University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Eagles End Work For UAB
11/7/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Eagles End Work For UAB
Hattiesburg, Miss. -- A few days on the practice field without major weather problems can make quite a difference, and, as a result, Head Coach Jeff Bower was much happier today as Southern Miss ended preparations for Saturday afternoon's 2 o'clock Conference USA game at UAB.
"We had weather problems early in the week, but that got better as the week progressed and this may have been one of the better weeks we've had in preparing for a game," he said. "We've had a good week of preparation, got a lot done, and worked on some areas that have been problems for us in recent games."
The Southern Miss-UAB series consists of just two games, but both have been hard-fought games, both decided by three points, one in double overtime, and Bower says fans shouldn't expect anything different this year. "We've had close games with them," Bower said. "They have a good team, this is a big game for both teams, with bowl implications on the line and both teams trying to stay tied for first place, and we'll have to play well to win."
"They'll play hard. They have a lot of speed on defense, and I've seen a lot of improvement from them as the season progressed. And since they started the redshirt freshman quarterback, they've been really improved on offense as well."
Bower announced earlier in the week that senior running back Derrick Nix would miss the game following surgery to relieve pressure on a trapped peroneal nerve, but said injuries are a part of the game, something that has to be dealt with. "We'll just get the guys ready who are going to play, (sophomore James) Walley, (redshirt freshman Anthony) Harris and (freshman William) Adams, we'll go with them and run our offense," Bower said.
Southern Miss will depart the campus Friday morning and work out in Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., mid-afternoon. The 2 p.m., game will be televised by Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast and ESPN Plus. Following the UAB game, the Eagles then will have a short week to prepare for a Thursday night home game against Louisville, a game that will be televised nationally by ESPN.
