The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Hosts Memphis in Renewed Battle for the Bones Rivalry
10/16/2023 1:23:00 PM | Football
BIRMINGHAM – The UAB football team renews its Battle for the Bones rivalry with Memphis this Saturday, Oct. 21, at Protective Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. on ESPN2.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
Opening Statement:
"Well, I guarantee I'm the most enthusiastic 2-5 coach in America. I'm really excited about the battle ahead of us. I'm excited about this group of young men. I'm excited about our coaches. When I talked to them yesterday, my theme was 'we get to do this.' We have the opportunity to get to come to work in a building where we all love each other and respect each other and we're working for the same goals. It's not going our way right now, but that's a microcosm of life. How many of you have had life go the way you want it to go all the time? I know I haven't, and I think football's a great vehicle to help them get through these times in football, so that when they go through these times in life, they're more prepared to handle them well. I think we'll handle this week really well. It's a rivalry week: a unique rivalry, one that we're super excited to be a part of and bring it back from 2012."
On educating the program on a rivalry they're unfamiliar with:
"What came up last night after practice was that exact thing. It's like, 'Hey guys, it's a rivalry week, but let's educate each other on what it means,' and, for a while, it was a really good one. It didn't end well for the Blazers, so I'm sticking on that theme. They hold this trophy, and it's our job to get it back. A lot like I did with Smile-A-Mile, a lot like I did with Children's Harbor was instead of front loading all the information, dosing it throughout the week, so by the end of the week, they have a really good grasp on the magnitude of it."
On the performance of Jermaine Brown Jr. over the last two weeks:
"I think, number one, he's gotten healthier. He's such a tough guy. He came back from the spring injury. He was trying to be himself, but it takes time. I'll compliment Hindley Brigham. He came up with a different practice plan for him the last couple weeks that he proposed and I went with, and I think it's been really good for him. Now, it takes a person with professional habits to take this practice plan. You have to be very locked-in mentally if you're not getting the physical reps, and to Skull's credit, he does a great job—not a good job—a great job with mental preparation. It showed up by allowing his body to rest more during the week so that he's fresher on Saturdays. He hasn't missed a beat from the scheme's standpoint, because he's so locked-in when he's not getting the physical reps."
On Coach's Dilfer's grade to the defense and what they're currently working on:
"I think, overall, we have played way below our standard defensively. Our numbers prove that. The amount of points we've given up, yards, third-down percentage, red zone…like, I can go on, and on, and on. Even though I was a quarterback, I'm a defensive-minded guy, so I have very high standards for defensive play. Saying that, though, you have seen a tremendous amount of growth. How we played UTSA in the second half, they did a really good job. We made really good adjustments. I talked to Jeff Traylor, and he was really impressed with the second-half adjustments we made. They're getting better. I know that's an old message, and it's probably like watching paint dry hearing me say we're getting better. But we're a much better football team than we were four weeks ago. It didn't show all the time Saturday, but defensively especially, we're making big gains, and at some point, we're going to see the fruit of labor."
Tickets to this Saturday's game against Memphis are available by clicking here.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
- WEAR BLACK: The game on Saturday is a blackout and the UAB Department of Athletics is encouraging all UAB fans to wear black. The football team will be wearing its alternate black and lime Smile-A-Mile jerseys for the second time this season.
- UAB leads the all-times series 10-5 over Memphis. The first game of the series was played in 1997 and then the two teams met annually from 1999-2012 as members of Conference USA. UAB won seven-straight from 2000-06, but Memphis won the final game in 2012 and currently has possession of the trophy. Known as one of the most unique trophies in all of college football, the Battle for the Bones trophy is a 94-pound bronzed rack of ribs, representing the competitiveness of bar-b-que cooking between the two cities.
- Running back Jermaine Brown Jr. was electric against UTSA as he compiled a career-high 197 all-purpose yards and had his his first career 100-yard receiving game. Brown Jr. had six catches for 116 yards, 12 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown, and 24 kickoff return yards. He is now just 405 all-purpose yards away from the school record in that category and his eight rushing touchdowns this season leads the AAC and ranks him ninth nationally.
Opening Statement:
"Well, I guarantee I'm the most enthusiastic 2-5 coach in America. I'm really excited about the battle ahead of us. I'm excited about this group of young men. I'm excited about our coaches. When I talked to them yesterday, my theme was 'we get to do this.' We have the opportunity to get to come to work in a building where we all love each other and respect each other and we're working for the same goals. It's not going our way right now, but that's a microcosm of life. How many of you have had life go the way you want it to go all the time? I know I haven't, and I think football's a great vehicle to help them get through these times in football, so that when they go through these times in life, they're more prepared to handle them well. I think we'll handle this week really well. It's a rivalry week: a unique rivalry, one that we're super excited to be a part of and bring it back from 2012."
On educating the program on a rivalry they're unfamiliar with:
"What came up last night after practice was that exact thing. It's like, 'Hey guys, it's a rivalry week, but let's educate each other on what it means,' and, for a while, it was a really good one. It didn't end well for the Blazers, so I'm sticking on that theme. They hold this trophy, and it's our job to get it back. A lot like I did with Smile-A-Mile, a lot like I did with Children's Harbor was instead of front loading all the information, dosing it throughout the week, so by the end of the week, they have a really good grasp on the magnitude of it."
On the performance of Jermaine Brown Jr. over the last two weeks:
"I think, number one, he's gotten healthier. He's such a tough guy. He came back from the spring injury. He was trying to be himself, but it takes time. I'll compliment Hindley Brigham. He came up with a different practice plan for him the last couple weeks that he proposed and I went with, and I think it's been really good for him. Now, it takes a person with professional habits to take this practice plan. You have to be very locked-in mentally if you're not getting the physical reps, and to Skull's credit, he does a great job—not a good job—a great job with mental preparation. It showed up by allowing his body to rest more during the week so that he's fresher on Saturdays. He hasn't missed a beat from the scheme's standpoint, because he's so locked-in when he's not getting the physical reps."
On Coach's Dilfer's grade to the defense and what they're currently working on:
"I think, overall, we have played way below our standard defensively. Our numbers prove that. The amount of points we've given up, yards, third-down percentage, red zone…like, I can go on, and on, and on. Even though I was a quarterback, I'm a defensive-minded guy, so I have very high standards for defensive play. Saying that, though, you have seen a tremendous amount of growth. How we played UTSA in the second half, they did a really good job. We made really good adjustments. I talked to Jeff Traylor, and he was really impressed with the second-half adjustments we made. They're getting better. I know that's an old message, and it's probably like watching paint dry hearing me say we're getting better. But we're a much better football team than we were four weeks ago. It didn't show all the time Saturday, but defensively especially, we're making big gains, and at some point, we're going to see the fruit of labor."
Tickets to this Saturday's game against Memphis are available by clicking here.
Players Mentioned
RB
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