is any additional pressure to put on a good show for the fans:
"No doubt, I put a lot of pressure on myself just for these guys and all the people we represent but I don't want them to feel that pressure. I want to be the one feeling it and hopefully they can just go out and play. We put a lot of pressure on them in practice just so it'll feel like a game. We talk all the time about making practice as close to a game as we can, hopefully they are saying the game isn't as hard a practice. You cannot simulate knowing that every single play counts but that's what we try to do."
On having a lot of or's on the depth chart:
"I think it's a testament to our depth and the number of guys that have come here to play. I think we've got that and I think the way football has changed with the number of snaps is really good for players. If you handle it the right way that or is a real or. Let's just use 80 snaps in a game now where it used to be 60. I don't know that we'll get to 80 but that's 40 snaps apiece. You're really creating more opportunity for people to play, that's really good for our players and makes people feel like they really are getting to play. It's not indecision, both of these guys are going to play, you just happen to be the one that gets to go out first."
On what they'll see out of Alabama A&M:
"We played them in the past in '14 and I explained that to the players that we came off a really good game against Troy and lose to Mississippi State who ends up being number one in the country for several weeks and I thought we played our tails off that game and come back against Alabama A&M and they've got us down 14-0. Let's not forget that those guys came in and gave us everything we wanted. Those guys are going to play their tails off, they play in our stadium, they are from here and they are tired of hearing about us as probably a lot of other people are. We need to come in 100 percent ready.
"They're going to start a freshman quarterback who was hot and was recruited by FIU which is somebody right out of our league and he throws the ball all over the yard which is a little different from the guy they played with before. He was a little bit of a runner/thrower and he may be a thrower/runner and granted they could come back in with another quarterback. They have a tailback that was the SWAC running back of the year last year and we recruited him and almost took him. You start looking at them matching up at receiver, they've got big guys that can run and defensively their coach Pearson does a great job. He was at South Alabama and we're going to expect a great game from these guys, a great game and they're going to have a great crowd and they'll probably feel like it's a home game for them as well."
On how good it felt to get asked a question about an opponent:
"It felt pretty good, hopefully I'll feel that same way after the game."
On how Legion Field looks:
"It looks great and I told the guys that work there that. The mayor told me it would look good and promised that it would. From the Blazer on the field to the way its painted to the surrounding area, it just looks great. Obviously they're proud of it and have put a lot of time into it and I'd heard that but when we went over there Saturday it was a different sense from our guys. They felt like it was gameday and so did I. Our video board is great, we got to see some things that will be played during the game and heard the pregame music. They've done a really good job and people will be proud of it.
On if the team will be at the concert Friday night:
"We will make an appearance, if they can keep on the schedule they promised. We will stay up a little bit later for this, it's a special event but I'll just go ahead and tell everybody, we won't be there long. We'll make an appearance and then we'll be getting to bed."
"We've had a lot of time to talk previously about all the great things that have happened here and with the return, the countdown clock, bringing this thing back and now its game week. That's a different mode for us around here than we've been in a long time. We're excited for all the different things going on at our school and our community and at the stadium.
"We got to go over to Legion on Saturday and had our last scrimmage and it was the best I've ever seen it. There is a lot of excitement going on. "We've got the concert on Friday night and a lot of things leading up to it, but with all that said, we've got to do our job and prepare for this game.
"I think we've had a really good camp, relatively injury free and I think everybody is going to come into this game in pretty good shape. It's a big week for us getting prepared and seeing what a real game week looks like. We started school today so there is always an adjustment there, the reason we are here is to get a degree. We want our guys to go in and have a great week with class and get into a routine with going to class and tutors and study hall. We'll see how we handle that and hopefully we do a good job with that.
"All in all, I thought we had a pretty good camp and I'm pleased with the guys up to this point and we'll see how this week goes."
On the difference between gameday and a scrimmage:
"I think we try to make things as game like as possible but there is no way to truly simulate a game. The urgency, energy and knowing that this one really counts. For football, there is no we'll come back and see you at your place or we'll get them at home or a conference tournament. It's a one-time shot usually. Almost in every occasion you only get one chance and we do keep up with this game forever. That video will be replayed over and over and that's how we want to approach it. Hopefully our guys have seen that's kind of the urgency we create in practice as much as we possibly can. We haven't played a game in a while so we'll see how we react but I think we've done a good job simulating."
On how you push away the distraction of the return and focus on football:
"I think for us it looks like a Monday morning meeting I've had for years and years, I'm more concerned with school starting. That is a different dynamic but we've meet on that and talked about academics but I think for us we've got to be about the business of playing football. Letting the fans be fans and I'm excited about that, it's a big deal for us. I'm excited but we've got to do our jobs."
