UAB Band Dad

Shrug, just a conversation. C-USA refs have been horrible for years, there's nothing new about that, and unfortunately I doubt it will change. It was a good game and could have gone either way. Best of luck to you from here out.

"How is it not correct outside of a few assist coach changes? You kept the same HC, that allowed for the guys to know how things were done.. Yes you lost guys (more than likely anyone but every school loses guys) and you added and replaced them.. Also you did out recruit both years we have had SL, with us yall being #2 in 2016 and not sure (of the ranking) but y'all were ahead of us in 2017 per 24/7 which is the service most people here use.. " The one consistency that we retained was Bill Clark, and he is literally the difference between our having a football program today and seeing it permanently buried on 12/2/14. When the University of Alabama Trustees finally were able to put a toady willing to kill football in as President of UAB, they thought that Football (and likely serious athletics at UAB) was over. The propaganda paints President Watts as facing down athletic cost overruns in the name of academic budgets. This is complete bullshit. There are three schools in the system, UA in Tuscaloosa, UAH in Huntsville, and UAB. UAB brings in roughly 70% of the system's income. Yes, 'Bama Football brings in huge, self sustaining money, as UT or aTm do, but it was never about money. There was plenty of evidence once we got to some of the documents and part of the truth came out, it was obvious that he had been hired in bad faith. Things came to light that had not been known, for instance that the most recent contract to use Legion Field was not a three or five year deal as in the past but a one year deal. The one which became obvious was that contracts for OOC games in the future were not getting signed. Even Clark's contract was a three year deal, not the standard five or at least four. As a result when he was let go, his contract was paid in full including all incentive clauses. The only reason that he did not sue the snot out of them was that he signed that away in negotiating exit pay for his assistants, who otherwise simply would have been sacked, boom, no more pay after next payday. He had the luxury of a couple of years paychecks in the bank, so when UAB, followed by much of Birmingham, threw a collective fit and refused to sit still for killing the program, he sat out the storm and waited to see what would happen. As the #FreeUAB movement gathered momentum, as the business community and others who had taken the program for granted decided that it was insane for a school the size of UAB in a city the size of Birmingham *not* to have football in a place every bit as football crazy as Texas, he saw the potential, and he and Jennifer decided to stay and fight for it. The Free UAB movement eventually raised better than $40 million and built a $22.5m football complex, but it is telling that it is the first dedicated building for football that UAB has after 25 years in D1, and the fans had to pay for it. The UA Board of Trustees has abundantly proven that they know how to build a program... but you can't tell it by us. Even today, university support for the program is severely limited. We can have whatever we want, if we pay for it and if we can get the BoT to approve of it. For instance, we are *not allowed* to issue bonds to build an on campus stadium. In fact, although we own the land for one, we are not allowed to build or consider building and fundraising for an OCS. We *are* approved to sign a contract if the City of B'ham builds a replacement for Legion Field elsewhere. Back to the subject at hand... Clark was a winner of multiple championships as a high school coach in Alabama, and did well at South Alabama and Jax State. He is well respected here. He replaced Garrick McGee, who won five games in two years, presided over our lowest ebb ever, (which is really saying something), and nearly buried the program singlehandedly. However bad you were, we were right there with you. Three out of ten coaches isn't much of a carryover, especially when one of them was a graduate assistant. Our OC came on board in early 2016. The team worked very hard to be where they are. C-USA and the NCAA looked at events and were very fair with the process of bringing the team back. We knew the process and trusted Clark. We knew how hard he worked to identify and recruit the guys we'd need to come back with a chance to win a few games. We know that we're a lot better than the handicappers and columnists give us credit for. Vegas had our over under at 2 1/2 wins. We have two and damn near had three after four games. There were many who picked UAB at #130 of 130 teams. You know we're better than that now. If not for a phantom lineman downfield call that got a TD called back things might have been different, but either way we are making solid progress. The UAB fans still hope to make six wins, even though they know in their hearts that three or four is a more reasonable expectation for our first season back. This wall of text is probably more than you care about, but you pushed my button. It was a good game, and y'all were a good addition to the league. If anyone comes to Birmingham next season, give me a holler and we'll give you a beer and feed you up at the tailgate. The Blazer fans are pretty welcoming of other fan bases if they are not complete jackwagons. >grin<

This is incorrect. When the program was shut down, we lost our coaches, players, and recruits. The players were offered continuing scholarships if they chose to stay at UAB, and several of them did. Most went elsewhere. Several chose to return when the program was revived. The total of guys from the 2014 team is, I believe, 14 total. Our DC was the DLine coach in 2014. One of the coaches was a graduate assistant on that team, and one was the Director of Football Operations. All the rest were hired after the return. The team practiced on the same schedule as the rest of the league, although the first year back there was a shortage of linemen. It was difficult to get everyone else reps without killing our shorthanded OL. If you are somehow implying that UAB got some sort of break by being allowed to practice while your players got actual game reps, I'll make you a deal. All you have to do is shut down your program, let your coaches go elsewhere, let your players go elsewhere. You can have the fun of seeing your guys playing for P5 schools that way, as we did. The recruits that your coaches were working on can either go where the guy recruiting them got hired or go somewhere else. Then you can have two years where the guys that you recruit have their eligibility clock stopped without a redshirt until you can get up to 85 players or so. Then you can go play games. The only "advantage" we had was that when Coach Clark decided that a team full of 18 and 19 years old would produce years of losses, as happened at SMU after the death penalty, so he actively pursued JUCO players and D1 transfers. This produced "upperclassmen" on the team, although they had never played a game together. The advantage to this was twofold... one, Coaches recruiting could honestly offer playing time to the guys who worked the hardest and played the best. There was no depth chart, no starters to have to push aside. The other advantage was that if a player had grade problems that he needed to address or injuries that needed to be rehabbed, he could do so without it counting against his eligibility and without doing it while playing games. I assure you that this process does not produce an advantage for your program, but feel free to try it if you don't believe me.

