UAB played its first Division 1-A football game vs. Auburn. Lost 29-0, but trailed only 9-0 at the half.
Post your memories of the game.
Went down there with my smoking hot wife and bought tickets outside the stadium so we were there in green amidst the Auburn fans. The ones around us were curious and friendly, but there was a drunk a few rows behind us who kept yelling all sorts of crap at us until finally one of the wargles stood on the bench, turned around and shouted, "You are an embarrassment to Auburn. Shut the hell up or go to Tuscaloosa with the rest of your bammer friends." And the Auburn fans cheered him.
We were right in front of the goal line where the defense stopped Dameyune Craig on fourth-and-one. The Auburn fans got very, very quiet.
My memories are somewhat clouded due to the celebratory nature of UAB playing its first D1-A game and against Auburn of all teams. I drove down to Montgomery and met up with Mungumery Blazer. His wife drove while he and I "celebrated" D1-A all the way to Auburn. Somewhere along the way, we stopped for gas, and a TV reporter was there, on the way to the game as well. He decided to interview us to get the UAB fan's prospective, I guess. We loudly proclaimed UAB's emergence into football prominance. Not only did we declare a UAB victory in Auburn, but I remember one of us getting right in the camera and yelling "Move over Alabama and Auburn, there's a third player in the state now!" The reporter was incredulous and must have immediately trashed the tape because we never saw any footage.
At the game, we celebrated more in the first half - the "Hey we're glad to be here" type celebration. UAB could not get anything going on offense, but played inspiring defense. When it was 9-0 at halftime, I turned to Mungumery Blazer and said "hey, we could actually win this game!" As we started getting more focused on the game itself, some of the fun went away because we suddenly really really wanted to win and was not just happy to make a good showing. Auburn scored a couple of field goals in the third quarter making it 15-0 going into the fourth. By the 4th quarter, though, UAB's defense was spent, and Auburn hit a couple quick TD's late in the fourth to make it 29-0 at the final.
After the game, Auburn fans were quick to point out that Terry Bowden did not show his full offense because they had a big SEC game next week. I countered that with "Neither did UAB. In fact, we showed less of our offense"
Most fun I have ever had at a UAB football game, and that even includes LSU.
I was a UAB student and Auburn fan until that game. I went down there wondering what my reaction would be when the game started, but I was sitting with the Blazer Faithful, and saw the light.
I've never looked back. Like the Beach Boys said, "Be true to your school, dammit."
I remember being turned off by API fans on the way out. They were grumbling about Bowden and how they were going to suck if they couldn't stomp a hole in somebody like UAB. I remember thinking, "If we'd had as many kids on scholarship as you did, WE'd have beat YOUR ass."
You're right, MB. We took it to them for 3 quarters, and then ran out of gas.
I was in my final year at UAB. My Dad, Mom and little sister (2 of which are Auburn grads, and all 3 Auburn fans) and I went to the game. We sat up behind the endzone where the jumbotron is now.
I wore my favorite UAB dragon head T. I was surrounded by AU fans, but none were overbearing nor obnoxious. I distinctly remember getting up at half time to get concessions, and many, many people were talking about how good our defense was. I just remember being thoroughly tickled pink at how well the defense played, especially at the half.
By the end of the game, it was obvious we were out matched and tired, but many of the Auburn faithful were obviously shaken by the no-name Blazers coming in and literally stopping them cold for 3+ quarters. Of course I heard many of the "Terry held back" statements, but I was amazed at how quiet the Auburn faithful were after the game.
This football game was THE game that solidified my football loyalties to UAB. Though a student at UAB that attended all of the home games from the previous season and that final season of my undergraduate career, I was more of a fan of the D1 schools that I had grown up rooting for or were I had gone to college- Auburn and Florida. From that point on, it's been UAB first.
(08-31-2011 08:15 AM)Smaug Wrote: [ -> ]I was a UAB student and Auburn fan until that game. I went down there wondering what my reaction would be when the game started, but I was sitting with the Blazer Faithful, and saw the light.
I've never looked back. Like the Beach Boys said, "Be true to your school, dammit."
I remember being turned off by API fans on the way out. They were grumbling about Bowden and how they were going to suck if they couldn't stomp a hole in somebody like UAB. I remember thinking, "If we'd had as many kids on scholarship as you did, WE'd have beat YOUR ass."
You're right, MB. We took it to them for 3 quarters, and then ran out of gas.
Your story is why Alabama and Auburn refuse to play us. They know they have plenty of fans who are UAB students and if they play us, even if they win, they will lose fans as students have to choose to go with their school or the team they have cheered for all of their life. Don't play and hard choices don't have to be made.
I remember wondering why Rodney Hudson was playing qb for us and not Kevin Drake as Hudson could not hit sand if he fell off a camel.
I remember a great defensive effort.
I remember goal Line stand.
I remember Craig spend several plays on his back.
I remember a missed FG and a dropped TD pass (might have been one of the 5 accurate passes he threw in his entire career) in the first half and thinking we should be up 10-9.
I remember the Auburn fans were gracious hosts and everyone was friendly and complimentary. Much opposite the reception we received in Tuscaloosa.
