The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
No. 25 UAB Travels to Texas A&M for Final Non-Conference Game
11/12/2018 4:37:00 PM | Football
BIRMINGHAM - The No. 25 UAB football team carries an eight-game winning streak into its final non-conference game of the season as the Blazers travel to College Station to play Texas A&M on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN2.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
Opening Statement:
"We talked about, coming into the week against Southern Miss, it was a bunch of things rolled into one. The next game, Senior Day, a home game, the home winning streak and the added flavor of a chance to win the West, clinch that and get it behind us. There were all kinds of things on the line. There was no doubt that Southern Miss was going to come out ready to play. We knew the whole time that they had a great team and a great defense. It was a rivalry game and all of the above. I guess it lived up to all the expectations. Give them credit. They started fast. From our opening kickoff, we had a mistake there. It was a combination of them playing well and us not starting too well. We got behind but we fought back and got the game close at halftime. We really came out the second half and, I thought, looked a lot more like us. We had a chance to put the game away 20-13 but could not. Once again, give them credit. They came back and tied it up and the rest is history. We go into overtime and the defense comes out and holds them. I think that's the first coin toss we've won since Coastal Carolina, which has been working out pretty good. We won it and chose to go on defense. We got a three-and-out and were able to hold them to a field goal. There was not much question that we were going to run the ball in that situation. We put it in Spencer's hands and the rest is history. It's a great feeling. I'm so proud for the players, coaches, our staff, the community and all the people that fought so hard just to give us this opportunity. It really is that sweet. It really is that good. Of course, it doesn't slow us down from how hard we're going to work. We know what is in front of us. Having to go to Texas A&M, we know how well they're playing and what kind of team they've got. They're in the SEC and all of the above. We want to come back the next week against a really good Middle Tennessee team at their place. We're going to try to secure home field advantage for the conference championship game. We have plenty of time to look forward to that. Right now, our focus is on Texas A&M and getting ready for that game."
On the offensive game plan for Texas A&M with their safety out for the first half:
"Both teams constantly are looking for matchups. What's their strength against what they may perceive is a weakness for us? I don't know how much that plays in to every decision we make. We're going to look at every matchup and see where we think we can gain an advantage. I really don't know much about his backup but that is something we would be aware of. They're always aware of our injuries and what might be a weakness for us."
On celebrating after the Southern Miss game:
"I like to relate it to Christmas. When you wake up the day after Christmas, it's December 26. When I wake up on Sunday, it's Texas A&M. It was just a great feeling. I was so happy for all of our people. The stories of people who were crying in the press box and in the stands. The true joy of our players on the field. It was just a great night. I relished every minute of it. I probably got two or three hours of sleep. I think I was in here at 5 a.m. again, which is my normal routine. It was a great night."
On winning a game with championship implications:
"Your stomach is in a knot every second of the game. There were so many ebbs and flows. Everything could go against us. We turned the ball over three times. We had a mistake on a kickoff return. I don't know if I've ever had that with a veteran returner. We were looking at it this morning. The ball was headed right toward him and took a hop toward the sideline. He was in the motion of getting it. It reminded me a lot of Coastal Carolina but it was 100 percent different. Our attitude, our positive energy on the sideline: A.J. (Erdely) was over there encouraging us and getting Tyler (Johnston III) going. People were pulling for each other. That's the difference in where we were then and where we are now. When we knew we were going into overtime, it felt like everybody on our sideline knew we were going to win. That's no knock to those guys because they played a great game against us. It doesn't get much better than that, to win it in that fashion if you can survive it. It was pretty cool."
Linebacker Fitzgerald Mofor
On the feeling after winning the game:
"It was probably one of the best feelings that I've had in a long time. For me, personally, it is the first championship that I've ever won on any level. It was a great experience and something that I will probably remember for the rest of my life."
On preparing for upcoming games:
"There's never a feeling that we are complacent or that we have arrived. There's never that feeling because we still have three games left. The plan is always to win as many games as we can. We never feel like we've arrived."
Kicker Nick Vogel
On the experience of winning a division title:
"It's been a heck of a ride. When the program closed, I went to Southern Miss. It was also a sweet feeling, beating Southern Miss. When I came back, these were the kind of things I was expecting. I knew the kind of coach that Coach Clark was. He was part of the reason that I came back. I fully believed in him to bring us to this point. It took us two years, which is way shorter than anyone would've guessed, but we're here and happy to be here."
On the differences in the program before and after the return:
"It's night and day. While it's painful to go through, the support is really night and day. Back in 2014, there really wasn't that much support. There weren't really many people paying attention. The crowds weren't the same. Ever since we came back, it's been insane. The crowds are way bigger, obviously. There's been a lot more fan support. I even have people come up to me when I eat at restaurants and say hello. There's a lot of people taking notes and watching. People know who UAB is. When I go back home to Jacksonville, Fla., people know who the team is. They know the name. It's more of a national stage for us."
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
- UAB entered the Amway Coaches Poll at No. 25 this week. It is the second time in program history the Blazers have been in the Top-25, and the first time ever in the Coaches Poll. The Blazers were ranked No. 24 in 2004 when the initial BCS rankings of that season were revealed on Oct. 16.
