The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Set to Face No. 1 Georgia on Saturday Night
9/18/2023 3:30:00 PM | Football
BIRMINGHAM – For the first time in school history, the UAB football team will face the No. 1 team in the country on Saturday night when the Blazers travel to Athens for a game at Georgia. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
HEAD COACH TRENT DILFER
Opening Statement…
"Obviously, coming off another very disappointing performance, the focus is on getting better. As Blazers, we got to get better at football. We got to get better at coaching. We got to get better at running this building. The challenge only gets greater playing a, not good, but great Georgia team at their place. Primetime game, a lot of challenges there. So, trying to build this thing on embracing the challenges and doing hard things, and I got what I asked for. It can't get any harder than this, they've allowed 24 points this year and we allowed 24 points in the first half of one game. We got our work cut out for us."
On Georgia…
"Well I think that's two different things. Number one, and you know what, that's something I've been doing all morning is studying them. I think three things jump out. Number one, they have great culture, great energy and they play together. It is team football. Second would be they have really good people doing it, right? They've recruited at a very high level. They've developed players that they've recruited, so they're better now than they were when they got them. The third thing, that is my NFL eye, is that they are NFL coached. They are incredibly well coached. From their eye discipline, to their hands, to their communication, they shed blocks and they sustain blocks. That is football at its highest level is can you shed blocks and can you sustain blocks when you're on offense. Their schemes fit into the coaching realm. They're very complex defensively. Offensively, they're multiple. So, you can't guess. You can't get into a guessing game with them. It very much looks like, when did I retire, in 2008? This is 2006, 2007 or 2008 as a backup quarterback studying defense from a coaches eye, it looks very similar. It looks very much like getting ready for the Baltimore Ravens, or getting ready for the Rams, or Chargers or whoever you're playing that week. You have really good players that are really well coached, and that know what they're doing, and that know what you're doing. They can adjust, and they finish. That would be the other thing I would say about really good players. People talk so much about height, weight, speed, measurables and all that. All that is true, but a great player finishes, and they have finishers. When their defensive lineman gets through and has a tackle in the backfield, they make the tackle. When their secondary player triggers on a blocker and needs to shed them and stay outside leverage, he does, and he tackles the ball carrier. When their corner needs to reroute and stay on the backside hip in man coverage and play the ball, he does, and it gets picked. When the ball is in the air and it needs to be intercepted, it gets intercepted. They have finishers, and that's what I'm accustomed to. And that's what we need to get better at is developing our really good players. We have really good players. But they got to develop, and they have to learn how to finish."
On the opportunity to play on prim time national television…
"It's a great opportunity if we play well. If we have great energy, if we support each other, if we keep our composure and if we can handle hard things that are going to happen. Bad things will happen to the Blazers in this game. I can promise you that. How do we respond? I think you have to know that going in and you got to respond. Bad things don't mean losses, right? It's how you respond to those things. It's a great opportunity for us IF, and that's the message. This is a great opportunity if we can go out there and be the best versions of ourselves, and that's what this week is about. This week is about getting better at football, it's getting better as a head coach, it's getting better as a wide receivers coach, it's getting better at recruiting and getting better at operations. We have to get better at every single thing in this building. If we can do that then it's a good opportunity to show off our best selves."
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
- The Blazers have played seven teams inside the AP Top 5 but have never faced No. 1 until this Saturday. Their most recent matchup with an AP Top 5 came at Georgia back in 2021. This will be the fourth all-time meeting between UAB and UGA with the Bulldogs leading the series 3-0 and all the games coming between the hedges at Sanford stadium.
- Quarterback Jacob Zeno has accounted for eight touchdowns this season (six passing, two rushing), and continues to rank top five nationally in completions per game (T2nd, 32.7), completion percentage (3rd, 80.4) and passing yards per game (5th, 318.0). Zeno has thrown for 956 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions so far this season.
- After missing the first game with an injury, nickel Keondre Swoopes has returned to compile 19 total tackles in two games (9.5/game). Swoopes has played in 50 career games with 142 total tackles, 15 PBU and four interceptions. Michael Moore has also emerged as a versatile edge rusher/linebacker and has tallied 17 tackles and two TFL early on the season.
HEAD COACH TRENT DILFER
Opening Statement…
"Obviously, coming off another very disappointing performance, the focus is on getting better. As Blazers, we got to get better at football. We got to get better at coaching. We got to get better at running this building. The challenge only gets greater playing a, not good, but great Georgia team at their place. Primetime game, a lot of challenges there. So, trying to build this thing on embracing the challenges and doing hard things, and I got what I asked for. It can't get any harder than this, they've allowed 24 points this year and we allowed 24 points in the first half of one game. We got our work cut out for us."
On Georgia…
"Well I think that's two different things. Number one, and you know what, that's something I've been doing all morning is studying them. I think three things jump out. Number one, they have great culture, great energy and they play together. It is team football. Second would be they have really good people doing it, right? They've recruited at a very high level. They've developed players that they've recruited, so they're better now than they were when they got them. The third thing, that is my NFL eye, is that they are NFL coached. They are incredibly well coached. From their eye discipline, to their hands, to their communication, they shed blocks and they sustain blocks. That is football at its highest level is can you shed blocks and can you sustain blocks when you're on offense. Their schemes fit into the coaching realm. They're very complex defensively. Offensively, they're multiple. So, you can't guess. You can't get into a guessing game with them. It very much looks like, when did I retire, in 2008? This is 2006, 2007 or 2008 as a backup quarterback studying defense from a coaches eye, it looks very similar. It looks very much like getting ready for the Baltimore Ravens, or getting ready for the Rams, or Chargers or whoever you're playing that week. You have really good players that are really well coached, and that know what they're doing, and that know what you're doing. They can adjust, and they finish. That would be the other thing I would say about really good players. People talk so much about height, weight, speed, measurables and all that. All that is true, but a great player finishes, and they have finishers. When their defensive lineman gets through and has a tackle in the backfield, they make the tackle. When their secondary player triggers on a blocker and needs to shed them and stay outside leverage, he does, and he tackles the ball carrier. When their corner needs to reroute and stay on the backside hip in man coverage and play the ball, he does, and it gets picked. When the ball is in the air and it needs to be intercepted, it gets intercepted. They have finishers, and that's what I'm accustomed to. And that's what we need to get better at is developing our really good players. We have really good players. But they got to develop, and they have to learn how to finish."
On the opportunity to play on prim time national television…
"It's a great opportunity if we play well. If we have great energy, if we support each other, if we keep our composure and if we can handle hard things that are going to happen. Bad things will happen to the Blazers in this game. I can promise you that. How do we respond? I think you have to know that going in and you got to respond. Bad things don't mean losses, right? It's how you respond to those things. It's a great opportunity for us IF, and that's the message. This is a great opportunity if we can go out there and be the best versions of ourselves, and that's what this week is about. This week is about getting better at football, it's getting better as a head coach, it's getting better as a wide receivers coach, it's getting better at recruiting and getting better at operations. We have to get better at every single thing in this building. If we can do that then it's a good opportunity to show off our best selves."
Players Mentioned
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