The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Travels to Louisiana Tech for C-USA West Clash
10/26/2020 12:22:00 PM | Football
BIRMINGHAM – With four games remaining in the regular season, the UAB football team heads to Louisiana Tech this Saturday, Oct. 31, for a Conference USA West division showdown with the Bulldogs. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CST on Stadium.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
- UAB (4-2, 2-0 C-USA) looks to take a big step towards three-peating as C-USA West champions this Saturday against Louisiana Tech (3-3, 2-2 C-USA). A win would give the Blazers a two-game cushion at the top of the standings with wins over the second and third place teams (UTSA and Louisiana Tech).
- Spencer Brown is having the best season of his illustrious career. The senior has the nation's fifth most rushing yards (600) and fourth most rushing touchdowns (8). Last week against Louisiana, he set the school record for career total touchdowns with 40. His 3,722 career rushing yards currently ranks him 11th in C-USA history. Brown has been the beneficiary of running behind an offensive line who has been tremendous this year. UAB is averaging 184.8 rushing yards per game and the line has allowed just three sacks all year, the third fewest nationally.
- UAB's defense has yet to allow a 200 yard passer and ranks third nationally in pass defense (153.8/game). The Blazers have also held their past three opponents to under 300 total yards of offense.
Head Coach Bill Clark
Opening Statement:
"To rewind from our last game before we look ahead to Louisiana Tech, it was a tough loss on Friday night. After going back and watching the film, I am really proud of our guys. They played their tails off and fought but came up a little short at the end. Two quality teams played against each other. I hate to see that streak come to an end because it means we lost. We will have to start a new one next time we get home. It was a back-and-forth game with a lot of good plays. As with any game, win or lose, there are a lot of things we want to correct and get better at. It was good to have the Saturday off to recover and recuperate. We were back at it yesterday and then here we are today getting ready for Saturday against LA Tech. I have tons of respect for coach (Skip) Holtz. If you look at what they do year after year, they do a great job with their program. Obviously, we are going to their place where it is going to be very hard to play. It is going to be a big game for them. They came off the same thing: a really tough loss where they were seemingly in control the whole game and then lost it at the end. They have a good team, as they always do. I have a ton of respect for Holtz and his program. What he has done, what he always has done, coaching year after year. Look what they have done in a bowl game every year. They are a good, quality team and a quality program. We are going to have our work cut out for us. Back to conference play, which is our ultimate goal to win the championship every year. That is our ultimate goal. We don't make any bones about it. It is going to be a tough one and a bygone.
On making corrections following the Louisiana game . . .
"For us, we had meetings this morning at 7 a.m. We go back and watch the film. We give our guys Sunday off except for rehab. That is what you do. It is all about corrections. After a loss, it is some of the hardest times for coaches. It is hard for coaches. It is hard for players. That is how we grow. That is what we have always done and that is how we do it. Our players are upset, obviously. Something would be wrong with them if they were not upset. It is all about getting back and getting that bad taste out of our mouths. Once again, we know we are going to be playing an opponent who feels the same way. We have to fix us and always correct our mistakes. That is always what we are trying to do."
On having four remaining regular season games . . .
"You are kind of emotionally spent. Testing every day. Every day you turn around and there is a test. You go into the hotel and ask, 'Are our results good?' Once again, we were blessed to have no positives. It's that, along with the never-ending process. We are in the stretch run. We are in about the best physical shape that we can be in. Like always, we are going to have an ankle here or there. It has been a long process. This is when we have to be strong and focused and able to push through."
On getting back into conference play . . .
"When you think about how we break it down every day, we break it down about champs. We are talking about conference play every day. We can't stand to lose a single game, it doesn't matter who we play. The conference games are just more important. They really are. We say that, if that is possible. I don't know if we could have cared or wanted to win any more than we did Friday night. It should be more important. It is more important. We are playing for a championship. That is what it is all about."
Right Tackle Sidney Wells
On the play of the offensive line . . .
"First and foremost, a big shout out to the defensive front that we see every day in practice. They get us ready for almost any front we see. Coach Owens is always making sure we are prepared. They are really tight on us in our fundamentals. That is just a product of good coaching and having amazing teammates to go against each and every day in practice."
On performing well in both pass blocking and run blocking . . .
"Meeting with our offensive line coach and our offensive coordinator, they say that to be a championship team, we have to have both. We try to emphasize it. You can't be one dimensional. You have to be able to rely on both to be a very balanced offense."
On avoiding a down game after playing Louisiana . . .
"It was very tough, especially going back in and seeing the guys afterwards. It was a tough one. It comes down to a certain amount of plays. Close games like that, as coach Clark would describe them, championship games, come down to few plays. Sadly, we did not come out on that end. To avoid the hangover, guys are motivated. I was seeing guys this morning after meetings that didn't want that feeling again. I am sure everybody is going to come in ready to work and motivated. We don't want that feeling anymore."
Cornerback TD Marshall
On the depth at the DB position . . .
"All of the confidence that everybody sees on gameday is the competition that goes on during practice. We will come together before practice and be like, 'I bet you three sprints that I get the first pick today.' That is the type of mindset that we go in with every day at practice is to not just be better for that day, but be better as a group. Our competition level is always high. Coach Mitch preaches that. Are you going to be better than the next man? That is how we look at it in practice or a game. That is how we look at it as a secondary."
On looking forward to Louisiana Tech . . .
"We have to do what we know how to do and stay locked in on our assignments. We have to be in the best position to make plays. That is basically all we ever can do as a secondary. Put ourselves in the position to make the best plays that we can."
On having only four remaining regular season games . . .
"It is different with the testing aspect of it, but as a senior, they always say that last season always goes by really fast. Honestly, I did not even know we only had four games left. It went by really fast. I looked up and we were playing Central Arkansas in the first game of the season and now we have four games left. It has been pretty fast. It has been a good one, though."
