The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Meet the Press: Clark Previews C-USA Showdown at Louisiana Tech
10/1/2018 5:13:00 PM | Football
BIRMINGHAM - Traveling to Louisiana Tech for a Conference USA West Division showdown, head coach Bill Clark previewed his team's contest with the Bulldogs on Saturday night at 6 p.m. in Ruston.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
HEAD COACH BILL CLARK:
Opening Statement:
"We talked about it at the press conference on Saturday night about what an honor it was to be a part of the Mike Slive Foundation. We appreciate our foundation and our fans. It was really special to be a part of that whole process.
"It was great to get our first conference win. The school record was a big deal to us. We talked about it beforehand. We are proud of that home win streak. We are proud of our fans who make gameday what it is. I know it means a lot to our players. We had another great crowd. We are appreciative to everything that goes into it, administration, band, cheerleaders, fans. It means a lot to our players and staff, and I think it reflects how we play.
"We had a really good first half on both sides of the ball against Charlotte. Defense played well, offense got us off to a fast start. Just a really good first half. One thing we talked about was continuing that in the second half. I know our offense was disappointed in the three-and-outs in the second half. Defense played well. They really wanted that shutout and didn't get it, but had a really good overall game. The offense had a good drive at the end and scored, so that was a good pick-me-up for them.
"We've got things we have to correct going into this big game at Louisiana Tech. Obviously, they have a really good team as they always do. They had a huge win against a really good North Texas team, so we are going to have our work cut out for us. We look forward to a good week of practice."
On playing for first place:
"It is kind of our standing joke. 'What is the most important game? It's the next one.' I know that is coach talk, but every conference game is huge. For us to go on the road and play a team coming off a huge win, and us playing well, that's where you want to be. That's why we play, that's why we coach, to get to play in games like this. I don't want to water it down, other than the fact that next week we will be saying the same thing. We want to keep our heads screwed on but at the same time enjoy this. We know it is going to be a huge challenge and be happy with the fact that we are here getting this opportunity."
On having a top-five defense in pass defense and sacks per game:
"You start talking about those stats and it goes back to not giving up any points. We take a lot of pride in our defense and we had a blip on the radar which can happen in this day and age of football and now we're fixing to go up against a scoring machine. They [UAB defense] played well and they're playing good team defense which is getting off blocks and getting to the ball and tackling."
On Louisiana Tech's J'Mar Smith:
"He is really terrific and he looks like a linebacker and has got a cannon for an arm. They really vertically stretch you as much as anybody we'll see. He's throwing the ball 60-yards down the field and can just flick it. They're not scared to throw it, they will literally throw the ball down the field over and over and over because they have really talented receivers and are betting on those guys. He's very good, he's experienced and he stays alive because he is an athlete. They run him when they want too but he does look like a linebacker. He is a big strong guy with a lot of experience."
Brontae Harris - Defensive Back
On the pride the defensive takes in being top-five in pass defense:
"We take a lot of pride in our secondary, we are well prepared and we come in everyday and work hard. We don't take anything for granted as a team and as a unit. We have a lot of chemistry which allows us individually to play better."
On the pass rush that the defensive line creates:
"Our pass rush allows us to play free back there and play how we want because we know our defensive line will get there. They're top in the nation so we don't have to cover for long and that makes our job easier when guys are getting to the passer."
On going on the road versus playing at home:
"The big thing on the road is the fan base, we don't have our fans to back us up when something goes wrong. We have to come together and really be a team on the road because we don't have our fan base behind us, everybody is against us. We have to come together and every problem we have to fix as a team."
On trying to stop Louisiana Tech's quarterback J'Mar Smith:
"Like a lot of the other quarterbacks, he is good with both the run and the pass. He can throw the ball extremely well and he can also run. Our pass lanes have to be filled by our defensive line and we have to have integrity to cover our man the whole time, knowing that eventually our line will get there. We have to be prepared up front and on the back end."
Malique Johnson - Offensive Line
On the confidence the offensive line has running the ball:
"Honestly, I think you have to bring some swagger to it, you can't go into the game nervous or hoping they don't run a certain type of defense. You just have to come in and whatever they give us you have to have that mindset of we're still going to move the ball."
On the importance of imposing their will early in the game:
"I think it's the mindset we take into every game whether it's at home or away. We have to jump on it quick and keep scoring."
On Spencer Brown:
"Spencer is a young mature guy, I really like him. When you first meet him he comes off as a quiet humble kid but he is really confident and that's what I like about him. He'll run hard and try to run through you."
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
- Both teams enter the game at 3-1 overall and 1-0 in Conference USA. The winner of Saturday's game will control their own destiny in the C-USA West Division title race. UAB is coming off a 28-7 victory over Charlotte, while Louisiana Tech registered an impressive 29-27 victory at North Texas.
