The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Travels To Starkville To Take On Mississippi State
10/23/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 23, 2010
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- A week after putting together a quality performance on both sides of the ball in a win over UTEP, the UAB football team will face another stiff challenge Saturday when the Blazers battle the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
The game in Starkville against the Southeastern Conference foe is scheduled to kick off at 6:05 p.m. and will be televised by ESPNU. The game will also be carried live on the Blazers ISP Sports Network, airing locally in Birmingham on 107.7 WUHT-FM.
The Blazers (2-4, 1-2 Conference USA) are coming off a 21-6 victory last Saturday over the Miners as UAB rolled up 500 yards of offense and held the previously potent UTEP offense to only 229 yards and two field goals.
Mississippi State will come into Saturday night's game having won four in a row for the first time since the 1999 season when the Bulldogs started the fall with an 8-0 mark. MSU (5-2, 2-2 SEC) moved into the national rankings this week, cracking the polls at No. 24.
The Bulldogs are led by a defense that ranks 13th in the country in scoring defense (16.0), No. 30 in rushing defense (118.6) and No 35 in total defense (332.9).
"We will be playing a very physical football team in Mississippi State," said UAB head coach Neil Callaway. "Their defensive front seven is about as good as you want to see. They are all physical, and they can all run. They do a great job scheme-wise. They are constantly changing and causing recognition problems in trying to confuse (their opponents)."
On offense, State has done its most damage in the ground game. The Bulldogs, who knocked off Florida, 10-7, last Saturday, averages 211.9 rushing yards to rank No. 21 nationally. Vick Ballard leads the rushing game with 516 yards and 11 touchdowns. Quarterback Chris Relf has hit 58 percent of his passes for 708 yards and five touchdowns.
"Offensively, they are a big, strong and physical football team," Callaway said. "They are going to run the ball about 45 to 50 times a game, and they are going to throw the ball about 15 to 20 times a game. It is going to be a physical challenge for us, and we are going to have to make sure that we man up and accept the challenge."
The Blazers' offense has been a balanced unit for most of the season. They enter the contest in Starkville averaging 178.5 rushing yards and 243.7 in the passing game.
Junior Pat Shed, who will be returning home to his hometown in Starkville Saturday, is UAB's top ground gainer among running back with 317 yards and an impressive 6.5 yards per carry average.
QB Bryan Ellis has passed for 1,198 yards and eight touchdowns. Ellis came off the bench to lead the Blazers to a thrilling comeback win against Troy Sept. 18 and has been UAB's starting signal-caller since.
Senior wide receiver Frantrell Forrest has been UAB's top receiver with 25 catches for 364 yards and four touchdowns.
UAB and Mississippi State will be meeting for the fourth time with the Bulldogs holding a 2-1 lead in the series. The Blazers won the first matchup between the schools, 27-13 at Starkville in 2004. MSU won 16-10 in overtime at Legion Field in 2006 and took a 30-13 win at Davis Wade Stadium in 2007 after UAB led 13-9 early in the fourth quarter.
