You can't be dissapointed with our loss to MSU...

OK,

For all you naysayers, Bama-bashers, and paranoid-theorists, you can't be disappointed with our performance against MSU. The amount of bright spots out-number the amount of yards that MSU gained against us. Here are just 10 of the reasons why the Neil Callaway era has been kicked off with a bang.

[b]10) No cocky-crotch grabbing[/b] - And it's about time. There's a discipline on the UAB sideline that has been vacant for quite a while. No celebrations, just great football. Ok, maybe not great...but you get my drift

[b]9) One penalty ALL game[/b] - That may change as I write this, but a HUGE change from a penalty a minute. Just a reflection of the coaching, and we have some good coaching (Two intentional groundings on Hunt are bad decision making)

[b]8) Field Goals[/b] - Swayze Waters may not be the best punter, but he has NAILED his field goals. Good sign of the future.

[b]7) Callaway vs the official[/b] - Was I the only one who was cheering for Coach Callaway when he was going after the official. It's nice to see a little emotion (besides disbelief) from a HC

[b]6) Callaway's sideline manner[/b] - And while we're on the subject, am I the only one who noticed, no sweater vest, no hands on the hips, just a general barking orders...I could get used to that...

[b]5) No stupid mistakes[/b] - As bad as we looked, it was because MSU was just better than us, it was not about us beating ourselves. Sam did make a few bad choices, but nothing that can't be fixed.

[b]4) Adjustments[/b] - Wow. What a difference adjustments make. I see some hope for CUSA. I'll say we win 4-5 games, at least 2-3 because of second-half adjustments. Mark it down.

[b]3) Joe Webb[/b] - We all knew the wide-out core was thin. If Webb is our best WR, then so be it. Just please don't let Sam and Joe hurt on the same play...

[b]2) Work-ethic, Work-ethic, Work-ethic[/b] - Hard game against a physical team and no one was carried off the field. That says volumes about the work-ethic that our coaches (and especially our strength-and-conditioning coach) have instilled in our players. We're much better off than we were a year ago.

[b]1) No names, just one team[/b] - I don't care if you like it or not. I don't care if you think it's a mind-game, it looks like BamarU, or you just want to remember who is who, it works. It reminds every guy on that team that it takes 11 guys on offense and 11 guys on defense to win a game. That's something that's been missing on the Southside for a long time.

Two UAB basketball players arrested...

Birmingham's South Precinct has confirmed that 2 UAB basketball players were arrested at 1:30am. outside Club Red. They were arrested for disorderly conduct. The two basketball players were Freshman Keenan Ellis and Junior Robert Vaden.

More as the story develops...

Live-Blogging the Coaches Show

5:55pm - CNC came around and welcomed everyone. Shaking hands and small talk all around. Big difference from years past...a coach who's on time, I could get used to this...

6pm - Announcement and recap of the week's athletic events. I really like David, he's doing an excellent job!!!

First Break

Another observation - I really like the Hoover location of Full Moon. Lot's of space for the show and the fans, but not nearly as many people here as their were last week from what people are saying...

6:05pm - Hard practice Tuesday, ~70 plays, Backed off Wednesday and normal practice today - Says team should be fresh and ready to go - Gave the team two days rather than one (Sunday and Monday) - Coach could feel the excitement during and after practice - CNC's Opinion of the Big Ten - Big and Physical, MSU is no exception, using Power O and Zone Lead - Secondary - Dunbar will not play, others will have to step up - Carlie and Sanders will get the job done for us

Second Break

6:13pm - Joe from Alabaster - What's the defence? - Base out of the 4-3, may change to 3-4, depending on the flow, Cover 2 in the secondary - Pressure on the QB? - 2 DE, Brian Turn? and Brandon Jefferies are speedy, two others I missed their names - Defenseive Line? - Play 2 deep at each spot on defense Tim Davis at Nose Guard

How much Subbing, how may are playing - Front 4 will rotate constantly - Keep them fresh, everyone who plays is excited, play young guys early and grow them early

3-4 vs 4-3 and the differences, how do you decide - Have to have 2 linebackers that are fast are needed for the 3-4 as well as a big physical nose guard, 4-3 need more down linemen, less linebackers - 3rd downs will bring nickle/dime packages

Eric Shue on defense, blitz? Certain situations will bring pressure, but not always. 3rd down is a big decision for that - Blitzes leave people open, QB/RB will have to make plays

Break

Another observation - Lot's more Football Talk from CNC than from other coaches in the past...

