The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Must Win Situation: UAB Concludes Regular Season at North Texas
11/25/2019 4:49:00 PM | Football
BIRMINGHAM– Facing a must-win situation, the UAB football team concludes the regular season this Saturday, Nov. 30, at North Texas. Kickoff from Apogee Stadium is set for 3 p.m. CST on Stadium and can be seen locally on MY 68.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
Opening statement:
"We had a team meeting this morning. It was just great to come in and see our guys after such a big win. What a great way to finish off the career for our seniors at home. Undefeated three straight years against a really good Louisiana Tech team. It was a battle, a really physical game that came down to the wire like we thought it would. You got to see a lot of things in that game. You got to see a lot of good defensive play. You got to see some explosive offensive plays and special teams play. All in all, just a really good game. It was probably better from a fan's standpoint than a coach's standpoint, but I'm really proud of our guys and how they fought, played together and played for each other. I'm really excited to be sitting right here. That's been our thing. Just stay the course and keep working and believing in each other, and we'll have a chance at the end. Here we are this last week with a chance to maybe play in the championship game, which is how we break it down every day - on champs. That's our ultimate goal. Obviously the bowl eligibility in confirming that eighth win is a big deal, but having a chance to play in that championship is huge. North Texas is a team that was picked to maybe win it this year. Obviously, with Mason Fine and Coach Littrell, what a great job they've done. I know they're disappointed in their season this year, which I told the players, 'This will be their bowl game, their seniors' last game and their last home game.' Every emotion we had last week, they're probably going to have that and more. We're going to expect every bit of their best. We're talking about a team that's scoring about 33 points a game with what I think is a good defense. They've had some situations throughout the year where their quarterback has gotten hurt. We know what that's like and how it affects you, so we're going to play a good team. They lost a tough one last week to a Rice team who I've said all year is good, but have now won two in a row. We have a battle ahead of us."
On the use of six offensive lineman sets:
"I told Coach Vincent I wanted to do that this summer. We were planning on doing it. That was something we were really saving for week two. We had worked on it. It was ready, and then we lose (David) Galten. All of a sudden, it throws everything. Then Lee (Dufour) gets hurt, so now all of a sudden, we're scrambling. Now we're just starting to get our O-line back together. As I told you before, the worst thing sometimes becomes the best thing because now we've actually got depth there. We get to play guys who are having a good week. It gets to be some competition in there. Being able to take an extra lineman and put him in there as a tight end is really good for the run game as you know."
On having a deep offensive line:
"I think it's one of those things where you really want a good run surface and can still have three receivers, so there are a lot of things you can do with it. It's just another way to run the ball. We did some things where we'd protect with him and release our back out, so you can get very creative with it."
On focusing on the current game:
"I think you saw that last week. I know I didn't really know what was going on. That's exactly what we have to do. All we can take care of is what we've got in front of us. If the thing ends up in a three-way tie, we'll just have to look at that when it happens. All we can do is go play our best, win this game and see what happens."
On extra preparation for North Texas' approach to the game:
"If we have complacency playing for a championship, something is wrong with us. I know that sounds like an understatement, but it really is. I think our guys are really understanding. I think you have to factor in 18-22 year-old men and Thanksgiving week and a chance to sleep in, but I saw nothing but our guys ready to go. That's what I'm going to expect out of North Texas. I know I've said this every week, but we are literally playing for a championship this week. It's their Senior Day and their last day, but it's a championship game to us. How do you get bigger? It's hard to get much bigger, but it all goes back to how you prepared during the week. If those allow us to have a better practice, that's what we're looking for because that's how we're going to play."
