The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Bill Clark Previews UAB’s Week 2 Trip to Miami
9/7/2020 3:57:00 PM | Football
BIRMINGHAM – Playing its first road game of the season this coming Thursday, UAB football head coach Bill Clark previewed his team's Week 2 matchup at Miami on Monday morning.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
· UAB is coming off a 45-35 victory over Central Arkansas to open the season, while this will be Miami's first game of the year. A win at Miami would give UAB its first victory over an ACC opponent in school history and its first win over a Power 5 opponent since 2004.
· Redshirt freshman placekicker Matt Quinn was named the Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday. In his first collegiate game, Quinn scored nine points by going 6-of-6 on PAT and 1-of-1 on FG.
· UAB Athletics announced on Monday morning that it is taking 2021 ticket commitments for the Blazers' future home, Protective Stadium. UAB is in its final year at Legion Field and just set the Conference USA record with its 19th-consecutive home victory.
Head Coach Bill Clark
Opening Statement:
"I want to recap from last week. I was pleased with the win. Like any first game, we have tons of things to clean up. It's obviously good to get a win under our belt. Now we have to get ready for this next opponent. We have a hugh challenge going to Miami. I think they are kind of like us with a lot of returning guys. They also went out and got a bunch of transfers. They have a new offensive coordinator. The thought is, what does the first game do versus not really knowing what your opponent is going to come out in. There are positives and negatives from both sides of that. We have had a good week of practice up to this point. We are keeping our days straight when we go Thursday to Thursday, knowing what that looks like in preparation. I am really proud of the guys right now. We are looking forward to a good trip. We are getting ready to go. We are still in the process."
On looking forward to Miami . . .
"As always, they're very talented, long and fast. They have a head coach who is defense-minded. You know those guys are going to be good. They are a traditional four down front. There is tons of talent over there. Their secondary is really long. They do a good job of mixing up man and zone. On special teams, they have some really talented kickers. With those athletes, their coverage teams are really good. I think the offense is where we are going to see the biggest change. They probably, with their standards, felt like they struggled last year. They went out and got the big transfer, D'Eriq King, who is a running back-quarterback, as I like to say. He is a guy who can really throw it, but also has running back speed and legs. They have some young freshmen running backs, from what I read. Of course, I don't have anything to go on. I know coach (Rhett) Lashlee really well. They have a super-fast tempo. I think they were third in the country in the number of reps they got last year at SMU. That's something we have to be ready for."
On new Miami OC Rhett Lashlee . . .
"Usually we would think of him and Gus (Malzahn). They had a lot of success at UConn and SMU. He has kind of morphed. You probably have a lot of the same run game. There are tons of trick plays. They are known for trick plays and all kinds of special gimmicks plays that they have always done and been good at. I think his biggest change is the speed of the game. He is probably throwing it a lot more than what we are used to. That's where he's evolved. That's probably what he wanted to do anyway. The hardest thing, for us, is just the unknown. From a defensive standpoint, it really is, who are they? From a defensive standpoint, that's the hardest thing, knowing what an offense is going to do. When you remove the fact that they were not around last year, it creates a lot of unknown for us.
On Miami's college football pedigree . . .
"We go in to win every game. When you go back to Texas A&M, we were playing really well going into that game. We went in with every intention to win. We fumbled the opening kickoff and they scooped and scored. We played and we were in it until they very end. At Tennessee, we played great defensively and we turned it over offensively. You can't turn it over, I don't care who it is. You saw what happened with Central Arkansas. It was a game that could have been not that much of a game. We kept them in the game with turnovers. Some of that, give them credit for. I think that's the big deal for us. It's the same things we say every week. The broken record of you have to protect the ball. You want explosive plays but you can't give them up. You can't give up explosive plays. Turnovers and explosive plays - that's going to be wherever you go, especially when you go to play at Miami."
On looking to win at Miami . . .
"This is the next evolution in our program. We just have to get better. We just have to keep getting better. I know they probably feel the same way. They were, by their standards, disappointed in last year. Any time you have a chip on your shoulder as an athlete or a coach, you're going to be better. That's what we have to be. We feel like we have something to prove as well, especially on a national stage. When you hear the name Miami, that does get our guys attention and gets them excited. Every bit of our standard is about each game being important. It's also the conference. Everything we put in is to be conference champions. I do think, just from notoriety and recognition, that is the next step we want to take. For us, every one of our players said, when I asked why this game is important, 'Well, it's the next game.' Every game is important. Every game is big. Obviously, the name recognition is a big deal."
Right Tackle Sidney Wells
On preparing for Miami's DL. . .
"We are preparing in the film room. Even though it's going to be difficult without any present day film, we have been looking at the old ones, because everything is still there on the defensive side. Especially for the transfers they have coming in, who are talented guys, we have been looking at their old team's film to try to get a grasp of who they are as a player."
On Miami's transfers . . .
"They are very good pass rushers. We are going to have to take better angles and go back to the fundamentals. They do everything well, especially pass rushing. We are trying to analyze and trying to get a jump on what their tendencies are."
On Miami's stadium capacity . . .
"For us, it's another game. The capacity is going to be the same. It's just another game in terms of preparation for us. Our communication should be fine with that."
On the offensive performance versus Central Arkansas . . .
"The biggest takeaway was that when Central Arkansas made plays, we were able to gel together after that. At one point it was 28-7 and then it became 28-21. We stuck together no matter what the situation was. We had a couple of turnovers, but we were able to overcome that by keeping on, playing and chipping away."
Defensive lineman Tyree Turner
On playing at Miami . . .
"It's just the next game, as Coach said. I have played a lot of football in my days, so it's just the next game."
On the defensive line's performance against Central Arkansas . . .
"Our performance was decent, but it could have been better, as far as tackles and sacks. Going into this second game, we knocked the rust off during the first game and should be better in the second game."
On Miami QB D'Eriq King . . .
"The first thing I notice is his legs. He is a running back playing quarterback, but he can throw the ball. He is just a talented athlete all the way around. He can beat you with his arm or his legs. We are going to try to make him choose which one he wants to use. We want him to throw the ball more than run the ball. I feel like his legs are the more dangerous."
On the defense's mindset after Central Arkansas…
"A win is a win, so everybody is happy with that. You could feel the demeanor on everyone that it really wasn't our standard of playing. It was a win, but the aura in the locker room was a little off because everyone expected to do a little better than they did. Going into this next game, we definitely feel like we are going to knock all the mistakes off from week one to week two."
UAB and Miami will square off on Thursday night, Sept. 10, at Hard Rock Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. CST on the ACC Network.
