A retribution tour for the UAB football team comes to end this week as it seeks to improve to 4-0 in revenge games dating back to the 2019 season. Following wins against Western Kentucky (2020), and FAU and Southern Miss, UAB has one of its most bitter rivals coming to town for a crucial divisional showdown.
The Blazers begin a four-game stretch to end the season as they welcome Louisiana Tech, Saturday, Nov. 6, at Protective Stadium in Birmingham. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CST on CBS Sports Network.
“After eight weeks of games, it was good to get to an open date,” UAB head coach Bill Clark said. “I think we needed it -- coaches, players, and everybody. We didn’t do a lot of practicing last week. Mainly we got healed up”
UAB (5-3, 3-1 C-USA) trails the overall series, 6-3, but has won three of the last four against the Bulldogs. Meanwhile, Louisiana Tech is 2-6 on the season including last-second losses to Mississippi State, SMU, NC State and Old Dominion.
“I’ve got tons of respect for those guys and Coach (Skip) Holtz,” Clark said. “Their record is not indicative of what kind of team I think or know that they are. I think our guys are smart enough to know that. I know what team they are and I know how they feel with their backs against the wall. So we’re hoping to play our best football down the stretch. It looks like it’s all on us to do everything we can do moving forward to be back in the championship game.”
The Blazers dropped last season’s matchup in double overtime, 37-34, in a controversial ending resulting from a Spencer Brown fumble at the goal line. The play was reviewed, the call on the field upheld, and UAB did not play another game for 42 days, allowing the Blazers to marinate on the heart-breaking loss.
UAB ended up winning its second league title in three years but the bitterness from the loss to the Bulldogs still stings more than a year later.
“We have the bad taste in our mouth from last year still,” tight end Gerrit Prince said. “We’ve got a bad taste in our mouth from last week. I mean last year it hurt losing the way that we lost. We definitely felt like we should have won the game so I know my teammates are going to give their best. We are expecting their best.”
It’s no secret that UAB has suffered more than its fair share of injuries this year, a total of 11 starters missing time, and peaked in the loss to Rice with the loss of cornerback TD Marshall for the season. The Blazers were especially hit hard in the secondary with at least seven contributors and starters out of action at various points this season.
“When your trainer says this is the most beat-up he has ever seen us, sometimes that’s when I say luck really is a factor,” Clark said. “I try not to make excuses, but it was a fact. We’ve not just had to get physically ready, but emotionally ready. I think defensively we’ve had a huge revolving door. Everybody goes through things and we don’t want to make excuses.”
Excuses aside, the list of injured players is immense and filled with all-conference performers.
Tyler Johnston III, Ryan Davis and Sidney Wells have all missed time on the offensive side of the ball but the defense has seen almost its entire starting roster injured at some point this season. Both Tyree Turner and Fish McWilliams missed a couple of games on the defensive line and inside linebackers Charlie Benton and Tyler Taylor have also missed a few games.
The secondary has been hit the hardest by far with seven key members suffering minor to season-ending injuries. Kris Moll has not played since the Tulane win, Mac McWilliams has been out the last two games and Marshall was lost for the season in the loss to Rice. CD Daniels, Dy’jonn Turner, Damon Miller and Jaylen Key are back in rotation following injuries early in the year.
“I know from talking with the guys it’s rough going eight straight weeks like that, especially coming out of fall camp,” Prince said. “It’s hard on your body and everyone is hurting. I know a lot of guys were banged up hoping to make it to the bye week this week to get their bodies back right. I think we are going to be back rolling at full potential.”
Although suffering its first conference loss two weeks ago against Rice, a loss by the Owls to North Texas in overtime provides a clear path to a fourth straight division title and league title game appearance.
The Blazers need only win their final four games to clinch the division title, likely decided in a penultimate regular-season contest at 16th-ranked UTSA, but cannot afford to look ahead with four formidable opponents on deck.
“Coming off of last week and seeing what happened with Rice, we’ve got to take every game and everybody the same,” outside linebacker Kelle Sanders said. “We can’t just go by record, the team, or the color on their jersey. We’ve just got to go out there and play, that’s how I see it. All of our bodies are coming back and everybody is coming with a new fire in our belly, to come back out and finish these four games strong.”
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‘Fire in our belly’: UAB hosts bitter rival LA Tech to open final four-game stretch - AL.com
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