12-02-2018, 12:21 PM
Call us whatever you want, but you damn well better call us conference champions.
I sit here on the 4th anniversary of Black Monday, remembering the raw anger and despair, and what a dark time it was. Then I remember the pure, shameless joy of yesterday afternoon.
Wow.
Wow. Wow. Wow.
I'd never stormed a field before. Though, in all candor "storming" wasn't really an accurate characterization. It was more like a slow, happy flood. I high-fived and hugged players and coaches, total strangers. What a motley crew we were. These were my people.
I took a snow angel selfy on on the midfield logo. Really.
4 years to the day after Black Friday, have you ever been more excited about the future of UAB football than you are right now?
Crazy.
Whew! On to the observations.
Home. Field. Advantage
We took over that damned stadium. Announced attendance 15,806. The only comment I'll make on the accuracy of that is that their did seem to be more people there than last week when they reported 14 and change. You already know my opinion of that number.
I don't harp on this point to bust Middle's chops, per se. If nothing else, it illustrates the struggle of non-cartel schools. That said, our average crowd would have turned 31,000 seat Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium into a pretty packed house.
It will be a great day to be a Blazer when we are out of Legion Field.
So, anyway. Enough editorializing on that. The crowd and the band brought the energy and the noise. The team noticed. Coach Clark noticed. Middle's ad campaign was "Our Team, our town". Well, maybe, but it was OUR stadium.
Post-game social media review
Tech fans are some salty *******.
Old Guard
I saw a lot of former Blazer footballers at the game, and I was as happy for them as I was for anybody. I hope the steak was good at dinner, gentlemen. I hope your beer was smooth and cold. You deserve to celebrate.
"Run til the wheels fall off."
Spencer Brown. Sophomore. Mortimer Jordan High School. Kimberly, AL.MVP.
31 carries. 156 yards. 1 TD. The last thirty setting up the winning points. Have yourself a day, young man. Speaking of...
Big Uglies
What a difference a healthy offensive line makes, huh? Big Lee Dufour even made it back, bionic arm and all. We hit some big plays all day, but that drive to cut it to 13-10 was pure, old school big boy football. There's something extremely gratifying in watching one man move another man backward against his will. On Spencer's touchdown, I didn't count, but I'm pretty sure I saw eleven Blue Raiders on their ass in the end zone.
Mr. Excitement
Andre Wilson. Senior. Judson High School. Converse, TX.
This guy in two years has become one of my all-time favorite players. Quick. Agile. Utterly fearless. One catch. 40 yards. 1TD. Right in front of the band. Watch the replay. It's a beautiful thing. Got hosed on yet another bonehead call. I believe in my heart he was about to score on that punt return when they whistled it dead. I watched him from the snap of the ball, and I will testify before you and any court in the land that he most certainly did NOT signal for a fair catch.
TJ3
Tyler Johnston III. Redshirt Freshman. Spanish Fort High School. Spanish Fort, AL.
9 of 15 (to 7 different receivers) for 147 yards. 1 TD. 1 pick. 17 carries for 56 yards. 1 TD. One instant classic end zone shoulder chuck on one salty-ass Middle safety.
Shoestring
Mar'sean Diggs. Senior. Edison-Friendship Academy. Washington DC.
4 tackles. 3 solo. None bigger than the touchdown saving snag in the 4th quarter. That snag may have been the biggest play of the game.
There be giants
Johnathan Hayden. Friendship Academy. Upper Marlboro, MD.
5'6". Listed as a WR, but played corner at some pivotal moments yesterday, and had two huge breakups late that I counted.
The Good
I've heard we sandbagged last week, and while I don't think that's really true, I don't think Clark was all that broken up about sitting some bunged up guys last week. We were a different team yesterday than we were 8 days previously. I predicted they'd come out with fire in their eyes, and I like it when I'm proven right. I mean, who doesn't?
The Bad
Okay, NOW I'm going to harp on Middle's attendance. Last week it was a holiday weekend, and students were gone home. Fair enough. I get it. But none of that was true yesterday, and it was for the damn conference championship. Wow. I was embarrassed for them.
The Ugly
Punkinhead was there, like a cockroach on a wedding cake.
Best Smack of the Day
From the Snarky Haze, "MTSU: too many people on the field, not enough in the stands."
So, what does this mean, Barbara?
It means we won 10 games. We won a conference championship. In the current, inequity that is college football, there's not much else we CAN do. Bring home a bowl victory and finish the season with a flourish.
The view is much better than it was 4 years ago.
