The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Week 13 Transcript: UAB Hosts UTEP on Senior Day
11/22/2021 3:36:00 PM | Football
BIRMINGHAM – The UAB football team will honor 21 seniors this Friday, Nov. 26, as the Blazers host UTEP for the regular season finale at Protective Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
Head Coach Bill Clark
Opening Statement:
"Heartbroken after the loss. As I said after the game, I could not be prouder of our players and staff. I mean what an epic game it was. Two great teams. I thought the atmosphere was incredible. We handled it back and forth throughout the game and I just hate how it ended for our guys. It sure is tough to lose that way at the end. But I couldn't be prouder of them. Yesterday was our meeting, we have a short week this week, so it was a tough meeting. We built these guys to play for championships, so they are still recovering, or were, and moving past it last night as much as we possibly can.
"We're now getting ready for a big senior day against a really good UTEP team. Coach Dimel, I have a lot of respect for him, what a great career he has had. I knew if they gave him long enough there he would get them playing good, and he is. They are good on both sides of the ball and special teams. Offensively, they have a really good quarterback. They can run it, they can throw it. Defensively, they can get after you. Very physical. They have a bunch of good player. They are bowl eligible, same record as us. So good team that's coming in here for us on senior day – big day for us. We have a bunch of seniors that have meant so much to me and this program. I can't thank them enough for what they've done for us. That's what we've said, we want to go out there and play at our best for those guys. Looking forward to finishing it out the right way and we know we have a tough opponent coming in."
On turning heartbreak into a positive…
"I've said this before, when you talk about championships and you break it down on champs, you are setting yourself up for something if it doesn't go the way that you want it to. I wouldn't have it any other way. It's do we play with emotion? Yes. Do we care? Yes. Do we put all we have into it? Yes. That is the only way I know how to do it. When it happens and it doesn't go the way that you want it to, it's going to hurt. But, I don't think that I would have it any other way and I don't think our guys would. You care and you care about each other and you work hard. I've had so many texts from coaches that saw that game and was like 'that was an epic game' and how hard our guys played. That is the one thing that I can always say that's the resume of our staff. That's their resume that you put everything into it. That's all you can do is give it all that you have. I can say honestly that I have no regrets with how we prepared and how we work. There is always a thing or two that you do that you would like to see different. I could not be prouder of those guys and kind of where we are as far as being all in for each other."
On the senior class…
"I think it was two-fold – I think it was to win another championship and to play in Protective Stadium and to be with each other. We were sitting there last year and I've told that story so many times when we had game after game after game canceled. We were hurting and then we walked up the steps in the backside of Protective and I think they saw the fact that they could play in that stadium, stay together and have a chance to win. We were just trying to get another game to maybe have a chance to be in the championship game. I think it was just as much about playing with each other – and that they enjoy that – and playing in that stadium. For us, it's always about trying to win a conference championship, that's what it has always been about. This is a special group. What a good group of guys and how they've led, they've led us throughout. They were seniors last year, so we would have the senior meeting last year and then we would have them again this year. It's going to be tough to lose those guys, so we want to send them out the right way."
On fans coming out to the game on Friday…
"We understand Thanksgiving and all of the things that are going on and there is high school games that night and then games the next day. That is why we picked the time that we are doing it, is to hopefully get the fans out. I think these guys deserve it – you look at their effort, you look at what they've done – they deserve to be sent out the right way, they deserve to have a really good crowd. From where I just came from (UTSA), that was a great crowd supporting their team and that is what we need."
Quarterback Dylan Hopkins
On the seniors on the offensive line…
"Those boys have meant everything to me. I've been here since 2018, so I've lived around them for the past four years. Even last year at the end of the season when we didn't know if they were going to stay or not. I think they really came together and said 'hey, let's win another championship.' To me, that's everything. You can't ask for a bunch of guys to do that and stay one more year of college to go through that and the grind. I'm just super proud of them and this game means everything to them on Friday."