- The Blazers boast impressive national defensive ranks. UAB is third nationally in passing yards allowed (141.0/game), and ranks fourth in the country in sacks per game (3.75). UAB has 11 sacks in its last two games.
- A.J. Erdely was 13-of-16 for 214 yards, a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown against Charlotte. In the process, Erdely moved into fourth place on UAB's all-time list for career touchdowns with 36. He now has 20 career passing touchdowns and 16 rushing touchdowns.
HEAD COACH BILL CLARK:
Opening Statement:
"We talked about it at the press conference on Saturday night about what an honor it was to be a part of the Mike Slive Foundation. We appreciate our foundation and our fans. It was really special to be a part of that whole process.
"It was great to get our first conference win. The school record was a big deal to us. We talked about it beforehand. We are proud of that home win streak. We are proud of our fans who make gameday what it is. I know it means a lot to our players. We had another great crowd. We are appreciative to everything that goes into it, administration, band, cheerleaders, fans. It means a lot to our players and staff, and I think it reflects how we play.
"We had a really good first half on both sides of the ball against Charlotte. Defense played well, offense got us off to a fast start. Just a really good first half. One thing we talked about was continuing that in the second half. I know our offense was disappointed in the three-and-outs in the second half. Defense played well. They really wanted that shutout and didn't get it, but had a really good overall game. The offense had a good drive at the end and scored, so that was a good pick-me-up for them.
"We've got things we have to correct going into this big game at Louisiana Tech. Obviously, they have a really good team as they always do. They had a huge win against a really good North Texas team, so we are going to have our work cut out for us. We look forward to a good week of practice."
On playing for first place:
"It is kind of our standing joke. 'What is the most important game? It's the next one.' I know that is coach talk, but every conference game is huge. For us to go on the road and play a team coming off a huge win, and us playing well, that's where you want to be. That's why we play, that's why we coach, to get to play in games like this. I don't want to water it down, other than the fact that next week we will be saying the same thing. We want to keep our heads screwed on but at the same time enjoy this. We know it is going to be a huge challenge and be happy with the fact that we are here getting this opportunity."
On having a top-five defense in pass defense and sacks per game:
"You start talking about those stats and it goes back to not giving up any points. We take a lot of pride in our defense and we had a blip on the radar which can happen in this day and age of football and now we're fixing to go up against a scoring machine. They [UAB defense] played well and they're playing good team defense which is getting off blocks and getting to the ball and tackling."
On Louisiana Tech's J'Mar Smith:
"He is really terrific and he looks like a linebacker and has got a cannon for an arm. They really vertically stretch you as much as anybody we'll see. He's throwing the ball 60-yards down the field and can just flick it. They're not scared to throw it, they will literally throw the ball down the field over and over and over because they have really talented receivers and are betting on those guys. He's very good, he's experienced and he stays alive because he is an athlete. They run him when they want too but he does look like a linebacker. He is a big strong guy with a lot of experience."
Brontae Harris - Defensive Back
On the pride the defensive takes in being top-five in pass defense:
"We take a lot of pride in our secondary, we are well prepared and we come in everyday and work hard. We don't take anything for granted as a team and as a unit. We have a lot of chemistry which allows us individually to play better."
On the pass rush that the defensive line creates:
"Our pass rush allows us to play free back there and play how we want because we know our defensive line will get there. They're top in the nation so we don't have to cover for long and that makes our job easier when guys are getting to the passer."
On going on the road versus playing at home:
"The big thing on the road is the fan base, we don't have our fans to back us up when something goes wrong. We have to come together and really be a team on the road because we don't have our fan base behind us, everybody is against us. We have to come together and every problem we have to fix as a team."
On trying to stop Louisiana Tech's quarterback J'Mar Smith:
"Like a lot of the other quarterbacks, he is good with both the run and the pass. He can throw the ball extremely well and he can also run. Our pass lanes have to be filled by our defensive line and we have to have integrity to cover our man the whole time, knowing that eventually our line will get there. We have to be prepared up front and on the back end."
Malique Johnson - Offensive Line
On the confidence the offensive line has running the ball:
"Honestly, I think you have to bring some swagger to it, you can't go into the game nervous or hoping they don't run a certain type of defense. You just have to come in and whatever they give us you have to have that mindset of we're still going to move the ball."
On the importance of imposing their will early in the game:
"I think it's the mindset we take into every game whether it's at home or away. We have to jump on it quick and keep scoring."
On Spencer Brown:
"Spencer is a young mature guy, I really like him. When you first meet him he comes off as a quiet humble kid but he is really confident and that's what I like about him. He'll run hard and try to run through you."
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
CB
/ Football
OL
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