The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
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UAB Travels to Navy for AAC Contest on Veterans Day
11/6/2023 8:38:00 PM | Football
BIRMINGHAM – Coming off a 45-42 victory over Florida Atlantic in which the Blazers had a season-high 614 yards of offense, UAB looks to string back-to-back conference wins together this Saturday at Navy. Kickoff on CBS Sports Network is set for 2:30 p.m. CT.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
COACH DILFER
Opening Statement:
"It's nice to get a win. We still have some things we've got to address, but I was really proud of the coaches' and kids' character. Having 28 unanswered points can put you in the tank pretty quick, and we've talked all year about responding instead of reacting. I thought they responded to the adversity really well. And then, I think defensively, to get those stops at the end, and offensively, to score at the end of both halves is usually a recipe for success. We're looking to build on that against a good opponent that's playing on an incredible day for our country. That should be a spectacular atmosphere."
On comparing Navy's past offense to its current offense:
"They're more versatile. They've tried to throw it more, [and] they've done a good job of it. It's not just the option that scares you…it's really the inside run game that scares you. This offense is brilliant by nature. It always has been. It punctures the inside of a defense and makes you collapse inside and creates wider edges to create explosive plays. It's always been done triple-option-'ish,' but now with the throwing component, it makes it even harder to defend. It's a brilliant offense."
On what Dilfer notices about Navy's defense after watching its film:
"Disciplined by nature. The kind of kids that go there are going to be highly disciplined and mature beyond their years. They sacrifice: that's the core of what they believe in. They're for one another. Gritty. Tough. Hard-nosed. Strong: they have a great strength program. So, challenges. We do a lot offensively around people's lack of discipline. [We] take advantage of it. To play a team that's highly disciplined is a challenge. And they're very aggressive by nature. They've done a good job of understanding their limitations, [and] what they do is they counter that by being selectively hyper-aggressive. You don't know when it's coming, but it's coming at some point, and you have to have a really good plan against it because it's sound…it's very sound. They cause a lot of disruption."
On what Jermaine Brown Jr. has meant to the team:
"He's everything. He's your moral authority of your offense: the way he practices, the way he prepares, he has a strong voice—a voice that matters to his teammates—he takes the burden of leadership very serious, wants to grow as a leader—and has—and then he proves it. He's a guy that backs up what his words are. He's the toughest guy. He makes plays in big moments. He's accountable: he missed a couple of things against Memphis that ate him up. He had a chance to make two difference-making plays that he missed, and we didn't criticize, we just pointed them out, and it just ate him up. He knew it before we told him. For two weeks, he was looking to redeem himself, and he did in a big way."
On UAB's opportunity to play Navy on Veterans Day:
"I'm really excited about the Veterans Day game. I'm fired up about the challenge. Of all the teams that get to play Navy on Veterans Day, we're the one that gets to do it. I think it's an incredible opportunity for our institution to go up there and play on such a special day."
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
- Saturday marks the first ever meeting between UAB and Navy. The Blazers took the first step of remaining in contention for bowl eligibility with their victory against Florida Atlantic, and will need to win out against Navy, Temple and North Texas to achieve bowl eligibility for an eighth straight season.
- Quarterback Jacob Zeno is the reigning AAC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts against FAU. Zeno was 29-of-35 for an FBS school record 484 yards and five passing touchdowns. Zeno continues to be one of the most productive quarterbacks in the country as he ranks third nationally in completions per game (27.5), fourth in completion percentage (75.4) and 10th in passing yards per game (298.5).
- Running back Jermaine Brown Jr. enters Saturday's contest needing 59 yards to become UAB's school record holder in career all-purpose yards. The fifth-year senior has been a weapon all over the field his entire career and has 4,612 all-purpose yards. This year, Brown Jr. ranks 15th nationally in all-purpose yards (126.2) and is averaging 155.5 all-purpose yards per game over his last six contests.
COACH DILFER
Opening Statement:
"It's nice to get a win. We still have some things we've got to address, but I was really proud of the coaches' and kids' character. Having 28 unanswered points can put you in the tank pretty quick, and we've talked all year about responding instead of reacting. I thought they responded to the adversity really well. And then, I think defensively, to get those stops at the end, and offensively, to score at the end of both halves is usually a recipe for success. We're looking to build on that against a good opponent that's playing on an incredible day for our country. That should be a spectacular atmosphere."
On comparing Navy's past offense to its current offense:
"They're more versatile. They've tried to throw it more, [and] they've done a good job of it. It's not just the option that scares you…it's really the inside run game that scares you. This offense is brilliant by nature. It always has been. It punctures the inside of a defense and makes you collapse inside and creates wider edges to create explosive plays. It's always been done triple-option-'ish,' but now with the throwing component, it makes it even harder to defend. It's a brilliant offense."
On what Dilfer notices about Navy's defense after watching its film:
"Disciplined by nature. The kind of kids that go there are going to be highly disciplined and mature beyond their years. They sacrifice: that's the core of what they believe in. They're for one another. Gritty. Tough. Hard-nosed. Strong: they have a great strength program. So, challenges. We do a lot offensively around people's lack of discipline. [We] take advantage of it. To play a team that's highly disciplined is a challenge. And they're very aggressive by nature. They've done a good job of understanding their limitations, [and] what they do is they counter that by being selectively hyper-aggressive. You don't know when it's coming, but it's coming at some point, and you have to have a really good plan against it because it's sound…it's very sound. They cause a lot of disruption."
On what Jermaine Brown Jr. has meant to the team:
"He's everything. He's your moral authority of your offense: the way he practices, the way he prepares, he has a strong voice—a voice that matters to his teammates—he takes the burden of leadership very serious, wants to grow as a leader—and has—and then he proves it. He's a guy that backs up what his words are. He's the toughest guy. He makes plays in big moments. He's accountable: he missed a couple of things against Memphis that ate him up. He had a chance to make two difference-making plays that he missed, and we didn't criticize, we just pointed them out, and it just ate him up. He knew it before we told him. For two weeks, he was looking to redeem himself, and he did in a big way."
On UAB's opportunity to play Navy on Veterans Day:
"I'm really excited about the Veterans Day game. I'm fired up about the challenge. Of all the teams that get to play Navy on Veterans Day, we're the one that gets to do it. I think it's an incredible opportunity for our institution to go up there and play on such a special day."
Players Mentioned
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