The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Football Travels to WKU for Friday Night Contest
10/17/2022 3:35:00 PM | Football
BIRMINGHAM – With major Conference USA title race implications at stake, the UAB football team travels to WKU for a game this Friday, Oct. 21 at Houchens Industries L.T. Smith Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
Opening Statement:
"Good morning. Obviously very proud of our football team. Proud of our players and our staff. Had a lot of momentum swings, had a lot of adversity, early in the game, especially in the first half, had lead changes in the second half. I feel like each team has to go through that and we've been through that several seasons here at UAB. It's college football. You're going to have adverse situations and adverse situations provide the opportunity, really, for your team to show its character, for your team to show its toughness. It provides an opportunity for your team to build on its character and its toughness. We came out, we start the game, we turn the football over on the first play of the game, they drive down and score, and boom, here we are. I thought our team never blinked, we stuck together, we were positive, and you've got to go through these games. You've got to have the opportunity to show what you're made of and be able to respond. It's not how you react, it's how you respond, and I thought this team responded well. We were down 14-10 at half. There was no blink, we were together, we were focused. To come out the second half and outscore Charlotte 24-6 in the second half was a big statement and it was a big moment for this football team. Defensively, Grayson Cash comes out with the interception on the first play of the second half and sets the tone. We start making plays, we drive down, we kick a field goal. We still had not taken the lead yet. We go back and forth, the defense gets another stop, and boom, we're able to eventually take the lead. Charlotte responds back and takes the lead back and we were able to respond again. Just extremely proud of our players and our staff. That was a big moment. Each team, throughout the season, you've got to have those opportunities and that moment. We had that opportunity earlier in the season and we didn't get it done. There's growth and development from our team. Felt like the leadership continues to grow on this football team, and that was a great conference win at home. Moving forward, we've got Western Kentucky who is sitting there 2-1, they've got one of the top offenses in the country, they've got the number one rush defense in the conference. We've got to go up there on a Friday night. It's a big game, big opportunity. It's a tremendous challenge in front us on both sides of the ball and as a football team."
On playing better on the road:
"Number one, offensively, we've got to protect the football. If you look at our two losses this year, we had four turnovers against Liberty and then we had two costly turnovers against Rice. We've got to have great ball security. We've got to be savvy in situations, whether it's third down, whether it's red zone, whether it's goal line. Like last game, we've got to make some adjustments there and be able to execute. Defensively, they're going to throw the football. They're one of the top offenses in the country. They snap the ball a lot, their quarterback's completion percentage is around 70 percent. We've got to be able to defend these guys on the perimeter. They're a big perimeter offense. They like to stretch the field. We've got to tackle well, we've got to swarm the football, and we've got to be great in situational football."
On Western Kentucky quarterback Austin Reed:
"I think Austin, he's played a lot of football. From what I understand, he's a transfer from West Florida. They had a lot of success at West Florida, won a national championship, made deep runs. He transfers in and he's very accurate. You can tell he's experienced. He makes a lot of good decisions, because the ball is in his hand every snap and they're throwing it a lot and he's making decisions. He's accurate, he gets it out quick, he keeps the team in good situations and really you can just tell he's got a firm grasp of what they're doing. They're a tempo offense, they're going to put pressure on us to line up fast, and he's going to have a lot of options. He's going to have perimeter options, he's going to have run game options, and we've got to make sure that we line up and we're able to get the call in and be able to execute our call."
On the success of UAB's passing defense:
"I think in the back end, our secondary as a whole has played extremely well. They've executed the gameplan week to week. We have faced several high-powered passing offenses, but each one is a little bit different. This one against Western Kentucky, they're a little bit different themselves. We've got to be able to line up, we've got to keep them in front of us. We can bend, but we can't break. If you look at our linebacker play, our second level play defensively, I feel like our linebackers have really helped stop the run in a three-down front. They've been physical, we've been able to get pressure with the three and five-man fronts. Our second level has played extremely well, we've tackled well with Noah Wilder, Jackson Bratton, and Reynard Ellis. Those guys have just done a phenomenal job and the effort and the relentlessness of our defensive front has really showed up. It' s tough sometimes to get pressure with a three-man front. Those guys, from [Isaiah Forte], to [Fish McWilliams], to [Kelle Sanders], to [Kyle Harrell], to [Drew Tuazama], to [Michael Fairbanks II], those guys have really stepped up and in some tough situations have risen up and made some big plays for us. Really, just defensively as a whole, we've risen up and had tremendous challenge week after week. We have another huge challenge with a team that averages over 40 points a game, that's top 10 statically in over seven categories. Again, we have a tremendous challenge, we have a short week, it's a huge conference game on a Friday night. We've got to turn around and make a trip and head up there Thursday. It's a challenge that our defense gets excited for. They welcome challenges; they're a very spirited, competitive group that's going to be excited to play this game."
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN MATTHEW TREHERN
On Western Kentucky's rush defense:
"Us, as a unit, we accept the challenge. Like [Coach Vincent] said, we welcome the challenge in and just like he said, we're going to do what we do and we're going to run the football."
