The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
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UAB Hosts Temple on Senior Day at Protective Stadium
11/13/2023 1:34:00 PM | Football
BIRMINGHAM – The UAB football team plays its final home game of the 2023 season this Saturday, Nov. 18 against Temple on Senior Day. Kickoff at Protective Stadium is set for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
Opening Statement:
"Incredibly disappointing loss against a good Navy team, especially disappointing offensively. We kind of self-destructed. We've got to turn the page. I'm looking forward to the last home game, honoring these seniors that have invested a lot into this program. We want to make sure that we put forth our best effort to honor them and their legacy here as Blazers."
On Keondre Swoopes' impact on the program:
"Missing spring hurt him coming off the shoulder injury from last season, but he's a guy that's dependable. He helps us get lined up…the general and the secondary. He's a versatile player: he's played three different secondary positions. He had a very productive game against Navy. He got the big interception on fourth down, forced a fumble, and had another big hit there. Swoopes is definitely a guy that we want to make sure we play our best football for."
On Coach Dilfer's offensive game plan going into Navy:
"We really wanted to run the football. That was the point of emphasis going in. One of the risks you take when you do that is not being productive there and putting yourself in tough passing situations. It backfired against us. We thought we were going to be able to run the ball better. We thought we could push them around. We wanted to get our backs a lot of carries in the first half. It was also a way to protect the defense. I thought it was a good plan, it just backfired on us because we did not execute it at any form or fashion."
On how Coach Dilfer relied on the seniors during his first year as head coach:
"Their maturity and their professionalism really helped the transition. They were all leaders in the offseason. They helped establish our core values in our culture. With the win-loss record being so bad, that is a strength of ours. The building has a good vibe, and a lot of the reason for that is their buy-in to the way we did things early. They're guys that handle their business off the field as well as they handle it on the field, and they've been a real example to the other players. They'll be guys that we point to as we continue to build this thing as an example of how to do it right."
On the team's morale going into the next game:
"I think yesterday was disappointing, obviously. I don't want to use the word 'discouraged,' although I'm sure some are. I'd be an idealist to think that some aren't discouraged. I'm not. I think I fought it yesterday. I'll be honest with you: yesterday was about as low as I've been, but the pity party lasted about ten minutes, and I picked myself up and moved on. You can be disappointed, but still have hope, and I think the hope is to get better. The hope is to continue to lay a strong foundation. The hope is to put your best foot forward for these seniors."
Saturday is UAB's annual Salute to Service game and tickets can be purchased by clicking here. Fans can also participate in Tickets for Troops by purchasing a $10 ticket which will then be donated to local branches and military organizations, retired Veterans and their families.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
- UAB will honor 11 graduating seniors on Saturday: Demetrius Battle, Jermaine Brown Jr., Nikia Eason Jr., Michael Fairbanks II, Tyrique Howard, Fish McWilliams, Tejhuan Palmer, Matt Quinn, Samario Rudolph, Will Sorrells and Keondre Swoopes. Eason, Fairbanks and McWilliams have been with the program since 2018 and have won two conference championships, while Brown Jr., Rudolph, Swoopes and Quinn are 5th-year seniors and have made major contributions to the programs since 2019.
- Jermaine Brown Jr. became UAB's career leader in all-purpose yards last Saturday with 4,673 and could break more records this Saturday against Temple. Brown Jr. is four catches away from becoming the record holder for career receptions by a running back (92 – Robert Porter, 1991-94), and he also needs just nine more yards to move into sole possession of third place on UAB's career rushing list. One of the most versatile players in school history, Brown Jr. has 2,809 career rushing yards, 722 receiving yards and 1,142 kickoff return yards.
- Jacob Zeno became UAB's school record holder for single season completions at Navy and now has 243 this season. Zeno ranks third nationally in completion percentage (74.8) and fourth nationally in completions per game (27.0). He is 585 yards shy of setting the season season passing yards record and would need to average 292.5 yards per game in his last two for that record. He is currently averaging 288.3 per game.
Opening Statement:
"Incredibly disappointing loss against a good Navy team, especially disappointing offensively. We kind of self-destructed. We've got to turn the page. I'm looking forward to the last home game, honoring these seniors that have invested a lot into this program. We want to make sure that we put forth our best effort to honor them and their legacy here as Blazers."
On Keondre Swoopes' impact on the program:
"Missing spring hurt him coming off the shoulder injury from last season, but he's a guy that's dependable. He helps us get lined up…the general and the secondary. He's a versatile player: he's played three different secondary positions. He had a very productive game against Navy. He got the big interception on fourth down, forced a fumble, and had another big hit there. Swoopes is definitely a guy that we want to make sure we play our best football for."
On Coach Dilfer's offensive game plan going into Navy:
"We really wanted to run the football. That was the point of emphasis going in. One of the risks you take when you do that is not being productive there and putting yourself in tough passing situations. It backfired against us. We thought we were going to be able to run the ball better. We thought we could push them around. We wanted to get our backs a lot of carries in the first half. It was also a way to protect the defense. I thought it was a good plan, it just backfired on us because we did not execute it at any form or fashion."
On how Coach Dilfer relied on the seniors during his first year as head coach:
"Their maturity and their professionalism really helped the transition. They were all leaders in the offseason. They helped establish our core values in our culture. With the win-loss record being so bad, that is a strength of ours. The building has a good vibe, and a lot of the reason for that is their buy-in to the way we did things early. They're guys that handle their business off the field as well as they handle it on the field, and they've been a real example to the other players. They'll be guys that we point to as we continue to build this thing as an example of how to do it right."
On the team's morale going into the next game:
"I think yesterday was disappointing, obviously. I don't want to use the word 'discouraged,' although I'm sure some are. I'd be an idealist to think that some aren't discouraged. I'm not. I think I fought it yesterday. I'll be honest with you: yesterday was about as low as I've been, but the pity party lasted about ten minutes, and I picked myself up and moved on. You can be disappointed, but still have hope, and I think the hope is to get better. The hope is to continue to lay a strong foundation. The hope is to put your best foot forward for these seniors."
Saturday is UAB's annual Salute to Service game and tickets can be purchased by clicking here. Fans can also participate in Tickets for Troops by purchasing a $10 ticket which will then be donated to local branches and military organizations, retired Veterans and their families.
Players Mentioned
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