On how the team has handled adversity:
"I think once again, until you know what that looks like – sometimes it takes a loss. When you now have groups that have never been in that situation to some of our younger guys, to a young quarterback, we have to live in this moment. That's why I always say, 'Right here, here it is.' Sometimes you need a little negativity. Like I said, there are a lot of things to learn from a loss. It's hard. They think they do, but I don't think people really understand the volume of time and work from not just coaches, but all the players and support people. Of course, the team we're playing is doing the same thing, but I think that really makes those losses that much harder. You don't play again two days later like these other sports to get that taste out of your mouth knowing you'll see them at home and in the tournament. It makes the wins and the losses bigger. I think for us, how did we handle that? That's really the mark of a team. That's the mark of a person. How do you overcome adversity? We talk about that all the time, but until you see real adversity, you don't know. That's what I'm proud of this group for. Here we go again."
On the outlook of the team's recent success:
"I told the coaches yesterday that to stay humble and not forget where we came from is number one. At the same time, you have to enjoy this moment. To be undefeated at home for three years is hard to put into words. The fact we lost 35 guys or whatever we lost and to be here fighting for a championship – I know at the coaches' conference deal, nobody said it to my face, but I know that's what everybody was saying. They'd see what we'd do having lost all those guys. I think it just says everything about the staff and the players that believe in what we're doing and have worked hard to give us a chance to go. It's a very big deal."
On the degree of satisfaction this season:
"I think so. I said this last year. We had the adversity. We lost our quarterback, but we had kind of a more experienced guy waiting, and we probably had a bit of a better running game to go
with it. I think that group because of their age could handle things a little bit better. It was just different. Obviously, getting that championship was huge. Now to have this group who didn't have the expectations or really to not be very good maybe. It's so satisfying in a different way. To see them grow – it's exciting to know that we get them back for the future. Having almost your whole team back is exciting."
On junior linebacker Kristopher Moll:
"It's really hard to put into words what he's really meant. We kept talking about we had to put some weight on this guy during the offseason because he's going against these 300-pound guys. Now, I think he has both shoulders banged up. His hands were hurt. The guy just keeps playing. He probably won't have any contact this week. He's just such a football player. I can brag on this guy. He's humble. He works. He's becoming a good leader for a quiet guy. I'm just really proud of him."
On balancing preparation during Thanksgiving week:
"I think we really just talk about being thankful all the time. I that's one of the hardest things for all of us to realize how blessed we are. I talk to them every day about how many people would just want to play this game. Sometimes when they're having those Tuesday and Wednesday padded practices, they're surviving. I think when we understand how blessed we are to be here and how blessed we are to be in this country. I think that's just part of the job I have to remind them. I kind of have to be a dad to a bunch of these guys. We're very thankful. That's what this week is all about. They get to sleep in a little bit this week unless they have study hall because it always starts with academic. Then we feed them really well Thursday. Some of them will go home with the coaches. Then we get up Friday and travel. I hear from recruits a lot that this group isn't like a team. It's more like a family. That's what we want. We want these guys to really try to play for each other first. I think just being thankful this week is a big deal."
Senior Center Lee Dufour
On his career:
"It would be hard to put my entire career into a short press conference interview, but it's been amazing to say the least. The amount of adversity that I've come into and been able to battle through with the support from the city, coaches and this real family – it's not even a team to me anymore. It's a family. It's just been amazing to be able to go 18-0 at home since The Return. Like I said, battling through some injuries and adversity. As an offensive line, our whole unit has been battling all season. To be able to finish it off with a win against LA Tech at home being right back in it for the championship run, it couldn't get any better than that. I think we're all going to be big FAU fans this weekend. It's definitely exciting to be in this position at this point in the season."
On what the team has gone through to reach its position:
"I think it goes back to the amazing coaches we have that have always been there. Every position coach loves their group of guys as their own, their family. The things this team has gone through since 2014, a lot of guys - Nick (Vogel) and I are the only guys who are still on the team from that point, but I think the guys that are on the team now understand what this program and the city went through and have a lot of respect for the adversity and resilience that Birmingham has shown being able to not just bring the program back, but bring it back and be champions and try to go to the conference championship back-to-back years. I think that's a testament to Coach Clark and the amount of work that he puts in and the coaches that are here 18-19 hours a day just to make sure that we're prepared. I think nobody works harder than the coaching staff that we have. They're just trying to put us in the best spot that we can be in."