I realized I was a UAB fan because of this game as well, but it was before the game was played. My dad was an Alabama fan, but more of a basketball fan than a football fan. My grandfather on my mom's side was a huge Auburn fan and had box seats at Jordan Hare. I went to UNA but started going to UAB games in the early days through a family connection. I loved how friendly everyone was, how the crowds back then had such a strong family atmosphere. I didn't really consider myself a UAB fan though, it was just something I did for fun.
So by 1995 my ties to Alabama had passed with my father and I was a Auburn fan. The Iron bowl was in Auburn that year and although my grandfather's box was full, he had given me two tickets on row 3 at the 20 yard line. I took a good friend of mine who was an Alabama fan, and I went wearing an Auburn sweatshirt over a UAB t-shirt. Auburn had a slim lead late in the game and Alabama was passing into the end-zone in the final minute to try for the come from behind win. My friend was going crazy because we were on the 20 on the far side of the field and couldn't see what was going on in the far endzone. I realized while watching that final drive that I didn't care who won the game. I stood there in the stands of an Iron bowl as the game was being decided in the final minute thinking "You know, I think the Blazers could hang with either of these teams." The first stirrings of Blazer Pride had stirred, and by the time we were walking back to my car I had the Auburn sweatshirt off and was proudly showing my UAB colors and yelling to the happy Auburn fans "Watch out, Y'all have to play UAB next year!"
I remember a pretty good effort on our part. To hold those guys to 9 points at the half was pretty cool.
I remember that they had a nice looking campus, and stadium.
I remember that many of the Auburn fans, much like many of the Tennessee fans were congratulatory toward us as we were leaving.
I was there & it was a historic game.
Does anyone have the picture of the UAB players dumping Craig on his head?
I used to have it.
Having never been to Auburn for a football game, I called the tix office too late since they had returned the tix the day before. On my way home from West End HS, I stopped at the Chevron station on Jefferson Ave. for gas (the owner is a former student) and a car pulled in with AU alumnus sticker so I walked up and asked if he knew anyone with tickets? He said his daughter didn't want to go and gave me her two tickets to club level seats.
I really enjoyed my only visit to Auburn. We took the elevator to our seat level, had access to philly steak & cheese sandwiches and drinks for free (to me) and went home somewhat satisfied with the resulting score since it was our first ever D1 game. Terry Bowden obviously didn't "pull out all the stops" but we played well considering all circumstances and showed promise for the future. I believe we almost took advantage of the Bowden family love of B'ham when we almost got to interview his former Samford QB as our second D1 coach before being squelched by the BOT. I will always believe that Jimbo was so turned off by the BOT's heavy handed actions that there was no way he would consider working at Bama and was very receptive to the "Head coach in waiting" offer from his mentor's dad at FSU. I will be pulling for FSU when they play OKU in a couple of weeks.
This game was supposed to be a glorious moment for me personally. I was finally going to play Division I football. I was a former JUCO All-American kicker who had won the kicking job at UAB in the pre-season. However, a few days before the Auburn game, I pulled a groin muscle in practice and was unable to play. Freshman Jake Arians, a good friend of mine to this day, took over all the kicking duties. It was a great atmosphere and a big moment for UAB, but it was a little bittersweet for me personally.
I was extremely proud to be a Blazer, though. I wish we had at least scored so our fans could have had that moment to cheer.
We did cheer as loud as we could! You guys gave us a reason to cheer by playing. we won because we played when so many people and so called "experts" said we would never have football.
Chill-freakin- Bumps just knowing we were finally in the Big Leagues...and when it was just 9-0 at the
half i just knew we really had shot to win this game .
Our crowd being LOUD as possible and the AU fans were quiet most of the game
(08-31-2011 10:34 AM)the_blazerman Wrote: [ -> ]I was there & it was a historic game.
Does anyone have the picture of the UAB players dumping Craig on his head?
I used to have it.
i have it on a 1997 pocket schedule... if i only knew how to post pics
(08-31-2011 09:14 AM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote: [ -> ]I remember wondering why Rodney Hudson was playing qb for us and not Kevin Drake as Hudson could not hit sand if he fell off a camel.
I remember a great defensive effort.
I remember goal Line stand.
I remember Craig spend several plays on his back.
I remember a missed FG and a dropped TD pass (might have been one of the 5 accurate passes he threw in his entire career) in the first half and thinking we should be up 10-9.
I remember the Auburn fans were gracious hosts and everyone was friendly and complimentary. Much opposite the reception we received in Tuscaloosa.
Hudson did hit Kenny Causey in stride on what would have been a TD
but Causey dropped it
Might have been the best and only good pass he ever threw and it went right through his hands pretty much in front of the UAB crowd. I couldn't remember who the reciever was but yea it was Kenny. It was a busted coverage and Kenny was wide, I MEAN WIDE open.
I had a class with Rodney Hudson, though most of the time he was disguised as an empty seat.
This was in a class with a real ball-buster on attendance.
We were there! The Aub's treated us real good. We went with an buddy of mine and his wife. They were AU alums and he was there working on another degree. We had a few beers and bambi burgers at his place then went to the game. Parking was a nightmare. We really played well for 3 qtrs and just ran out of steam. That D was Tuff! We had a great time and was proud of our Blazers!
15 years ago, I'm not sure if I even was aware of UAB's existence. It's amazing how much can change in a decade and a half. I'm really enjoying all of the strolls down memory lane.