(12-02-2018 08:43 PM)NIU05 Wrote:  

(12-02-2018 04:15 PM)Blazer4Life14 Wrote:  Excited for this game. Always have respected the hell out of NIU. Should be a heck of a matchup.

Can't believe UAB has built up so fast. To cancel program and be back as CHAMPS in so short of time is incredible. Clark should be Coach of the Year hands down.

Last season, our first back with a team that has never taken a live snap together, Clark got us to eight wins and a bowl. This year, ten wins and a conference championship and a better bowl. This is our best season ever.

We're 12-0 at home since #TheReturn.

Clark built wisely, with carefully chosen Jucos and regular freshmen added in. We'll graduate most of that Juco heavy team this year, and likely take a step back. Then again, we have a solid core and can spot recruit Jucos for areas of need. Drastically improved facilities, a championship, and available playing time will attract some good recruits.

Clark is a winner, period. We just made him the highest paid coach in the conference, and he wants to be at UAB. I expect to be able to keep him at least until the new stadium he helped design opens in 2021, although you never know when someone might back up a Brink's truck to his door.

(12-02-2018 08:43 PM)NIU05 Wrote:  Can't believe UAB has built up so fast. To cancel program and be back as CHAMPS in so short of time is incredible. Clark should be Coach of the Year hands down.

In 2013 (Before Clark) we didn't win a single FBS game. We also got blown out by a team that had went 0-23 over the last 2 years in Southern Miss. In 2014 (year 1 of Clark) we went 6-6 which got our program shut down by the UA system Board of Trustees lead by the drunken son of Bear Bryant. Today (December 2) also happens to be the 4 year anniversary of it #fireraywatts. Coach Clark has built our program from a bare cupboard twice now and he's just signed a new contract to be the highest paid coach in C-USA for it. Bill Clark also helped build South Alabama's program from scratch as their DC. He's cited that as one of the reasons for our success over the last 2 years.

UAB fans and Birmingham raised 50 million dollars and brought back our program with some new practice facilities. (New stadium is coming in 2021) When we restarted the program we were allowed by the ncaa to sign 50 players (25 for the lost class in 2015 and 25 for 2016) Some players came back from other programs to rejoin UAB too. Eligibility was then stopped for those 50+ players until we resumed football games in 2017. Certain fans of other C-USA schools have been very salty about our ability to over sign a bunch of JUCO players that one off season. As a result of the eligibility and recruiting waivers, We have 35 seniors on this team and we have some Freshman that have been on campus for 3 years now, for example our Freshman QB Tyler Johnston. In order to keep the momentum of the return, Clark knew he couldn't run out a bunch of freshman like SMU and Marshall did after their respective program restarts and go winless for years. We had to win games immediately.

We're excited to see you guys in the Boca Bowl. Feel free to stop by and say hello on our board. Here's hoping I can get off work and actually go to this game.

(12-03-2018 01:31 AM)Dracorex Wrote:  

(12-02-2018 08:43 PM)NIU05 Wrote:  Can't believe UAB has built up so fast. To cancel program and be back as CHAMPS in so short of time is incredible. Clark should be Coach of the Year hands down.

In 2013 (Before Clark) we didn't win a single FBS game. We also got blown out by a team that had went 0-23 over the last 2 years in Southern Miss. In 2014 (year 1 of Clark) we went 6-6 which got our program shut down by the UA system Board of Trustees lead by the drunken son of Bear Bryant. Today (December 2) also happens to be the 4 year anniversary of it #fireraywatts. Coach Clark has built our program from a bare cupboard twice now and he's just signed a new contract to be the highest paid coach in C-USA for it. Bill Clark also helped build South Alabama's program from scratch as their DC. He's cited that as one of the reasons for our success over the last 2 years.

