Oct. 15, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB football team practiced for 19 periods, approximately two and a half hours on Wednesday afternoon, fine-tuning the game plan for Saturday's homecoming contest against Marshall.

UAB head coach Neil Callaway was pleased with his team's practice effort on the afternoon and has been happy with the enthusiasm out of his squad during the week.

"There's more excitement for whatever reason," Callaway said. "It's been a good week to this point. We've got Thursday to go and the main thing is you have show up and play on Saturday. Preparation is important, but performance is more important."

On Wednesday afternoon, the Blazers went over their Marshall game plan and also worked on game day scenarios. In all, Callaway was happy with the session.

"It was real good today," Callaway said. "We had a good tempo all practice long. We were able to get a lot of the Marshall game plan done, so we'll see if it pays off come Saturday."

One thing that the Blazer coaching staff will keep an eye on is the consistency on the offensive side of the ball, which Callaway feels will be an important key come Saturday afternoon.

"Consistency will be a big key on the offensive side of the ball," Callaway said. "We're always going to be balanced and not a one-dimensional type of team. We have to be productive running and throwing the ball and have to be able to execute."

The Blazers and Thundering Herd will kick off at 3 p.m. Saturday at Legion Field. The game will be carried on the Blazers ISP Sports Network, WWMM 100.5 FM radio. David Crane and Dan Burks will be on the air beginning at 1:30 p.m. CT with pre-game coverage.