Rewinding Trent Dilfer’s weekly UAB press conference

Published Sep. 11, 2023, 4:33 p.m.
By Evan Dudley
UAB head coach Trent Dilfer addresses the media Monday as the Blazers return home to face Lousiana, Saturday, Sept. 16, at Protective Stadium in Birmingham. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
See the full press conference video above.
Here is what Dilfer had to say in his weekly press conference:
-- Coming off a “very disappointing loss” to Georgia Southern, Dilfer said no one on the staff or the team was overly upset and that they used the situation as a “learning opportunity.” A new challenge awaits in Louisiana with Difler saying the Ragin’ Cajuns are a “well-coach team that is physical and diverse.”
-- The Blazers will wear alternate black and lime uniforms this week to honor Smile-A-Mile, a Birmingham-based program that has partnered with Children’s Hospital “to provide hope, healing of the spirit and love for the whole family during the childhood cancer journey.” Building off the foundation of former head coach Bill Clark, Dilfer has increased the opportunities for the UAB football team to “serve and show pride in their community.”
-- Smile-A-Mile CEO Bruce Hopper expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the UAB football program and that “patients are excited for the game on Saturday.” Smile-A-Mile started almost 40 years ago as a summer camp and developed into a year-round program where the primary mission is to allow “kids to be kids” while facing such serious medical battles.
-- Smile-A-Mile COO Kellie Reece, who has worked with the program for 25 years as a volunteer and staff member, said that there will be 300 attendees from the program while the team honors patients with the names on the back of jerseys.
-- Dilfer added his “Serve. Grow. Launch.” mantra to the UAB program in the offseason and said one of the things he loves about Birmingham is the sense of charity and service and that there is a distinct possibility that his family will “probably live here forever” but that he does have to win games first.
-- UAB quarterback Jacob Zeno leads the nation in completions per game (35.5) and is second in completion percentage (84.5 percent) but don’t mention that to Dilfer, who said that Zeno played well and was efficient but “also threw an interception in a critical situation.” Dilfer went on to say that “losing football can be masked by numbers” and “it doesn’t matter how many good things you do if you turn the ball over.”
-- Speaking on playing to the UAB standard, Difler said “We have to establish a culture around here, Bill (Clark) did it, and I feel like I failed the program on that.”
-- The running game is averaging only 132.5 ypg and Dilfer offered no excuses following the Georiga Southern loss, saying “young offensive line, blah blah blah, they have a job to do” but also explaining that the Eagles were attacking the running game early.
-- The defense gave up its most points (49) to a non-P5 program since a loss to FAU in the 2019 CUSA title game but “everything is fixable and quickly,” according to Dilfer, and that “players need to respond in a high-detailed manner.” There was no “pouring salt on the wound” and both coaches and players will watch film, digest the information and teach and learn from the process.