UAB fans and Birmingham raised 50 million dollars and brought back our program with some new practice facilities. (New stadium is coming in 2021) When we restarted the program we were allowed by the ncaa to sign 50 players (25 for the lost class in 2015 and 25 for 2016) Some players came back from other programs to rejoin UAB too. Eligibility was then stopped for those 50+ players until we resumed football games in 2017. Certain fans of other C-USA schools have been very salty about our ability to over sign a bunch of JUCO players that one off season. As a result of the eligibility and recruiting waivers, We have 35 seniors on this team and we have some Freshman that have been on campus for 3 years now, for example our Freshman QB Tyler Johnston. In order to keep the momentum of the return, Clark knew he couldn't run out a bunch of freshman like SMU and Marshall did after their respective program restarts and go winless for years. We had to win games immediately.

We're excited to see you guys in the Boca Bowl. Feel free to stop by and say hello on our board. Here's hoping I can get off work and actually go to this game.

^thank you for synapses I was wondering what happened. I see you guys do things “the hard way” too. Cheers to a great game.

(12-02-2018 04:18 PM)MiamiHuskie Wrote:  

(12-02-2018 04:15 PM)Blazer4Life14 Wrote:  Excited for this game. Always have respected the hell out of NIU. Should be a heck of a matchup.

Should be a great game, you guys have a lot of talent. Hopefully the same NIU that beat Buffalo shows up for the bowl.

Would that be the 1st half or 2nd half team?

Huge respect for UAB and what you had to endure. So many of us followed the story when the program was cut then resurrected. I still think it was fear that UAB was building a very good program that might detract from Alabama, which prompted the decision to cut the program. Really excited about this match up and meeting some very classy fans.

Sent from my SM-N910V using CSNbbs mobile app

Yahoo has this as 21st best bowl out of 39. Wow. I guess we will know if NIU has really made true strides offensively going up against this UAB defense

Vegas thinks this is an even match-up.

Opening Line: NIU -1

(12-03-2018 08:01 AM)thxjoenovak Wrote:  Vegas thinks this is an even match-up.

Opening Line: NIU -1

Something tells me this game will feel like the BYU game

(12-03-2018 08:03 AM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  

(12-03-2018 08:01 AM)thxjoenovak Wrote:  Vegas thinks this is an even match-up.

Opening Line: NIU -1

Something tells me this game will feel like the BYU game

I was thinking of the '08 Independance Bowl.

It'll be a huge let down for me if the offense goes back to being futile after the MACC. I hope the staff doesn't coach scared. Use the momentum of that performance to propel the offense...

(12-02-2018 08:59 PM)Smaug Wrote:  

(12-02-2018 08:52 PM)NILAW Wrote:  "It's hard to go against the Blazers and coach Bill Clark, [/b]especially given NIU's bowl struggles under Rod Carey[b]." (http://www.espn.com/college-football/sto...-matchup). I know I am tired of that rep. and hope the players and coaches are also!

I read that, too, and found it odd. UAB is 0-2 in bowl games all time, including getting drummed out of the stadium by Ohio last year under Clark.

I love the guy and believe in him as a coach, but he's 0-1 in bowl games.

Well we got you beat; Rod Carey is 0-5 in bowl games, which is a sore subject around here. Actually, his first game as a head coach was the Orange Bowl against Florida St., the national champion the following year - talk about a tough challenge for your first game! To bring a little levity to the subject, which rant about NIU going to the Orange Bowl is better - Herbstreit or Hitler? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX8nwlIPUSs; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sojW71JDCA8

BTW you and the other UAB fans are very welcome here. It is always fun to talk to classy fans from teams we are playing.

(12-03-2018 09:08 AM)badmoonrising13 Wrote:  It'll be a huge let down for me if the offense goes back to being futile after the MACC. I hope the staff doesn't coach scared. Use the momentum of that performance to propel the offense...

I think UAB has a much better D than Buffalo. Buffalo's offense forces teams to pass, after which they do well defending their opponents' limited game plan. UAB will be tougher than that.