That's all I got. For now. I think.
I sit here on the 4th anniversary of Black Monday, remembering the raw anger and despair, and what a dark time it was. Then I remember the pure, shameless joy of yesterday afternoon.
Wow.
Wow. Wow. Wow.
I'd never stormed a field before. Though, in all candor "storming" wasn't really an accurate characterization. It was more like a slow, happy flood. I high-fived and hugged players and coaches, total strangers. What a motley crew we were. These were my people.
I took a snow angel selfy on on the midfield logo. Really.
4 years to the day after Black Friday, have you ever been more excited about the future of UAB football than you are right now?
Crazy.
Whew! On to the observations.
Home. Field. Advantage
We took over that damned stadium. Announced attendance 15,806. The only comment I'll make on the accuracy of that is that their did seem to be more people there than last week when they reported 14 and change. You already know my opinion of that number.
I don't harp on this point to bust Middle's chops, per se. If nothing else, it illustrates the struggle of non-cartel schools. That said, our average crowd would have turned 31,000 seat Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium into a pretty packed house.
It will be a great day to be a Blazer when we are out of Legion Field.
So, anyway. Enough editorializing on that. The crowd and the band brought the energy and the noise. The team noticed. Coach Clark noticed. Middle's ad campaign was "Our Team, our town". Well, maybe, but it was OUR stadium.
Post-game social media review
Tech fans are some salty *******.
Old Guard
I saw a lot of former Blazer footballers at the game, and I was as happy for them as I was for anybody. I hope the steak was good at dinner, gentlemen. I hope your beer was smooth and cold. You deserve to celebrate.
"Run til the wheels fall off."
Spencer Brown. Sophomore. Mortimer Jordan High School. Kimberly, AL.MVP.
31 carries. 156 yards. 1 TD. The last thirty setting up the winning points. Have yourself a day, young man. Speaking of...
Big Uglies
What a difference a healthy offensive line makes, huh? Big Lee Dufour even made it back, bionic arm and all. We hit some big plays all day, but that drive to cut it to 13-10 was pure, old school big boy football. There's something extremely gratifying in watching one man move another man backward against his will. On Spencer's touchdown, I didn't count, but I'm pretty sure I saw eleven Blue Raiders on their ass in the end zone.
Mr. Excitement
Andre Wilson. Senior. Judson High School. Converse, TX.
This guy in two years has become one of my all-time favorite players. Quick. Agile. Utterly fearless. One catch. 40 yards. 1TD. Right in front of the band. Watch the replay. It's a beautiful thing. Got hosed on yet another bonehead call. I believe in my heart he was about to score on that punt return when they whistled it dead. I watched him from the snap of the ball, and I will testify before you and any court in the land that he most certainly did NOT signal for a fair catch.
TJ3
Tyler Johnston III. Redshirt Freshman. Spanish Fort High School. Spanish Fort, AL.
9 of 15 (to 7 different receivers) for 147 yards. 1 TD. 1 pick. 17 carries for 56 yards. 1 TD. One instant classic end zone shoulder chuck on one salty-ass Middle safety.
Shoestring
Mar'sean Diggs. Senior. Edison-Friendship Academy. Washington DC.
4 tackles. 3 solo. None bigger than the touchdown saving snag in the 4th quarter. That snag may have been the biggest play of the game.
There be giants
Johnathan Hayden. Friendship Academy. Upper Marlboro, MD.
5'6". Listed as a WR, but played corner at some pivotal moments yesterday, and had two huge breakups late that I counted.
The Good
I've heard we sandbagged last week, and while I don't think that's really true, I don't think Clark was all that broken up about sitting some bunged up guys last week. We were a different team yesterday than we were 8 days previously. I predicted they'd come out with fire in their eyes, and I like it when I'm proven right. I mean, who doesn't?
The Bad
Okay, NOW I'm going to harp on Middle's attendance. Last week it was a holiday weekend, and students were gone home. Fair enough. I get it. But none of that was true yesterday, and it was for the damn conference championship. Wow. I was embarrassed for them.
The Ugly
Punkinhead was there, like a cockroach on a wedding cake.
Best Smack of the Day
From the Snarky Haze, "MTSU: too many people on the field, not enough in the stands."
So, what does this mean, Barbara?
It means we won 10 games. We won a conference championship. In the current, inequity that is college football, there's not much else we CAN do. Bring home a bowl victory and finish the season with a flourish.
The view is much better than it was 4 years ago.
That's all I got. For now. I think.