On senior tight ends Hayden Pittman and Gerrit Prince…
"Gerrit and Hayden, I love those boys. They were actually my roommates, I lived with Gerrit last year and the year before that I lived with Hayden. Those boys mean everything to me and we are probably the closest on the offense. They are absolute ball players. I mean Gerrit, I don't think they could stop him all year catching the ball. Hayden is a four-year starter ever since he's got here, he has been starting. You can't ask for those guys to stay another year, that's incredible for them.
On how much the offense has progressed…
"This offense has come a long way. I think the past five or six games, we've gotten a lot better. Even Debo (DeWayne McBride), the offensive line, the receivers – every game we've gotten a lot better. Even the last game, I thought we definitely had our shot to win the game and we were crushed by that. As an offense, we put up a lot of yards and I think in the first half we put up over 300 yards. I mean, I'm just super proud of this team and super proud of our offense."
On message to the team…
"That game is behind us. I think everyone is probably still, even me, still crushed. Waking up just knowing how close it was. But, at this point it's win the next game for the seniors. That's all it's really about. Win a game for the senior and win a bowl game. That is the big message right now – win out. You couldn't be prouder than that."
Safety Keondre Swoopes
On the seniors on the defense…
"These guys who came back, they are real leaders on the team. So whatever they say, we are listening to them. They have been here for four or five years so I look up to them and I want to send them out with the win."
On getting over a loss…
"It's very difficult. Things happen during the game, like I wish we could have gotten some of those turnovers, a couple of those forced fumbles back. We have to go to the next game and send the seniors out with a win. That is all that is on our mind."
On preparing for the UTEP quarterback and running backs…
"I think we need to go out and practice and do what we normally do and things will go our way. We go out and practice and get our mind off this last game and step forward for the seniors then we should come out with a win."
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
- A group of seniors in Grayson Cash, Tyler Johnston III, Hayden Pittman, Kristopher Moll, Dy'Jonn Turner and Lucious Stanley will graduate as the winningest class in program history. These six have been on the field since the program returned in 2017 and helped guide UAB to two Conference USA Championship and 41 total victories.
- Both UAB and UTEP enter the game with identical 7-4 overall records, but the Blazers (5-2) are one game ahead of the Miners (4-3) in the Conference USA West Division standings. UAB has won at least eight games every year since returning to action in 2017, aside from 2020's pandemic-shortened season when the Blazers went 6-3 and won the C-USA title.
- DeWayne McBride has compiled 694 of his 1,089 total rushing yards and 10 of his 11 rushing touchdowns in the last five games. With 144 yards at UTSA, he became just the sixth player in school history to have 1,000 rushing yards in a single season, and it was just the eighth time a UAB player has gone over 1,000 yards in a single season (Spencer Brown and Joe Webb did so twice). McBride has been key in helping UAB connect on play-action this season as wide receiver Trea Shropshire leads the nation in yards per reception at 27.9 YPC (24 rec., 670 yds, six TD).
Head Coach Bill Clark
Opening Statement:
"Heartbroken after the loss. As I said after the game, I could not be prouder of our players and staff. I mean what an epic game it was. Two great teams. I thought the atmosphere was incredible. We handled it back and forth throughout the game and I just hate how it ended for our guys. It sure is tough to lose that way at the end. But I couldn't be prouder of them. Yesterday was our meeting, we have a short week this week, so it was a tough meeting. We built these guys to play for championships, so they are still recovering, or were, and moving past it last night as much as we possibly can.
"We're now getting ready for a big senior day against a really good UTEP team. Coach Dimel, I have a lot of respect for him, what a great career he has had. I knew if they gave him long enough there he would get them playing good, and he is. They are good on both sides of the ball and special teams. Offensively, they have a really good quarterback. They can run it, they can throw it. Defensively, they can get after you. Very physical. They have a bunch of good player. They are bowl eligible, same record as us. So good team that's coming in here for us on senior day – big day for us. We have a bunch of seniors that have meant so much to me and this program. I can't thank them enough for what they've done for us. That's what we've said, we want to go out there and play at our best for those guys. Looking forward to finishing it out the right way and we know we have a tough opponent coming in."