On six offensive lineman sets:
"The more offensive lineman, the better, I think. We look at it as a challenge every week. We know we want to run the ball first. I know the last couple of weeks we've been able to reinstate the running game a little bit. Having six offensive linemen on the field is just six opportunities for pancakes. That's how we look at it. It's been fun. With Spencer (Brown) and Lucious (Stanley) and all those guys in the backfield, if we open the hole for them, they're going to hit it. I think you saw that on Saturday. Skull (Jermaine Brown Jr.) was doing a great job. He got banged up a little bit, but I'm sure he'll be back this week. Those guys, they love us like brothers, and we love them too. Any way we can make them successful - if we have six offensive linemen on the field, that's even better."
On the program's success since The Return:
"I think that's the mindset that Birmingham has taken since this program has been reinstated. They're not settling for how the program used to be. There's a new standard for UAB football. I think recruits that are coming in can see that from week to week. From a personal standpoint as an offensive line, we touched on it a little bit on Saturday. We did lose four starters from last year, but the guys that are coming in that will be here next year – they're definitely building a lot of depth on the offensive line. A lot of experienced guys are going to be back, so I think the future is bright for this program. It's a new day in Birmingham. Trying to sum it up into words, you get chill bumps thinking about where this program has been and what it's turning into and the potential that not only UAB, but the city of Birmingham has. It's very exciting. I look forward to coming back and supporting them, especially in the shiny new stadium. I'm going to miss the Old Gray Lady, but things are on the horizon."
On being a part of UAB's rebuild:
"I'm trying not to get emotional. It's not all on my back. There are a lot of guys that came before me that got this program to where it is. Nick and I just so happen to be the last two here, but the amount of work that so many people have put in behind the scenes from equipment staff to the water girls and the training staff and everybody that's helped get this program to where we are today, I don't think there are enough thank you's to go around. It's definitely a special place to be at UAB right now."
On offensive lineman Andrew Smith Jr.:
"Anybody on the offensive line is ready to plug in and play. That's one thing that Coach Owens has made an emphasis on. Everybody knows every position on the offensive line. Andrew had a lot of experience last year. His first college start was against Texas A&M. I think he graded out a 90, so he's definitely an extremely good athlete. He's very smart. He knows the offense. We don't miss a beat when anybody goes down. Andrew or Greg Fecanin or David Galten or anybody that gets injured, we're ready. Someone is there to be backing them up. Andrew has done a great job. We talk every single day about different plays. If they shift on a certain play, who's going to be the ID? Where are the linebackers going to go? It's all that nitty gritty stuff. Andrew has done a great job of coming in whenever he's needed. I think the offense runs just as well with him as it does when I'm in."
On the team Thanksgiving meal:
"As an offensive lineman, you have a group of brothers in the offensive line group. We pretty much eat most of our meals together anyway. Thanksgiving is just where you know everything is going to be great. You know everything is going to taste good. Then you get to eat with not only the offensive line, but you get the whole team together. My mom growing up always had the best everything. Nobody could make anything near what she or my grandma or my aunt could make. I think as an offensive line, we're already pretty close, but that Thanksgiving meal when everybody is all together with all the coaches and all of their families, it's pretty special."
Senior Kicker Nick Vogel:
On the finish to his career:
"Those are definitely a lot of thoughts to compose and putting them into words will be a little difficult, but I'll do my best. It's kind of been a crazy ride. The 18-0 thing is wild just undressing that in itself. As corny as it sounds, it feels like there's magic at Legion Field. We've had so many tight games that we've just pulled out. I went to a high school where we were less fortunate. We didn't win a whole lot of games. We were 0-10 my first year, then 3-7 and 5-5, so obviously not the best record. The mentality felt like it was almost impossible to win. No matter what we did, how hard we played or how close the game was, we found a way to lose. For us at UAB, it's exactly the polar opposite. We find a way to win every time. When the game is close, you kind of know that if it's at Legion Field and we're down at halftime, we're going to find a way to pull through. That's been kind of bizarre with the complete 180 from high school to college for me. It is way different. If it's close, I know we're going to find a way to pull it out whether it's our defense making a stand or offense driving the field. It's just a weird, utmost confidence that we're going to get the win when we're at home. It's been really nice to do it. Of course the last game has to be close too, which is miserable to me on the sideline. It's a blessing to go through all these games and come out 18-0. That's something I'm going to take with me for the rest of my life. You can take away all of my money and possession in the future, I'm still going to be 18-0 at home in college. I'll be able to tell people that with pride."