- The Blazers were dominant in the second half and overtime against Southern Miss and clinched the C-USA West Division with a 26-23 victory. UAB allowed just 29 yards of total offense in the second half and OT, and overall, Southern Miss finished with just five rushing yards. UAB had seven sacks and 13 TFL. Tre' Crawford had three of those sacks and is the reigning C-USA Defensive Player of the Week.
- UAB leads the nation in sacks (38) and set the new school record for single season sacks last week. The Blazers also lead the nation in third down (.242) and fourth down defense (.214), while ranking third nationally in total defense (260.7), fourth in scoring defense (13.2) and passing yards allowed (153.8) and fifth in tackles for loss per game (8.5).
Opening Statement:
"We talked about, coming into the week against Southern Miss, it was a bunch of things rolled into one. The next game, Senior Day, a home game, the home winning streak and the added flavor of a chance to win the West, clinch that and get it behind us. There were all kinds of things on the line. There was no doubt that Southern Miss was going to come out ready to play. We knew the whole time that they had a great team and a great defense. It was a rivalry game and all of the above. I guess it lived up to all the expectations. Give them credit. They started fast. From our opening kickoff, we had a mistake there. It was a combination of them playing well and us not starting too well. We got behind but we fought back and got the game close at halftime. We really came out the second half and, I thought, looked a lot more like us. We had a chance to put the game away 20-13 but could not. Once again, give them credit. They came back and tied it up and the rest is history. We go into overtime and the defense comes out and holds them. I think that's the first coin toss we've won since Coastal Carolina, which has been working out pretty good. We won it and chose to go on defense. We got a three-and-out and were able to hold them to a field goal. There was not much question that we were going to run the ball in that situation. We put it in Spencer's hands and the rest is history. It's a great feeling. I'm so proud for the players, coaches, our staff, the community and all the people that fought so hard just to give us this opportunity. It really is that sweet. It really is that good. Of course, it doesn't slow us down from how hard we're going to work. We know what is in front of us. Having to go to Texas A&M, we know how well they're playing and what kind of team they've got. They're in the SEC and all of the above. We want to come back the next week against a really good Middle Tennessee team at their place. We're going to try to secure home field advantage for the conference championship game. We have plenty of time to look forward to that. Right now, our focus is on Texas A&M and getting ready for that game."
On the offensive game plan for Texas A&M with their safety out for the first half:
"Both teams constantly are looking for matchups. What's their strength against what they may perceive is a weakness for us? I don't know how much that plays in to every decision we make. We're going to look at every matchup and see where we think we can gain an advantage. I really don't know much about his backup but that is something we would be aware of. They're always aware of our injuries and what might be a weakness for us."
On celebrating after the Southern Miss game:
"I like to relate it to Christmas. When you wake up the day after Christmas, it's December 26. When I wake up on Sunday, it's Texas A&M. It was just a great feeling. I was so happy for all of our people. The stories of people who were crying in the press box and in the stands. The true joy of our players on the field. It was just a great night. I relished every minute of it. I probably got two or three hours of sleep. I think I was in here at 5 a.m. again, which is my normal routine. It was a great night."
On winning a game with championship implications:
"Your stomach is in a knot every second of the game. There were so many ebbs and flows. Everything could go against us. We turned the ball over three times. We had a mistake on a kickoff return. I don't know if I've ever had that with a veteran returner. We were looking at it this morning. The ball was headed right toward him and took a hop toward the sideline. He was in the motion of getting it. It reminded me a lot of Coastal Carolina but it was 100 percent different. Our attitude, our positive energy on the sideline: A.J. (Erdely) was over there encouraging us and getting Tyler (Johnston III) going. People were pulling for each other. That's the difference in where we were then and where we are now. When we knew we were going into overtime, it felt like everybody on our sideline knew we were going to win. That's no knock to those guys because they played a great game against us. It doesn't get much better than that, to win it in that fashion if you can survive it. It was pretty cool."
Linebacker Fitzgerald Mofor
On the feeling after winning the game:
"It was probably one of the best feelings that I've had in a long time. For me, personally, it is the first championship that I've ever won on any level. It was a great experience and something that I will probably remember for the rest of my life."
On preparing for upcoming games:
"There's never a feeling that we are complacent or that we have arrived. There's never that feeling because we still have three games left. The plan is always to win as many games as we can. We never feel like we've arrived."
Kicker Nick Vogel
On the experience of winning a division title:
"It's been a heck of a ride. When the program closed, I went to Southern Miss. It was also a sweet feeling, beating Southern Miss. When I came back, these were the kind of things I was expecting. I knew the kind of coach that Coach Clark was. He was part of the reason that I came back. I fully believed in him to bring us to this point. It took us two years, which is way shorter than anyone would've guessed, but we're here and happy to be here."
On the differences in the program before and after the return:
"It's night and day. While it's painful to go through, the support is really night and day. Back in 2014, there really wasn't that much support. There weren't really many people paying attention. The crowds weren't the same. Ever since we came back, it's been insane. The crowds are way bigger, obviously. There's been a lot more fan support. I even have people come up to me when I eat at restaurants and say hello. There's a lot of people taking notes and watching. People know who UAB is. When I go back home to Jacksonville, Fla., people know who the team is. They know the name. It's more of a national stage for us."
Players Mentioned
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