NEWS

December 21st, 2017 | BAHAMAS BOWL

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UAB Quotes – December 21, 2017

Head Coach Bill Clark
Opening statement…
“It is really good to be here. I can’t tell you how honored we are to be here. What a great event. I got to come down to the Bahamas a few years ago at Conference USA’s invitation. Just to see the hard work everyone has put in between the Bahamas Bowl staff, the Atlantis Bahamas, the Bahamas government is incredible. On behalf of UAB, we are very proud to be here. Our administration, students, team and fans are just so grateful to be here.

“Let me tell you a little bit about our team. These two guys (Shaq Jones and Tevin Crews) are very indicative in our story, from having our program shut down two years ago and to coming back. There were a lot of people that were just happy that we were back. These guys had other plans, they wanted to do something special. We talked about making history. They were on the 2014 team and they stayed around and believed. Some people may have picked us 130th out of 130 teams going in to the year but to have such a great year like they have had speaks volumes about them.

“It has been an adventure since we got here (The Bahamas). We have some good practices. I believe the team has been able to enjoy themselves. We have had some really good events with Ohio. Now we are currently in our game mode. Today is normally what we would do the day before a game as we get ready to play.”

On his Bahamas experience…
“I have been here before and really knew how special it was. For these guys to experience something like this is special. We have discussed the percentage of these guys that will have the opportunity to come back. I have had guys that have been at bowl games at other places but I don’t think they have been to one that compares to what we have seen so far. This trip has been above and beyond anything we could have asked for. Now we just have to go out and try and win a football game tomorrow.”

On the local Bahamian talent potentially coming to the USA…
“We were just discussing have a camp down here some day and giving back to the local Bahamian community. We talked about that all the way back in 2014. The best thing about college athletics is the opportunity. We talk about it all the time, that it is more than just the game itself. It is a great opportunity for these young men to get the academic scholarships. They earn it, but all of these things that are covered – their books, tuition, housing and food. There is a lot of opportunity and it would be great to get things up and running in The Bahamas. I would love to come back and recruit some athletes. We were pulling up to the practice facility and I saw a few track athletes that I could see running down the field and catching a football.”

On Conference USA’s performance in bowl games so far…
“We feel that is not only important to represent our city and fans but also our conference. Conference USA is a great conference and we play really well outside our conference. We are really proud at what we did inside the conference this year because it is so completive. I think it shows in these bowl games. Our conference is doing well.”

On the fan support…
“Our fans have been tremendous. This whole process was funded by our community. The proof was in the pudding. They not only talked about it, but they showed up and put their own money forward for this program. Just seeing our fans walking around with pride is great. This is what it is all about.”

On the success of the offense…
“There are two things that really stand out. Spencer Brown has received a lot of accolades. He is a local homegrown talent. I spoke a lot about him today with the ESPN crew and him being a freshman Conference Player of the Year. He was a linebacker up until his junior year of high school. Also, any running attack starts with our offensive line. We also have a really good quarterback in A.J. Erdely. He has been protecting the ball really well and I hope he continues to do that. We have had a really good rushing attack and Spencer will lead us in that effort.”

 

Redshirt Senior LB Tevin Crews
On his favorite part of the week…
“For me, it has been meeting local Bahamians. They are so nice and generous. One of the things I will take with me from my time here is ‘I will be back.’ I have been enjoying the water park at Atlantis. It has just been a very exciting trip.”

On the importance of this game for the fans who have supported the program…
“A lot of people have fought for this university, for this football team to come back. It has been a tremendous driving force for this team. The days you do not feel like working that hard, you think of how somebody has made a sacrifice for us and it is time for us to do the same for them. It has never gone unnoticed. We will never forget the people that did tremendous things to bring this program back. We are very appreciative of the Birmingham community, we have a great fan base and we love them to death.”

On the key to the defense’s success…
“Something that may go unnoticed a lot is our film study. Knowing what the opponent is going to do when they are about to do it. That takes you a long way. We have a tremendous coaching staff that pushes us every day.”

On getting back into game mode…
“Earlier this week, we sat down and discussed prioritizing. You enjoy the moment when you are out having fun at the water park and other things like that but when we get up in the morning and go to the meeting rooms, it is all business. You have to understand that we are here to have fun but the main goal is to win a football game. We have some really good practices since we have landed in the Bahamas and that is because of how we prioritized our time.”

 

Redshirt Senior LB Shaq Jones
On his favorite part of the week…
“Unlike Tevin, I am very excited about the heat. It has been around 30 degrees back in Birmingham. Laying on the beach has been great for me. I do not know if you can tell but my voice is a little rough. I have been having a blast. I really enjoyed swimming with the dolphins and some of the other things I can’t get back in Birmingham. I have enjoyed my time here.”

On the defense’s success…
“The key to our success this season has been the competition. We do a lot of competing in practice. The way we practice and prepare leads to success in the games. The coaches always challenge us to get 10 turnovers in practice. You know how hard it is to get one turnover and we try to get 10 in one practice. This all leads to our success.”

On Shaq Jones’ son’s reaction to UAB making the Bahamas Bowl…
“His first reaction to hearing about the game was ‘Dad, can I go?’ He loves watching and supporting me. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to come but there will be a big watch party back at home. He knows so many guys on the team. It will be a proud moment if we get this win because it’s something I can tell my kids and my future grandkids.”

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