On helping rebuild the program:
"It is really special. I think Lee hit the nail on the head. It's not just us. There have been so many people before us to put work into this program. Many of the coaches and everyone believed when it was so grim here. Just coming back from literally nothing and building it to what we've built now – it's a big source of pride to say, 'I helped build that.' I think the new stadium is a complement to go how the team has been playing these past couple of years. The tough part about coming back was we had this big thing where we were doing all this work to come back and had all these people believing in us, so we couldn't go out there and lose. We couldn't be a losing team. That was kind of the pressure. To see everything come through these past three years, winning a bunch of games and a championship, it's unreal stuff. It's been a really satisfying thing to go through. It's been a great college career for me."
On persevering this season:
"It's awesome. We were picked to finish fourth. It's nice to shove that in their face for the third time now. It's also really nice because we lost all those seniors, so there's always some reason why we aren't going to be as good as we think we are. It's been great every year to just prove them wrong. It's a great feeling to kind of say you're wrong for the third team."
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
- UAB's win over Louisiana Tech improved its record to 8-3 overall and 5-2 in C-USA action. The Blazers, Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech all share a 5-2 league record and UAB can make it back to the championship game with a win over North Texas and a Southern Miss loss at Florida Atlantic. If those two things happen, UAB would travel to Boca Raton to face Florida Atlantic for the 2019 C-USA title.
- The Blazers' win last Saturday also gave UAB its 18th straight victory at Legion Field and extended the nation's fourth longest active home winning streak into next season. UAB is 27-11 overall since returning to action in 2017, including a C-USA mark of 19-5.
- Junior linebacker Kristopher Moll continues to make a charge towards Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year. Moll enters the North Texas game as the only player in C-USA to rank top 10 in tackles (5th), sacks (6th) and tackles for loss (5th). He paces a unit which ranks sixth nationally in total defense. Moll has 84 tackles, 13.5 TFL, 7.0 sacks, six quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles, one interception, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup this season.
Opening statement:
"We had a team meeting this morning. It was just great to come in and see our guys after such a big win. What a great way to finish off the career for our seniors at home. Undefeated three straight years against a really good Louisiana Tech team. It was a battle, a really physical game that came down to the wire like we thought it would. You got to see a lot of things in that game. You got to see a lot of good defensive play. You got to see some explosive offensive plays and special teams play. All in all, just a really good game. It was probably better from a fan's standpoint than a coach's standpoint, but I'm really proud of our guys and how they fought, played together and played for each other. I'm really excited to be sitting right here. That's been our thing. Just stay the course and keep working and believing in each other, and we'll have a chance at the end. Here we are this last week with a chance to maybe play in the championship game, which is how we break it down every day - on champs. That's our ultimate goal. Obviously the bowl eligibility in confirming that eighth win is a big deal, but having a chance to play in that championship is huge. North Texas is a team that was picked to maybe win it this year. Obviously, with Mason Fine and Coach Littrell, what a great job they've done. I know they're disappointed in their season this year, which I told the players, 'This will be their bowl game, their seniors' last game and their last home game.' Every emotion we had last week, they're probably going to have that and more. We're going to expect every bit of their best. We're talking about a team that's scoring about 33 points a game with what I think is a good defense. They've had some situations throughout the year where their quarterback has gotten hurt. We know what that's like and how it affects you, so we're going to play a good team. They lost a tough one last week to a Rice team who I've said all year is good, but have now won two in a row. We have a battle ahead of us."