On the mentality of running the football:
"The mentality really starts on Monday's practice. We talk about it to the offense, bring the mentality today and it will bleed over to Saturday. When you bring that mentality every day, it bleeds over to Saturday."
On handling Western Kentucky's pass rush:
"We try not to worry about the other team as much. We try to worry about us as a unit, us five, and where we can fix our technique and other things like that. We'll be fine."
LINEBACKER NOAH WILDER
On facing teams with high-powered passing offenses:
"We just embrace it like we would [defending] the run. I enjoy when we face some passing offenses, let's me see our defensive backs work and excel and show the world how good they really are. A lot of those guys, I worked out a lot with them this summer to try and improve my passing game. Just learning from those guys, and having so much confidence in those guys, they're really good, and I'm proud to play with those boys. I'm excited to watch them go out there and play this Friday."
On UAB's defensive front:
"Our defensive front, they're really really good. There are some dogs down there. We've got three-down lineman and they make my job easy. A lot of the tackles that I get are because of those guys down there. It's an honor to play with those guys. I've been playing with [some of] them for the last three years, like [Fish McWilliams] and [Isaiah Forte]. We've got new guys stepping up like [Drew Tuazama], who transferred in. I've grown really close to Drew. He's a great ballplayer and he's going to have a lot of success. you see the big play that he had for us that really got the momentum going. As long as we can handle our business with the three-down linemen and linebackers then we'll be alright. I trust the defensive backs to cover on the backend and just get better every week and execute the plays we need to execute to go out there and win the game."
On the challenges of playing on the road:
"I love road games. When you play a road game you get to, the biggest thing, you get to embrace the moment. You're going down there in their house, especially with a team like
Western Kentucky that's a really good team and [one] I have a lot of respect for. They've got a really great offense all around the board like Coach Vincent said. When you go down there, [you just have to] give everything you've got. Everything isn't always going to go our way, but as long as we keep fighting until the end [we have a chance]. Away games are always hard, especially when you go to in environment like Western Kentucky. I played there, I think it was a couple years ago and we weren't fortunate enough [to win]. It's fun playing road games and embracing that moment. It's a big deal and going out there and executing and doing what you do is the most important thing. Just doing what you do."
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
- UAB (4-2, 2-1 C-USA) and WKU (4-3, 2-1 C-USA) are both 2-1 in league play and the winner of this game will emerge as one of the front runners for a berth in the Conference USA title game. It is a big weekend for the C-USA standings as the top four team in the league go head-to-head as UTSA and North Texas, who are both 3-0, face off this weekend as well.
- UAB is leading Conference USA in total defense (319.2) and scoring defense (17.3) and goes up against a WKU offense that averages 489.1 yards and 40.0 points per game. The Blazers boast the nation's third ranked pass defense and allow just 176.6 yards through the air. Conversely, WKU is averaging 344.7 passing yards per game.
- Paced by the nation's leader in rushing yards per game in DeWayne McBride (155.6), UAB is averaged 243.5 rushing yards per game. The run game will be a major factor in Friday's outcome as WKU is leading Conference USA in rushing defense by allowing just 120.43 per game on the ground.
Opening Statement:
"Good morning. Obviously very proud of our football team. Proud of our players and our staff. Had a lot of momentum swings, had a lot of adversity, early in the game, especially in the first half, had lead changes in the second half. I feel like each team has to go through that and we've been through that several seasons here at UAB. It's college football. You're going to have adverse situations and adverse situations provide the opportunity, really, for your team to show its character, for your team to show its toughness. It provides an opportunity for your team to build on its character and its toughness. We came out, we start the game, we turn the football over on the first play of the game, they drive down and score, and boom, here we are. I thought our team never blinked, we stuck together, we were positive, and you've got to go through these games. You've got to have the opportunity to show what you're made of and be able to respond. It's not how you react, it's how you respond, and I thought this team responded well. We were down 14-10 at half. There was no blink, we were together, we were focused. To come out the second half and outscore Charlotte 24-6 in the second half was a big statement and it was a big moment for this football team. Defensively, Grayson Cash comes out with the interception on the first play of the second half and sets the tone. We start making plays, we drive down, we kick a field goal. We still had not taken the lead yet. We go back and forth, the defense gets another stop, and boom, we're able to eventually take the lead. Charlotte responds back and takes the lead back and we were able to respond again. Just extremely proud of our players and our staff. That was a big moment. Each team, throughout the season, you've got to have those opportunities and that moment. We had that opportunity earlier in the season and we didn't get it done. There's growth and development from our team. Felt like the leadership continues to grow on this football team, and that was a great conference win at home. Moving forward, we've got Western Kentucky who is sitting there 2-1, they've got one of the top offenses in the country, they've got the number one rush defense in the conference. We've got to go up there on a Friday night. It's a big game, big opportunity. It's a tremendous challenge in front us on both sides of the ball and as a football team."
