The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Bill Clark Previews the Upcoming Charlotte Game
9/24/2018 5:16:00β―PM | Football
BIRMINGHAM β Coming off its bye week, the UAB football team returns to Legion Field this Saturday to host Charlotte at 6 p.m. on ESPN3.
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STORYLINES:
Head Coach Bill Clark
Opening Statement:
"We had the press conference a couple of weeks ago about the Mike Slive Foundation and our football foundation and our team being involved with this process. We feel honored to be part of that. Our foundation stepped up and made a $25,000 pledge to the Mike Slive Foundation. This will be a chance for our fans and supporters to match that. I am looking forward to that.
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"Our bye week came pretty early. It was a good chance to get some guys healthy and get out on the road recruiting. We should come into this game pretty healthy. I think every bye week is good for coaches and players and obviously it helps with recruiting. Charlotte is 2-2 and came off a tough loss against UMass. They really thought going into that game that they were going to win that game. They had some things happen to them early in that game in special teams that got them a little bit behind, but they kept playing and kept fighting. They are a quality opponent. It's the first conference game for us and obviously playing at home is a big deal. Coach Lambert and those guys are doing a good job. He has two new coordinators that makes them different from what we saw last year, both offensively and defensively. We are looking forward to a big challenge."
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On the early bye week:
"From a recruiting standpoint, it was good to get the guys out on the road. We practiced through Wednesday. Some people practice until Thursday, but I always practice until Wednesday so we can get out Wednesday night and get on the road. That was a benefit. We did have a few guys that were banged up from the last game, so that let them get well. I don't know that there is a bad time to get that break. But, now we are on a nine-game stretch. We are going to have to be blessed to be injury free as we work our way through the rest of the season. We had some guys that had a few little things that they were able to get healed up so everyone should be fresh for this conference run."
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On focus out of the bye week:
"I think that is always the question and did we get better last week. Time will tell on that. We went into it with the right frame of me. These kids do not have a chance to get home and see family very often, so hopefully that is what they did. They all came back in yesterday, it was a voluntary day, so hopefully we are in good shape."
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On comparing wins and losses:
"You cannot compare scores. I think we all want to compare scores. They beat a well-coached Old Dominion team and then Old Dominion goes and beats a good Virginia Tech team. I think that should tell our players that last year is an indicator of why we don't look at scores or records. It will be a good game against a good opponent. To that point, we will be plenty motivated knowing who we are playing against."
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On motivation after last year's Charlotte loss:
"There is always those things to look back at. I guess somebody who would say that is not the case, I just don't think that is true. As we say in college football, everybody wants to win and every game is important. Every game is a big deal because there are not that many of them. Maybe it is a little extra motivation and maybe that is an offseason thing. We are probably both in the same boat. Anytime you come off a loss, it does not get much worse than that. That is how they are feeling now. The only way to fix that is to go and get a win and get the bad taste out of your mouth. Of course, any conference game is a huge game."
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On the strength of Conference USA:
"I have said this since 2014 of what a good league we are in. How well coached this league is. It is innovative. There is not a ton of difference in any of the teams in the league. The problem when you play some of these other teams is depth. I think that is always the question, 'How much more depth to they have than we do.' But this league is very capable. It is very well coached and there is not a lot separating us from anyone else in the country other than depth. When we have to go to these big home venues for other teams, it is tough. That's what happens to the non-Power 5 teams. For Old Dominion to get Virginia Tech at their place, that just tells you home field is a big deal. From watching their game, you saw the energy and motivation. That was a big deal. That tells you energy and motivation is huge in every game. You can't discount that factor."
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STORYLINES:
- UAB is 8-0 at home since its return to the playing field and looks to set the school record for longest home winning streak on Saturday.
- Led by the league's leading rusher Spencer Brown, UAB boasts C-USA's top rushing offense and the nation's eighth-ranked ground attack. The Blazers are averaging 280.0 yards per game on the ground, while Brown is averaing 99.0/game.
- The Blazers will honor the late Mike Slive against Charlotte to culminate Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Bill Clark and the UAB Athletics Foundation Board members have donated $25,000 and are challenging the city of Birmingham to match that with an on-field check presentation during the game. Fans can click here to make a donation.
Head Coach Bill Clark
Opening Statement:
"We had the press conference a couple of weeks ago about the Mike Slive Foundation and our football foundation and our team being involved with this process. We feel honored to be part of that. Our foundation stepped up and made a $25,000 pledge to the Mike Slive Foundation. This will be a chance for our fans and supporters to match that. I am looking forward to that.
Β
"Our bye week came pretty early. It was a good chance to get some guys healthy and get out on the road recruiting. We should come into this game pretty healthy. I think every bye week is good for coaches and players and obviously it helps with recruiting. Charlotte is 2-2 and came off a tough loss against UMass. They really thought going into that game that they were going to win that game. They had some things happen to them early in that game in special teams that got them a little bit behind, but they kept playing and kept fighting. They are a quality opponent. It's the first conference game for us and obviously playing at home is a big deal. Coach Lambert and those guys are doing a good job. He has two new coordinators that makes them different from what we saw last year, both offensively and defensively. We are looking forward to a big challenge."
Β
On the early bye week:
"From a recruiting standpoint, it was good to get the guys out on the road. We practiced through Wednesday. Some people practice until Thursday, but I always practice until Wednesday so we can get out Wednesday night and get on the road. That was a benefit. We did have a few guys that were banged up from the last game, so that let them get well. I don't know that there is a bad time to get that break. But, now we are on a nine-game stretch. We are going to have to be blessed to be injury free as we work our way through the rest of the season. We had some guys that had a few little things that they were able to get healed up so everyone should be fresh for this conference run."
Β
On focus out of the bye week:
"I think that is always the question and did we get better last week. Time will tell on that. We went into it with the right frame of me. These kids do not have a chance to get home and see family very often, so hopefully that is what they did. They all came back in yesterday, it was a voluntary day, so hopefully we are in good shape."
Β
On comparing wins and losses:
"You cannot compare scores. I think we all want to compare scores. They beat a well-coached Old Dominion team and then Old Dominion goes and beats a good Virginia Tech team. I think that should tell our players that last year is an indicator of why we don't look at scores or records. It will be a good game against a good opponent. To that point, we will be plenty motivated knowing who we are playing against."
Β
On motivation after last year's Charlotte loss:
"There is always those things to look back at. I guess somebody who would say that is not the case, I just don't think that is true. As we say in college football, everybody wants to win and every game is important. Every game is a big deal because there are not that many of them. Maybe it is a little extra motivation and maybe that is an offseason thing. We are probably both in the same boat. Anytime you come off a loss, it does not get much worse than that. That is how they are feeling now. The only way to fix that is to go and get a win and get the bad taste out of your mouth. Of course, any conference game is a huge game."
Β
On the strength of Conference USA:
"I have said this since 2014 of what a good league we are in. How well coached this league is. It is innovative. There is not a ton of difference in any of the teams in the league. The problem when you play some of these other teams is depth. I think that is always the question, 'How much more depth to they have than we do.' But this league is very capable. It is very well coached and there is not a lot separating us from anyone else in the country other than depth. When we have to go to these big home venues for other teams, it is tough. That's what happens to the non-Power 5 teams. For Old Dominion to get Virginia Tech at their place, that just tells you home field is a big deal. From watching their game, you saw the energy and motivation. That was a big deal. That tells you energy and motivation is huge in every game. You can't discount that factor."
Players Mentioned
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