On the use of six offensive lineman sets:
"I told Coach Vincent I wanted to do that this summer. We were planning on doing it. That was something we were really saving for week two. We had worked on it. It was ready, and then we lose (David) Galten. All of a sudden, it throws everything. Then Lee (Dufour) gets hurt, so now all of a sudden, we're scrambling. Now we're just starting to get our O-line back together. As I told you before, the worst thing sometimes becomes the best thing because now we've actually got depth there. We get to play guys who are having a good week. It gets to be some competition in there. Being able to take an extra lineman and put him in there as a tight end is really good for the run game as you know."
On having a deep offensive line:
"I think it's one of those things where you really want a good run surface and can still have three receivers, so there are a lot of things you can do with it. It's just another way to run the ball. We did some things where we'd protect with him and release our back out, so you can get very creative with it."
On focusing on the current game:
"I think you saw that last week. I know I didn't really know what was going on. That's exactly what we have to do. All we can take care of is what we've got in front of us. If the thing ends up in a three-way tie, we'll just have to look at that when it happens. All we can do is go play our best, win this game and see what happens."
On extra preparation for North Texas' approach to the game:
"If we have complacency playing for a championship, something is wrong with us. I know that sounds like an understatement, but it really is. I think our guys are really understanding. I think you have to factor in 18-22 year-old men and Thanksgiving week and a chance to sleep in, but I saw nothing but our guys ready to go. That's what I'm going to expect out of North Texas. I know I've said this every week, but we are literally playing for a championship this week. It's their Senior Day and their last day, but it's a championship game to us. How do you get bigger? It's hard to get much bigger, but it all goes back to how you prepared during the week. If those allow us to have a better practice, that's what we're looking for because that's how we're going to play."
On how the team has handled adversity:
"I think once again, until you know what that looks like – sometimes it takes a loss. When you now have groups that have never been in that situation to some of our younger guys, to a young quarterback, we have to live in this moment. That's why I always say, 'Right here, here it is.' Sometimes you need a little negativity. Like I said, there are a lot of things to learn from a loss. It's hard. They think they do, but I don't think people really understand the volume of time and work from not just coaches, but all the players and support people. Of course, the team we're playing is doing the same thing, but I think that really makes those losses that much harder. You don't play again two days later like these other sports to get that taste out of your mouth knowing you'll see them at home and in the tournament. It makes the wins and the losses bigger. I think for us, how did we handle that? That's really the mark of a team. That's the mark of a person. How do you overcome adversity? We talk about that all the time, but until you see real adversity, you don't know. That's what I'm proud of this group for. Here we go again."
On the outlook of the team's recent success:
"I told the coaches yesterday that to stay humble and not forget where we came from is number one. At the same time, you have to enjoy this moment. To be undefeated at home for three years is hard to put into words. The fact we lost 35 guys or whatever we lost and to be here fighting for a championship – I know at the coaches' conference deal, nobody said it to my face, but I know that's what everybody was saying. They'd see what we'd do having lost all those guys. I think it just says everything about the staff and the players that believe in what we're doing and have worked hard to give us a chance to go. It's a very big deal."
On the degree of satisfaction this season:
"I think so. I said this last year. We had the adversity. We lost our quarterback, but we had kind of a more experienced guy waiting, and we probably had a bit of a better running game to go
with it. I think that group because of their age could handle things a little bit better. It was just different. Obviously, getting that championship was huge. Now to have this group who didn't have the expectations or really to not be very good maybe. It's so satisfying in a different way. To see them grow – it's exciting to know that we get them back for the future. Having almost your whole team back is exciting."
On junior linebacker Kristopher Moll:
"It's really hard to put into words what he's really meant. We kept talking about we had to put some weight on this guy during the offseason because he's going against these 300-pound guys. Now, I think he has both shoulders banged up. His hands were hurt. The guy just keeps playing. He probably won't have any contact this week. He's just such a football player. I can brag on this guy. He's humble. He works. He's becoming a good leader for a quiet guy. I'm just really proud of him."