On playing better on the road:
"Number one, offensively, we've got to protect the football. If you look at our two losses this year, we had four turnovers against Liberty and then we had two costly turnovers against Rice. We've got to have great ball security. We've got to be savvy in situations, whether it's third down, whether it's red zone, whether it's goal line. Like last game, we've got to make some adjustments there and be able to execute. Defensively, they're going to throw the football. They're one of the top offenses in the country. They snap the ball a lot, their quarterback's completion percentage is around 70 percent. We've got to be able to defend these guys on the perimeter. They're a big perimeter offense. They like to stretch the field. We've got to tackle well, we've got to swarm the football, and we've got to be great in situational football."
On Western Kentucky quarterback Austin Reed:
"I think Austin, he's played a lot of football. From what I understand, he's a transfer from West Florida. They had a lot of success at West Florida, won a national championship, made deep runs. He transfers in and he's very accurate. You can tell he's experienced. He makes a lot of good decisions, because the ball is in his hand every snap and they're throwing it a lot and he's making decisions. He's accurate, he gets it out quick, he keeps the team in good situations and really you can just tell he's got a firm grasp of what they're doing. They're a tempo offense, they're going to put pressure on us to line up fast, and he's going to have a lot of options. He's going to have perimeter options, he's going to have run game options, and we've got to make sure that we line up and we're able to get the call in and be able to execute our call."
On the success of UAB's passing defense:
"I think in the back end, our secondary as a whole has played extremely well. They've executed the gameplan week to week. We have faced several high-powered passing offenses, but each one is a little bit different. This one against Western Kentucky, they're a little bit different themselves. We've got to be able to line up, we've got to keep them in front of us. We can bend, but we can't break. If you look at our linebacker play, our second level play defensively, I feel like our linebackers have really helped stop the run in a three-down front. They've been physical, we've been able to get pressure with the three and five-man fronts. Our second level has played extremely well, we've tackled well with Noah Wilder, Jackson Bratton, and Reynard Ellis. Those guys have just done a phenomenal job and the effort and the relentlessness of our defensive front has really showed up. It' s tough sometimes to get pressure with a three-man front. Those guys, from [Isaiah Forte], to [Fish McWilliams], to [Kelle Sanders], to [Kyle Harrell], to [Drew Tuazama], to [Michael Fairbanks II], those guys have really stepped up and in some tough situations have risen up and made some big plays for us. Really, just defensively as a whole, we've risen up and had tremendous challenge week after week. We have another huge challenge with a team that averages over 40 points a game, that's top 10 statically in over seven categories. Again, we have a tremendous challenge, we have a short week, it's a huge conference game on a Friday night. We've got to turn around and make a trip and head up there Thursday. It's a challenge that our defense gets excited for. They welcome challenges; they're a very spirited, competitive group that's going to be excited to play this game."
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN MATTHEW TREHERN
On Western Kentucky's rush defense:
"Us, as a unit, we accept the challenge. Like [Coach Vincent] said, we welcome the challenge in and just like he said, we're going to do what we do and we're going to run the football."
On the mentality of running the football:
"The mentality really starts on Monday's practice. We talk about it to the offense, bring the mentality today and it will bleed over to Saturday. When you bring that mentality every day, it bleeds over to Saturday."
On handling Western Kentucky's pass rush:
"We try not to worry about the other team as much. We try to worry about us as a unit, us five, and where we can fix our technique and other things like that. We'll be fine."
LINEBACKER NOAH WILDER
On facing teams with high-powered passing offenses:
"We just embrace it like we would [defending] the run. I enjoy when we face some passing offenses, let's me see our defensive backs work and excel and show the world how good they really are. A lot of those guys, I worked out a lot with them this summer to try and improve my passing game. Just learning from those guys, and having so much confidence in those guys, they're really good, and I'm proud to play with those boys. I'm excited to watch them go out there and play this Friday."
On UAB's defensive front:
"Our defensive front, they're really really good. There are some dogs down there. We've got three-down lineman and they make my job easy. A lot of the tackles that I get are because of those guys down there. It's an honor to play with those guys. I've been playing with [some of] them for the last three years, like [Fish McWilliams] and [Isaiah Forte]. We've got new guys stepping up like [Drew Tuazama], who transferred in. I've grown really close to Drew. He's a great ballplayer and he's going to have a lot of success. you see the big play that he had for us that really got the momentum going. As long as we can handle our business with the three-down linemen and linebackers then we'll be alright. I trust the defensive backs to cover on the backend and just get better every week and execute the plays we need to execute to go out there and win the game."
On the challenges of playing on the road:
"I love road games. When you play a road game you get to, the biggest thing, you get to embrace the moment. You're going down there in their house, especially with a team like
Western Kentucky that's a really good team and [one] I have a lot of respect for. They've got a really great offense all around the board like Coach Vincent said. When you go down there, [you just have to] give everything you've got. Everything isn't always going to go our way, but as long as we keep fighting until the end [we have a chance]. Away games are always hard, especially when you go to in environment like Western Kentucky. I played there, I think it was a couple years ago and we weren't fortunate enough [to win]. It's fun playing road games and embracing that moment. It's a big deal and going out there and executing and doing what you do is the most important thing. Just doing what you do."
Players Mentioned
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