UAB Blazers College Football Pregame Quote, 11/18/2019

I’m awfully proud of the group last week. We made a decision as an offense to do the things that fit our quarterback. We had to get back to being physical and running the football. I kind of mentioned it, but we changed some practice habits and did some things a little differently. You saw that in how we came out and ran the ball so well. I think we did the things that fit Dylan (Hopkins) and fit the offense. The defense played well. Up to the last 24 second of the half, it was a great way to start. We let down a little bit right before half and gave up a score, but we had a really solid performance. Special teams was really good too, minus one fake punt on a fumbled snap that the guy took off and ran on us. It was a good day. It was good to get back home and get in the winning column. Here we are with Louisiana Tech. Obviously, they have had a great year. Coach Holtz does a great job. He is one of the best coaches in our league. Kind of like us, for different circumstances, they had to suspend their quarterback, so he will be out for our game. They had a tough game against Marshall, who is a good opponent, at their place. They have had a great year offensively and have been good on defense and special teams. Obviously, it is a big game. It’s senior day. We are really proud of this group of seniors and what they have done. The Return, the championship, what they have done to this point with three straight winning seasons and three straight bowl appearances, what a great job they have done for us. There are not many of them, I think there are 15, but we are proud of them and excited about recognizing them. We play at 2:30 and we are challenging our folks to come out and have a great home crowd for what is going to be a great matchup.

On Lucious Stanley during the UTEP game:

He was part of the game plan. Sometimes, when guys have the hot hand, that is what happens. When you have maybe five guys, sometimes it’s just not their day. Lucious has had a little bit of a knee (problem). Sometimes that’s just the way it works out and we will see what happens this week.

On depth in the backfield:

That’s what depth looks like. You’re just going to get banged up over the course of the year. You’re going to have guys that get hurt, get back and, obviously, getting Spencer back. Whether he is 100-percent or not, that big run he had gave us a spark. Jermaine Brown Jr. was terrific. A lot of that goes back to how that O-line, tight ends and receivers blocked. I was proud of how those guys played. We have thrown the ball a lot, but it’s whatever is called for. Whatever helps the offense. Whatever helps the team. I was really proud of how everybody blocked. It was fun to watch.

On being undefeated at home since The Return:

I think we always talk about what you talk about when you start having a streak. This is what we talk a lot about: defending home field and what it means to play at home. We have always talked about playing for all these people who brought our program back, and that’s what we do any time, but especially when we are at home. The significance of looking up there and seeing that championship banner ‚Äì we have looked at that. We looked at those bowl games. That solidified us going to a bowl even though we hadn’t really talked about that. To go undefeated at home if we can do it, how much better does it get than that? That would be great to be able to send them out like that against a great opponent.

On Louisiana Tech’s quarterback play:

The backup came in and did a good job. He gets banged up and they ended up with their third guy in there. I don’t know what that means for this coming week. I think they’ve got two other really capable guys. Kind of like us, it’s the next man up. They have a great supporting cast with a big offensive line, really good running backs and really good receivers across the board. It’s kind of like all of us. If that guy is out, you go to the next guy. I was definitely impressed with them. They were going down there to score and they had a ball snapped over his head. Not only do they not score, it goes about 60 yards the other way. Just some funky things happened. Coming out, they were punting out of their own end zone. They fumbled that punt. They had some funky things happen that changed the course of the game. They were right there in it. Both their backups looked very capable.

On QB Tyler Johnston III’s status:

The great news for us is that Tyler is back this week. We are going to get to see him or Dylan or both. I was laughing because with Jacksonville State, we actually had a game where we ran quarterbacks in and out during the same series. It’s literally just what is going to be the best bet for us. Friday, he took drops and threw the ball. Of course, his arm feels great because it is rested. I am excited about Dylan. He took some steps. We were meeting this morning, now he is talking about things that we can do. He is being proactive. There is a chance you could see both of them. Dylan may get the start again, we will just see how the week goes. It is going to be good to have Tyler back to get some depth back and add some experience. We will see how the week plays out. Dylan played well. We are excited about him and excited to have Tyler back as well.

On the possibility of playing with two quarterbacks:

That just gives us more options. Dylan can throw the ball. We saw him throw the ball. That is going to get better as he gets more comfortable. We needed to reestablish our running game. That opens up everything. We have good receivers, we have to be able to run the ball. We have a quarterback who can run the ball. We have another one who has had a lot of success throwing the ball. I think it opens up all of our options.

On getting players back from injury:

For us, to have such access, and when I got here in 2014, I didn’t think we were using that access like it should be used. To see us take the steps from where we were when I got here to where we are now, there’s really nothing that could happen to a player that we don’t have the best in the world. From optometry to knees to anything, when a recruit comes in here and starts talking about the medical field, I tell them how well they are going to be treated. The first thing is their safety. That is non-negotiable. Then the thing is, how do we get this guy back as quick as possible. There are so many things involved. I have had so many doctors tell me: the surgery is important, but so is the rehab. It is 50/50. We have world-class rehab to go along with world-class surgery. Everything we do with those guys, from getting it seen quickly to getting an expert opinion, what is this injury exactly? What are they doing in the NFL, because we are involved in all those things. How do we get this guy back as quick and as safe as possible? Then you have guys like Tyler who are going to live in the training room. If he can be in there, he is in there with his books. Whatever it takes to get him back. To have access to this world-class medicine is huge.

On sitting players when a win is imminent:

There are all kinds of judgements there, but we all want to get in those guys that we need to be ready for the next time that happens. That is my big thing. There are two things you want to do: there is morale and then there is getting ready for the next game or if something happens to the guy you’ve got. I’m always trying to give game experience. The only thing that precludes it, and this happened against UTEP last week, we didn’t know about No. 12 (quarterback Gavin Hardison). We had never seen him. You get ready for a play action and pass guy, and the same for the next guy. We were like, ‚ÄòWho is 12?’ They had been redshirting him. Now, they were in their four-game window and they could play him. He was a real pocket passer who was going to throw it every down. That was kind of an unusual circumstance. With the new rule change, they have been waiting so he didn’t lose a year. I am trying to get guys reps every chance that I can as long as the game is where it needs to be.

On Spencer Brown returning:

Even though Spencer is around, you guys have still got to do your thing. It doesn’t change. Just because this guy who has been so great comes in, doesn’t mean you stop being who you’re supposed to be. For our team and everybody’s psyche, it’s good to have him back. I am proud to see Jermaine, Wooden, Haden and Lucious keep doing their thing. Then he becomes another one of the backs that we get to add to the mix.

On the divisional championship race:

I always talk about what do your kids know, and they know. Our guys know. You can’t talk about winning a championship and them not be involved in that process. High expectations are created by winning and by us talking about those things. The game itself takes precedence, but it didn’t hurt us. When we woke up Saturday morning and we knew we were in it, that didn’t hurt. If you’re going to talk about winning championship, that is what it looks like. That domino falling helped us. It’s one more thing that makes this game bigger, if it could get any bigger with it being senior day and at home. It just made it that much bigger.