6:22pm - Talking about the trip and week for Coach, first time as a HC? Busy preparing, hoping to contemplate that tonight or tomorrow, sure it will hit him soon - Long process to become HC, what are some of the things he's picked up from people - Being Organized, if not, you create confusion, likes to plan ahead, make sure you're doing is correct - communicate with the players

Email from TMCarty - How has Matt McCans progressed? Was told his story, watched the film, was very impressed, very young, lot's of potential to grow - OLine is physically and mentally demanding - very impressed watching him grow - Tuba to Starting left tackle

Toughest position on Oline - Center, snapping and against the nose guard attack, most exposed position is left tackle - Helton does good job with the game-plan

Eight guys on the defensive front, what about the OL? 7-8 guys on the line, 5 starters on the OL and 3 subs, individual subs, not line subs

Pre-season workouts, most confidence? Least Confidence? Most - secondary, corners especially, safeties as well - Least:receivers, big improvement, but not bearly where we need to be

Break

I love this live blogging thing...tons of fun!!!

6:35pm - Mark from Birmingham - Brandon Thorton - Injured? Ready? How many Years does he have? On campus Stadium? Hardship waver, so he will get 2 years - Shoulder, will not play this weeek, week-to-week after that - very fine young man, good attitude - Would love to see on campus stadium, but have work to do before that can be done.

Week ahead in Conference USA - Skipping this one to let my fingers rest...

Break

6:42pm - Weather High in the 80s - Spartan Stadium can get loud - Loco's doing free chips and wings for Gang Green (UAB Students) - Like road games, team building experience, not a lot of distractions, play good people - We will be ready for them

Picking up the blitz - QB - Senior gets the nod - Feels good about both, both will make a lot of good things happen - Running backs? Experience short? R. Slaughter, Dexter Barnett, Derell Norman, not a lot of experience, but lots of talent and energy

Physical and Multiple? can't be one-dementional offense, but have to play to your strenghts - always want to be physical, but will move the ball around and create confusion

Porn Star Waters - Done a great job, has a strong leg - Field Goals have been inconsistant, but has worked on them all summer and become much more reliable

Special Teams - Coverage? made a lot of improvement - good job of getting people who can run and can make a play - Special teams overall has been very good - very important to the team

Kickoffs on the 30 yrd line? 25 avg then, now starting from the 30-35 yrd line.

Clock Change - welcomes the return to the old, found other ways to shorten the game

Ask for 1-2 guys that fans should keep an eye on Tight end and Hb - Siglar and Amos

Break

Sense of relief? Happy it's here, relief may not be the word, though...

List of events this weekend and close...

it was fun, preview and preditions coming later tonight/tomorrow morning.
--DW

Coaches Show and Preview tomorrow, 11am @ BWW

Just a quick reminder, I'm putting on the finishing touches on my preview for our Blazers vs The Sparties.

I want to invite everyone out to Full Moon BBQ in Hoover for the UAB Coaches Show, which starts at 6pm. Take a break from rush hour traffic and have some good BBQ with tons of other Blazer Fans.

Also, we're going to be meeting up at the 150 location of Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the big game on ESPN!!! COme out and watch the game with about 50+ of your closest Blazer Fans!!!

That's all for now,
--BN

Since the gubna' said so...

From al.com - Linkage

Riley designates Friday as 'College Colors Day'
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
From staff reports
Huntsville Times

MONTGOMERY - With college football scheduled to kick off Saturday, Gov. Bob Riley urged Alabamians to wear their school colors to work Friday, which he designated "College Colors Day."

The governor said more than $5 million is generated annually from royalties collected from the sale of merchandise bearing the colors and logos of Alabama colleges and universities, according to Atlanta-based Collegiate Licensing Co.

That money is used directly for academic and athletic scholarships for students.

"I hope everyone shows their support for our colleges and universities this Friday," Riley said Monday. "Whether it is on the field or in the classroom, Alabama's institutions of higher learning make us truly proud year after year.

"I urge all Alabamians to wear their favorite school's colors on Friday."

The University of Alabama opens its 2007 season Saturday at home against Western Carolina and Auburn University hosts Kansas State.

Alabama A&M University opens on the road against Tennessee State in the John Merritt Classic in Nashville.

