Co-Offensive Coordinator Tim Albin
On how the team is turning the focus back to football…
“Coach had a great message to the team following today’s practice. He’s bringing the team back. We’ve had a great 48 hours here, it’s been unbelievable. It’s by far the best bowl I’ve ever been to and I’ve been to several, including the Rose Bowl. This has been fabulous, the people have been great. We’re looking forward to finishing this thing off. We’re less than 48 hours from game time and I can see it in our guys’ eyes, we’re starting to get locked in.”
On Ohio’s offensive approach…
“Coach Solich is a run-first guy. That’s what we do. That’s who we are. That’s who we want to be every year. Some years we can’t do it as well as others, but this year, the guys up front have paved the way. We’ve got great leadership – a couple seniors, a couple juniors up front. Everything goes through our running game. We’re obviously playing a UAB defense that’s good at stopping the run, so it should be a great matchup for the fans here.”
On the challenges UAB will present defensively…
“They’re a matchup defense. They ask their corners to play man coverage a lot. They put a lot of guys in the box and play a lot of man coverage. For us to move the football, we’re going to have to win matchups. Our right guard is going to have to win the matchup on [Garrett Marino] – he’s a dynamic player. Their nose guard [Anthony Rush] is a dynamic guy. He’s got to be 350 pounds, and we haven’t seen a 350-pound lineman all year. Their one defensive end [Stacy Keely], he’s listed as 6’7. I saw him at the beach bash and he looks more like 6’9 to me. Our guys up front are going to have to win some matchups against their d-line. Their mike linebacker [Tevin Crews] is protected. Nobody gets up to him. He’s been free all year to make tackles because of those three guys I mentioned. He’s been able to roam and get to the running back a lot. We’re going to have to win some on the edge with our receivers too.”
On what he’s enjoyed the most off the field…
“Just seeing our kids’ faces. As our plane was coming out of the sky, I was sitting towards the back. As I looked down the aisle, everybody was looking over trying to see out the window to see the sky-blue water and the palm trees. I’ve enjoyed watching our guys, because there are guys on this football team who have never even seen the ocean before – let alone the Bahamas. Also my family’s never been here, so I’ve had a blast watching my kids react to all this stuff. It’s really a blessing to be here and we’re going to do our best to give everybody a good football game.”
Redshirt Junior Running Back A.J. Ouellette
On the team’s experience at Atlantis…
“It’s been a blast. It’s been a while since I’d been on a beach – probably junior high – so we’ve been relaxing on the beach. I got to experience the dolphins yesterday too. Going into it I thought it was going to be cool and memorable – it blew my expectations out of the water. Now I’m trying to pay for my girlfriend to do it.”
On getting back on the practice field…
“It’s been enjoyable down here. After landing, everybody had a boost of energy. Practice has been more upbeat, better than practicing back home where it’s cold and we’re inside. Coming out here and enjoying the sun has been great.”
On what challenges the UAB defense presents…
“We just have to win one-on-one matchups. Watching film, they like the big boys to have one-on-one matchups up front and I believe our offensive line will be one of the best they’ve faced. I’m excited to see how that turns out, and we’ve got to establish the run.”
On Ohio’s offensive attack…
“We’re going to establish the run, first off. My way of saying it is we want to smack you in the mouth, make you think about where you’re going to get hit next. Then we’re going to sky it to our playmakers on the outside, Papi [White], [Brendan] Cope and all them. We’re more of a smash-mouth team, but also have playmakers on the outside with speed.”
