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| Is this really a UAB home game? One end zone for Saturday's game |
So I've always thought UAB was getting the shaft by the city of Birmingham by it having to open its season at 11 a.m. on what could be a hot September day. This is the first of three games at Legion Field this weekend, but UAB-Troy looks to be playing undercard to Saturday night's game between Alabama A&M and Tuskegee.
Certainly, the crowd will be good for head coach Garrick McGee's debut. I think it could have been much better had he and UAB deservedly been given the night game. That's regardless of what's painted in the end zones.
"I think they knew they could probably get a better crowd for each game by putting us in the early game," Troy head coach Larry Blakeney said. "I just hope it's not blazing hot because it was blazing hot up there (in 2010, 3 p.m. kickoff). We were in the sun and they were in the shade for most of the time. At 11:00, it looks like everybody will be in the sun for three hours."
McGee believes his team is equipped for the morning kickoff and it'll be early to bed, early to rise for the Blazers this weekend.
"We are one of those crews that believe the hay is never in the barn," McGee said. "We will have a walk-thru at 6:45 Saturday morning and wewill learn more about our opponent and ourselves that morning. We continue preparation up until kickoff.”
Both coaches have respect for each other's programs. McGee was quarterbacks coach at Arkansas in 2009 and QBs coach/offensive coordinator at Arkansas in 2011 when the Razorbacks hosted Troy.
"I’ve got a lot of respect for Garrick McGee and the guys he kept and the guys he brought," Blakeney said. "They’re trying to get off on the right foot just like we are."
Here is what McGee had to say on Monday during his press conference: "Their offense is at a fast tempo that can give you a lot of problems and it’ll let their quarterback get into a rhythm; he (QB Corey Robinson) can really control the game, control the tempo of the game, and control completion after completion. The defensive front has always been one of the top defensive fronts that we’ve seen and nothing has changed. They’ve got two really good junior college defensive tackles (Derrek Upshaw & Xavier Melton). Two guys that I know personally, that I recruited that are from the same school, so I know those kids. Troy’s coaches have been together for a long time, so they have a way of going about their business. We have all the respect in the world for Troy.”
Tackle Chris Hubbard is UAB's only returning starter on the offensive line and here's what he had to say about Troy: "Troy has some very quick defensive ends, so matching their alignments is going to be important for us."
HERE is a story from the Birmingham News on UAB's inexperienced offensive line hoping to quiet some critics. Interesting story, since Troy has a defense hoping to quiet some critics.
HERE is a game preview, with predicted score, from The Sports Network, with a good look at both teams.
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