Three universities open their season Thursday when Birmingham-Southern hosts Mississippi College JV and West Alabama visits Samford.

Other Saturday openers are UAB at Michigan State, Troy at Arkansas, Huntingdon hosting McMurry, Faulkner at Pikeville, Ky., Jacksonville State at Alabama State and Concordia-Selma at Belhaven.

BlazerNation Meet-up: BWW on 150 - 11am this Saturday!!!

BlazerNotebook, in conjunction with BlazerTalk.com and the fine folks at the Hoover location of Buffalo Wild Wings, We'll be having a BlazerNation meet-up to watch our mighty Blazers take on the skirt-wearing Spartins of East Lansing!

Make sure to tell your friends! I'll try to get there about 10:30ish. Look for me to be in Forest Green and a jester's cap!!!

BE SEEN! WEAR GREEN!!!

There's hope in the Southside, once again...

After nearly 11 years of "self-imposed" sanctions, shall we say...there's hope in Birmingham's Southside once again. Less than one week to go before the anticipated match-up against Sparty and his skirt-wearing fans, there's a buzz that's spreading like Gang Green through-out Blazernation.

Coach Callaway, or CNC for short, has quite literally whipped the players into shape, running off those who needed to run off, and instilling the values of teamwork, leadership, and discipline that haven't grace the sidelines of Legion Field in years.

But let's focus on the fans to start. The coach's show last week, though I missed it and shame on me for it. But those who attended spoke of a record crowd, standing room only. Full Moon in Hoover was literally packed with hungry Blazer Fans who had been chomping at the bit to hear CNC and David Crane, the new "Voice of the Blazers", replacing Cory Provus, who took his dream job with the Chicago Cubs.

Now, I did get the chance to head over to Bartow Arena Saturday for "Breakfast with the Blazers". A sweet, new twist on the old favorite Fan Day, it featured the coaches and seniors serving breakfast and drinks to the fans. Now that's something that wouldn't have happened in the past. Imagine a coach actually realizing that the fans are important and should be treated with respect. That's a novel thought in the Southside.

But, as the world does, things have changed on the Southside. And for the first time in a long time, there's a buzz about football. Not the buzz there probably could have been, but that's another blog for another day.

Next up on Thursday...UAB vs MSU: What's going down

Early Monday Blues...

As I sit here and type, I am desperately looking for something...ANYTHING...sports related on my regular message board. The best thing I can come up with is a guy from my high school and UAB grad is being named Public Relations Manager to Talladega Superspeedway. Not huge news. But it's a small victory. And that's what you have to live off of in a state with two SEC powerhouses, who were both recently named CBS Sportsline's top 2 cheating schools IN THE NATION...

And people wonder why after only 11 years in D-1A football UAB has only come so far.

But we do have a few certainties in life. A football win over Memphis, a football loss to Southern Miss, and hope lying in basketball season. After all, UAB has the most successful basketball program through 500 games, three consecutive years on the most season in D-1A. We only missed our fourth by one place thanks to conference-mate Houston and Topple-down Tom Penders.

So, I'll head to bed with dreams of LSU in '01, Memphis in '05, and Kentucky in '04 dancing in my head...waiting for what comes next. I just hope one big win happens this year. I'd love to cover something very special. Nevermind, I already do.

--B4L

BlazerTalk.com is reporting that Senior Associate Athletics Director/External Affairs Brian Mackin will be named Athletics Director sometime today.

Brian has been Senior Athletics Director since June 2002. Brian will take over the AD position from Interim Athletics Director Richard Margison who has held the Interim position since taking over from Watson Brown in December 2005.
Brian is a native of Birmingham and a graduate of UAB. Mackin was also a four year letter winner for the UAB baseball team. Brian also won the Fund Raiser of the Year in the University Division from the NAADD for 2005-06 school year.

More from the press conference as soon as it happends.

USGA Elections: Presidential Problems...

It looks as if the "president-elect" is not elegable to run uncontested in today and tomorrow's elections...

The USGA Student Court ruled that Wilton Trigg was not elegible to run for the position because he did not serve an entire semester as an intern for the USGA. The Student Court's full opinion will not be known till Thursday when they meet and are required to have a write-up of their decision.

Andrew Braisher, Current USGA President is sad that Wilton's been disqualified, but respects the power of the student court and cannot change their decision.

More on this story as it develops. Discussion on this topic is encouraged @ the USGA message board