On balancing preparation during Thanksgiving week:
"I think we really just talk about being thankful all the time. I that's one of the hardest things for all of us to realize how blessed we are. I talk to them every day about how many people would just want to play this game. Sometimes when they're having those Tuesday and Wednesday padded practices, they're surviving. I think when we understand how blessed we are to be here and how blessed we are to be in this country. I think that's just part of the job I have to remind them. I kind of have to be a dad to a bunch of these guys. We're very thankful. That's what this week is all about. They get to sleep in a little bit this week unless they have study hall because it always starts with academic. Then we feed them really well Thursday. Some of them will go home with the coaches. Then we get up Friday and travel. I hear from recruits a lot that this group isn't like a team. It's more like a family. That's what we want. We want these guys to really try to play for each other first. I think just being thankful this week is a big deal."
Senior Center Lee Dufour
On his career:
"It would be hard to put my entire career into a short press conference interview, but it's been amazing to say the least. The amount of adversity that I've come into and been able to battle through with the support from the city, coaches and this real family – it's not even a team to me anymore. It's a family. It's just been amazing to be able to go 18-0 at home since The Return. Like I said, battling through some injuries and adversity. As an offensive line, our whole unit has been battling all season. To be able to finish it off with a win against LA Tech at home being right back in it for the championship run, it couldn't get any better than that. I think we're all going to be big FAU fans this weekend. It's definitely exciting to be in this position at this point in the season."
On what the team has gone through to reach its position:
"I think it goes back to the amazing coaches we have that have always been there. Every position coach loves their group of guys as their own, their family. The things this team has gone through since 2014, a lot of guys - Nick (Vogel) and I are the only guys who are still on the team from that point, but I think the guys that are on the team now understand what this program and the city went through and have a lot of respect for the adversity and resilience that Birmingham has shown being able to not just bring the program back, but bring it back and be champions and try to go to the conference championship back-to-back years. I think that's a testament to Coach Clark and the amount of work that he puts in and the coaches that are here 18-19 hours a day just to make sure that we're prepared. I think nobody works harder than the coaching staff that we have. They're just trying to put us in the best spot that we can be in."
On six offensive lineman sets:
"The more offensive lineman, the better, I think. We look at it as a challenge every week. We know we want to run the ball first. I know the last couple of weeks we've been able to reinstate the running game a little bit. Having six offensive linemen on the field is just six opportunities for pancakes. That's how we look at it. It's been fun. With Spencer (Brown) and Lucious (Stanley) and all those guys in the backfield, if we open the hole for them, they're going to hit it. I think you saw that on Saturday. Skull (Jermaine Brown Jr.) was doing a great job. He got banged up a little bit, but I'm sure he'll be back this week. Those guys, they love us like brothers, and we love them too. Any way we can make them successful - if we have six offensive linemen on the field, that's even better."
On the program's success since The Return:
"I think that's the mindset that Birmingham has taken since this program has been reinstated. They're not settling for how the program used to be. There's a new standard for UAB football. I think recruits that are coming in can see that from week to week. From a personal standpoint as an offensive line, we touched on it a little bit on Saturday. We did lose four starters from last year, but the guys that are coming in that will be here next year – they're definitely building a lot of depth on the offensive line. A lot of experienced guys are going to be back, so I think the future is bright for this program. It's a new day in Birmingham. Trying to sum it up into words, you get chill bumps thinking about where this program has been and what it's turning into and the potential that not only UAB, but the city of Birmingham has. It's very exciting. I look forward to coming back and supporting them, especially in the shiny new stadium. I'm going to miss the Old Gray Lady, but things are on the horizon."
On being a part of UAB's rebuild:
"I'm trying not to get emotional. It's not all on my back. There are a lot of guys that came before me that got this program to where it is. Nick and I just so happen to be the last two here, but the amount of work that so many people have put in behind the scenes from equipment staff to the water girls and the training staff and everybody that's helped get this program to where we are today, I don't think there are enough thank you's to go around. It's definitely a special place to be at UAB right now."