On handling the hype:
"We've been talking about it for so long and people ask us over and over how we get these guys ready and I think we've pointed to this week. It's coming and that clock is ticking and while it has seemed like forever it'll be here before we know it. We make the most of our time and now here it is and I think it is an enjoyment for our guys, this is what they have been working for. It's just being in the moment and getting our job done, we've just got to stay focused on the job at hand. As we say, if we're playing in a parking lot or in a stadium full of people, it should be the same to us. We want them to enjoy the history and know that this is something they can look back on and will be a special moment.
On the sense of relief once Saturday is over:
"There is going to be relief once the ball is kicked off, when that game is over we'll be getting ready for game two. What I don't want us to lose is how important this is for our school and our community. Hopefully our community feels that sense of, we need you, we need you week three and every week after that. We need you but for me it'll be good to just be in a routine."
On if it has hit personally that the season is finally here:
"I think so; it has been game week to me for a while. We've done this so many times that I know it's coming and as I've said before, I don't know how a coach could get very arrogant when every Saturday you go and get your oil checked. You come back to reality every single week so I've tried not to forget that and hopefully our players and coaches feel that way too."
On what it'll be like to have game tape to look at:
"It's going to be great for us, for me when our coaches are writing up a synopsis of what that scrimmage looked like and now we finally have a game to look at. We're ready to play somebody else."
On how much sleep he'll get on Friday night:
"Historically I sleep pretty good the night before because the hay is already in the barn but I'm always going to wake up early. I don't know, I hope it'll feel like another game but obviously we've got some things going on the night before and as great as that is we don't need to let it distract us."
On if there is any additional pressure to put on a good show for the fans:
"No doubt, I put a lot of pressure on myself just for these guys and all the people we represent but I don't want them to feel that pressure. I want to be the one feeling it and hopefully they can just go out and play. We put a lot of pressure on them in practice just so it'll feel like a game. We talk all the time about making practice as close to a game as we can, hopefully they are saying the game isn't as hard a practice. You cannot simulate knowing that every single play counts but that's what we try to do."
On having a lot of or's on the depth chart:
"I think it's a testament to our depth and the number of guys that have come here to play. I think we've got that and I think the way football has changed with the number of snaps is really good for players. If you handle it the right way that or is a real or. Let's just use 80 snaps in a game now where it used to be 60. I don't know that we'll get to 80 but that's 40 snaps apiece. You're really creating more opportunity for people to play, that's really good for our players and makes people feel like they really are getting to play. It's not indecision, both of these guys are going to play, you just happen to be the one that gets to go out first."
On what they'll see out of Alabama A&M:
"We played them in the past in '14 and I explained that to the players that we came off a really good game against Troy and lose to Mississippi State who ends up being number one in the country for several weeks and I thought we played our tails off that game and come back against Alabama A&M and they've got us down 14-0. Let's not forget that those guys came in and gave us everything we wanted. Those guys are going to play their tails off, they play in our stadium, they are from here and they are tired of hearing about us as probably a lot of other people are. We need to come in 100 percent ready.
"They're going to start a freshman quarterback who was hot and was recruited by FIU which is somebody right out of our league and he throws the ball all over the yard which is a little different from the guy they played with before. He was a little bit of a runner/thrower and he may be a thrower/runner and granted they could come back in with another quarterback. They have a tailback that was the SWAC running back of the year last year and we recruited him and almost took him. You start looking at them matching up at receiver, they've got big guys that can run and defensively their coach Pearson does a great job. He was at South Alabama and we're going to expect a great game from these guys, a great game and they're going to have a great crowd and they'll probably feel like it's a home game for them as well."
On how good it felt to get asked a question about an opponent:
"It felt pretty good, hopefully I'll feel that same way after the game."
On how Legion Field looks:
"It looks great and I told the guys that work there that. The mayor told me it would look good and promised that it would. From the Blazer on the field to the way its painted to the surrounding area, it just looks great. Obviously they're proud of it and have put a lot of time into it and I'd heard that but when we went over there Saturday it was a different sense from our guys. They felt like it was gameday and so did I. Our video board is great, we got to see some things that will be played during the game and heard the pregame music. They've done a really good job and people will be proud of it.
On if the team will be at the concert Friday night:
"We will make an appearance, if they can keep on the schedule they promised. We will stay up a little bit later for this, it's a special event but I'll just go ahead and tell everybody, we won't be there long. We'll make an appearance and then we'll be getting to bed."
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