On turning heartbreak into a positive…
"I've said this before, when you talk about championships and you break it down on champs, you are setting yourself up for something if it doesn't go the way that you want it to. I wouldn't have it any other way. It's do we play with emotion? Yes. Do we care? Yes. Do we put all we have into it? Yes. That is the only way I know how to do it. When it happens and it doesn't go the way that you want it to, it's going to hurt. But, I don't think that I would have it any other way and I don't think our guys would. You care and you care about each other and you work hard. I've had so many texts from coaches that saw that game and was like 'that was an epic game' and how hard our guys played. That is the one thing that I can always say that's the resume of our staff. That's their resume that you put everything into it. That's all you can do is give it all that you have. I can say honestly that I have no regrets with how we prepared and how we work. There is always a thing or two that you do that you would like to see different. I could not be prouder of those guys and kind of where we are as far as being all in for each other."
On the senior class…
"I think it was two-fold – I think it was to win another championship and to play in Protective Stadium and to be with each other. We were sitting there last year and I've told that story so many times when we had game after game after game canceled. We were hurting and then we walked up the steps in the backside of Protective and I think they saw the fact that they could play in that stadium, stay together and have a chance to win. We were just trying to get another game to maybe have a chance to be in the championship game. I think it was just as much about playing with each other – and that they enjoy that – and playing in that stadium. For us, it's always about trying to win a conference championship, that's what it has always been about. This is a special group. What a good group of guys and how they've led, they've led us throughout. They were seniors last year, so we would have the senior meeting last year and then we would have them again this year. It's going to be tough to lose those guys, so we want to send them out the right way."
On fans coming out to the game on Friday…
"We understand Thanksgiving and all of the things that are going on and there is high school games that night and then games the next day. That is why we picked the time that we are doing it, is to hopefully get the fans out. I think these guys deserve it – you look at their effort, you look at what they've done – they deserve to be sent out the right way, they deserve to have a really good crowd. From where I just came from (UTSA), that was a great crowd supporting their team and that is what we need."
Quarterback Dylan Hopkins
On the seniors on the offensive line…
"Those boys have meant everything to me. I've been here since 2018, so I've lived around them for the past four years. Even last year at the end of the season when we didn't know if they were going to stay or not. I think they really came together and said 'hey, let's win another championship.' To me, that's everything. You can't ask for a bunch of guys to do that and stay one more year of college to go through that and the grind. I'm just super proud of them and this game means everything to them on Friday."
On senior tight ends Hayden Pittman and Gerrit Prince…
"Gerrit and Hayden, I love those boys. They were actually my roommates, I lived with Gerrit last year and the year before that I lived with Hayden. Those boys mean everything to me and we are probably the closest on the offense. They are absolute ball players. I mean Gerrit, I don't think they could stop him all year catching the ball. Hayden is a four-year starter ever since he's got here, he has been starting. You can't ask for those guys to stay another year, that's incredible for them.
On how much the offense has progressed…
"This offense has come a long way. I think the past five or six games, we've gotten a lot better. Even Debo (DeWayne McBride), the offensive line, the receivers – every game we've gotten a lot better. Even the last game, I thought we definitely had our shot to win the game and we were crushed by that. As an offense, we put up a lot of yards and I think in the first half we put up over 300 yards. I mean, I'm just super proud of this team and super proud of our offense."
On message to the team…
"That game is behind us. I think everyone is probably still, even me, still crushed. Waking up just knowing how close it was. But, at this point it's win the next game for the seniors. That's all it's really about. Win a game for the senior and win a bowl game. That is the big message right now – win out. You couldn't be prouder than that."
Safety Keondre Swoopes
On the seniors on the defense…
"These guys who came back, they are real leaders on the team. So whatever they say, we are listening to them. They have been here for four or five years so I look up to them and I want to send them out with the win."
On getting over a loss…
"It's very difficult. Things happen during the game, like I wish we could have gotten some of those turnovers, a couple of those forced fumbles back. We have to go to the next game and send the seniors out with a win. That is all that is on our mind."
On preparing for the UTEP quarterback and running backs…
"I think we need to go out and practice and do what we normally do and things will go our way. We go out and practice and get our mind off this last game and step forward for the seniors then we should come out with a win."
Players Mentioned
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