On offensive lineman Andrew Smith Jr.:
"Anybody on the offensive line is ready to plug in and play. That's one thing that Coach Owens has made an emphasis on. Everybody knows every position on the offensive line. Andrew had a lot of experience last year. His first college start was against Texas A&M. I think he graded out a 90, so he's definitely an extremely good athlete. He's very smart. He knows the offense. We don't miss a beat when anybody goes down. Andrew or Greg Fecanin or David Galten or anybody that gets injured, we're ready. Someone is there to be backing them up. Andrew has done a great job. We talk every single day about different plays. If they shift on a certain play, who's going to be the ID? Where are the linebackers going to go? It's all that nitty gritty stuff. Andrew has done a great job of coming in whenever he's needed. I think the offense runs just as well with him as it does when I'm in."
On the team Thanksgiving meal:
"As an offensive lineman, you have a group of brothers in the offensive line group. We pretty much eat most of our meals together anyway. Thanksgiving is just where you know everything is going to be great. You know everything is going to taste good. Then you get to eat with not only the offensive line, but you get the whole team together. My mom growing up always had the best everything. Nobody could make anything near what she or my grandma or my aunt could make. I think as an offensive line, we're already pretty close, but that Thanksgiving meal when everybody is all together with all the coaches and all of their families, it's pretty special."
Senior Kicker Nick Vogel:
On the finish to his career:
"Those are definitely a lot of thoughts to compose and putting them into words will be a little difficult, but I'll do my best. It's kind of been a crazy ride. The 18-0 thing is wild just undressing that in itself. As corny as it sounds, it feels like there's magic at Legion Field. We've had so many tight games that we've just pulled out. I went to a high school where we were less fortunate. We didn't win a whole lot of games. We were 0-10 my first year, then 3-7 and 5-5, so obviously not the best record. The mentality felt like it was almost impossible to win. No matter what we did, how hard we played or how close the game was, we found a way to lose. For us at UAB, it's exactly the polar opposite. We find a way to win every time. When the game is close, you kind of know that if it's at Legion Field and we're down at halftime, we're going to find a way to pull through. That's been kind of bizarre with the complete 180 from high school to college for me. It is way different. If it's close, I know we're going to find a way to pull it out whether it's our defense making a stand or offense driving the field. It's just a weird, utmost confidence that we're going to get the win when we're at home. It's been really nice to do it. Of course the last game has to be close too, which is miserable to me on the sideline. It's a blessing to go through all these games and come out 18-0. That's something I'm going to take with me for the rest of my life. You can take away all of my money and possession in the future, I'm still going to be 18-0 at home in college. I'll be able to tell people that with pride."
On helping rebuild the program:
"It is really special. I think Lee hit the nail on the head. It's not just us. There have been so many people before us to put work into this program. Many of the coaches and everyone believed when it was so grim here. Just coming back from literally nothing and building it to what we've built now – it's a big source of pride to say, 'I helped build that.' I think the new stadium is a complement to go how the team has been playing these past couple of years. The tough part about coming back was we had this big thing where we were doing all this work to come back and had all these people believing in us, so we couldn't go out there and lose. We couldn't be a losing team. That was kind of the pressure. To see everything come through these past three years, winning a bunch of games and a championship, it's unreal stuff. It's been a really satisfying thing to go through. It's been a great college career for me."
On persevering this season:
"It's awesome. We were picked to finish fourth. It's nice to shove that in their face for the third time now. It's also really nice because we lost all those seniors, so there's always some reason why we aren't going to be as good as we think we are. It's been great every year to just prove them wrong. It's a great feeling to kind of say you're wrong for the third team."
Players Mentioned
RB
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OL
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OL
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OL
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LB
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OL
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PK
/ FootballUAB Softball | The Quick Cut: Memphis Series
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UAB vs ECU Post Game Press Conference
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UAB vs North Texas Post Game Press Conference
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UAB MBB vs Tulane Post Game Press Conference
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