(12-03-2018 10:29 AM)Huskie_Jon Wrote:  

(12-03-2018 09:08 AM)badmoonrising13 Wrote:  It'll be a huge let down for me if the offense goes back to being futile after the MACC. I hope the staff doesn't coach scared. Use the momentum of that performance to propel the offense...

I think UAB has a much better D than Buffalo. Buffalo's offense forces teams to pass, after which they do well defending their opponents' limited game plan. UAB will be tougher than that.

I doubt UAB has as good of a defense as FSU and we did a good job of moving the ball in the second half of the the FSU game. We have a good enough running attack and passing attack to be successful if we have the right approach / game plan. Our coaches just can't be satisfied with playing a close game. They have to get the offense moving (make adjustment) whether we are up 3 or down 3 or down 19. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm pretty sick and tired of Three and Out University...

Just hope they can build on the second half of the MACC game and not go back to what they were the rest of the year. Hope they are fired up to play one more game this year.

I’ll be pretty surprised if we don’t see a better effort than we have in recent Bowl games. I don’t know if that’ll translate to a win, but coming off winning the conference, they’ll be ready to go.

(12-03-2018 02:06 PM)badmoonrising13 Wrote:  

(12-03-2018 10:29 AM)Huskie_Jon Wrote:  

(12-03-2018 09:08 AM)badmoonrising13 Wrote:  It'll be a huge let down for me if the offense goes back to being futile after the MACC. I hope the staff doesn't coach scared. Use the momentum of that performance to propel the offense...

I think UAB has a much better D than Buffalo. Buffalo's offense forces teams to pass, after which they do well defending their opponents' limited game plan. UAB will be tougher than that.

I doubt UAB has as good of a defense as FSU and we did a good job of moving the ball in the second half of the the FSU game. We have a good enough running attack and passing attack to be successful if we have the right approach / game plan. Our coaches just can't be satisfied with playing a close game. They have to get the offense moving (make adjustment) whether we are up 3 or down 3 or down 19. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm pretty sick and tired of Three and Out University...

I think UAB is probably a little better defensively than FSU, very comparable at the least.

(12-03-2018 07:55 AM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  Yahoo has this as 21st best bowl out of 39. Wow. I guess we will know if NIU has really made true strides offensively going up against this UAB defense

Yahoo sports reporting is just terrible. I do not know how many times I read an article in Yahoo, and then immediately thought, "Why did I read that? I just wasted two minutes of my life".

Or they point to a video and say "Here's an amazing trick play! Wow!" And it's nothing special.

The Boca Raton Bowl is one of the few bowls that actually features two conference champions. It is not just a pity bowl for a couple teams that had good seasons, but...

(12-03-2018 07:55 AM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  Yahoo has this as 21st best bowl out of 39. Wow. I guess we will know if NIU has really made true strides offensively going up against this UAB defense

CBS Sports has it ranked as the 12th best game.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-footba...ange-bowl/

Quote:12. Boca Raton Bowl

UAB vs. Northern Illinois -- Dec. 18, 7 p.m.: I won't lie to you. I would have preferred to see UAB taking on Buffalo in this game because I think it would have made a slightly better matchup, but this will still be an interesting game. Just don't expect a lot of points! These are two teams that win with their defense, and both will be trying to do that in Boca.

Washington Post has it ranked as the 13th best game.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/20...00fcb27e36

Quote:13. Boca Raton Bowl (Northern Illinois vs. UAB, Dec. 18, 7 p.m., ESPN)

The full list of bowls pitting conference champions: The Orange (Alabama-Oklahoma), the Rose (Ohio State-Washington) and the Boca Raton. Not bad company. The Huskies (8-5) are a perennial Mid-American Conference power, while Coach Bill Clark’s work at UAB (10-3) remains one of the more remarkable developments in the sport this decade.

Did I mention that Yahoo Sports sucks?

(12-03-2018 08:01 AM)thxjoenovak Wrote:  Vegas thinks this is an even match-up.

Opening Line: NIU -1

Update:
UAB -2 1/2
O/U 43