" UAB should have gone for two when they had the chance." Easy to say. I'm glad that I didn't have to make that decision. I think you have to take the sure point and don't piss away the comeback, but you can make a case either way. Our special teams just killed us. Big returns all through the game. Yes, it was sloppy... entertaining at times, painful to watch at times. Did you guys get a call on the 75 yard TD that was called back? I was watching BeIn sports, and there was no call by the refs and the announcers never did say. That was a huge game changing call. Grats, you guys never quit and gutted it out. I'm proud of our team, they by God never quit either.

Thanks. It's so good to be back. I was all up in the fight to preserve football, and then to bring it back. I was standing outside the coach's offices when the players came out crying after the coaches told them that the shutdown was real, and I was still standing outside the locker room when they came out red-faced, crying and steaming mad after President Watts addressed the team. A lot of us put much effort into getting football (and bowling and rifle) back, and some of us gave very big money as well. I really couldn't enjoy college football for the last two years. Watching made me so bitter... It's good to be back. We won when our team walked back onto the field a few weeks back. The record is almost beside the point - but we want the wins too. Best of luck to you guys (except against us), you seem to be decent sorts, unlike a couple of fan bases I could name.

Nod. I spotted that later, but at the time I didn't realize it. One of those your reporter tells us about UNT and our guy tells you about UAB stories pointed it out. I think this is really anybody's game. The team who holds on third down, minimizes turnovers, hits a big play or two, and does not get dumb penalties probably wins... like 90% of football games played. That's almost as bad as saying the team which scores the most points will win. It's our first year back and you have more depth, plus UNT is at home, so I have to give you guys an edge based on that. Get on the wrong side of the above list and that changes fast.

Could be. It looked celebratory to me, like he thought you would capitalize on those weaknesses. Even if I missed his point, I suspect I'll live right through it. >grin<

I'm sure that there will be some, but I don't expect a very large turnout. It's what, around 700 miles? To put it another way, how many of your guys come here for a road game? I suspect that the numbers will be similar. I have not heard a huge drumbeat rallying the clans to get there. We travel reasonably well to Southern Miss, say, but Denton isn't a day trip, and it's not an easy two day run either unless you take a plane.

Both have been coaching points of emphasis. Don't hang your hat on it just yet.

First off, we're fans of our schools on both sides, so of course we think we're going to win. That's sports fanatic 101. What you guys don't, can't, understand is our faith in Bill Clark. When we hired the previous HC, Garrick McGee, we thought we'd hired Bobby Petrino's OC. In reality, we got a self promoter who made sure that groups of guys were in the right places at practice, held a clipboard, and had the special teams guys standing on the sideline panel with the eleven dots on it. He talked a good game and recruited reasonably well, but when it came to game planning and coaching the kids up, he could not walk the walk. When Petrino got a job, he ran back to him and he left behind our program in absolute disarray. He was here for two years and drove the program into a ditch. Under him we won three games in 2012 and two in 2013, and the 2013 season was the most the most miserable football experience of my life. There were games when we had 8-12k people in that 70k seat tomb. It was beyond painful and well into torture and misery, and the worst of it was that we *chose* to show up and endure it out of loyalty to our team. Clark was hired very late. He wasn't able to do much recruiting other than bringing some guys that he'd been after for Jacksonville State. He took those kids and what we had and went 6-6 in his first year. He showed us that he could flat coach. He gave us hope. Without Clark staying, UAB football would be dead, there is no doubt in my mind. Instead we have the first dedicated facility ever built for UAB football, a $22.5 million dollar state of the art facility. He's the real deal. So yes, we're going to be optimistic and to pull for our team. Pundits ranked us at the bottom of the league because they had no idea what we have. Vegas had our over/under for wins at 2.5 and we have two already. We're going to prove them wrong. We're going to win some games. We're going to surprise some people. We might even surprise you. As someone on our board pointed out, y'all are "Super confident for a team that is 11-29 since 2014. We have 8 wins since 2014 and didn't play football for 2 years." Yes, I know, new coach, and you feel about yours as we do about ours. That's fair. We've got our problems. We've had difficulty getting off the field on third down, although that improved last week. Special teams have not been very special. The biggest problem I see overall is that we simply don't have quality depth in our first year back. The kids are getting tired in the second half, and I'm not sure that won't be a factor all season. Any injury is magnified because of that as well. As to UTEP, what they've shown so far this season is pretty miserable. I'm looking forward to a good game. You seem to be good fans, and not nearly as obnoxious as some in the league are. Best of luck to you guys - except when you play us. You know how it is.