The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Anxious To Kick Off New Season
8/31/2012 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 31, 2012
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- UAB will open the 2012 football season Saturday as the Blazers play host to the Troy Trojans in a battle of in-state foes at Legion Field. Gametime is set for 11:05 a.m. CT. The contest will be televised by Fox College Sports.
The Blazers will be playing their first game under Garrick McGeewho was named UAB's fourth head coach in school history last December.
Each of the past two meetings in the UAB/Troy series have been decided by one point (the Blazers prevailed by a 34-33 score in Birmingham in 2010 with the Trojans winning 24-23 last season at Troy)
UAB is opening with a home game for only the 10th time in school history. The Blazers are 5-4 in home openers.
UAB will have its only open date of the season next week before resuming action Sept. 15 with a road game at current No. 9-ranked (AP) South Carolina.
Troy at UAB
Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012
11:05 a.m. CT
Legion Field
Birmingham, Ala.
TV:FCS - Mike Gleason (pbp), Ben Leber (color analyst) and Lesley McCaslin (sidelines) will call the action.
RADIO:Blazer IMG Sports Network - David Crane (pbp), John Whitcomb (color) and Sam Miller (sidelines) have the call. The game can also be heard on WUHT 107.7 FM in Birmingham.
THE COACHES
UAB: Garrick McGee(Oklahoma, '96) is in his first season as the head coach at UAB. McGee was hired last December after four seasons on the staff at Arkansas, the last two campaigns as the offensive coordinator. McGee was a finalist for the 2011 Broyles Award that is presented to the nation's top assistant coach. He has also served on the coaching staffs at Northwestern (2004-07), UNLV (2003), Toledo (2002), Jacksonville Jaguars (2000-01), Northern Iowa (1999) and Langston (1996-98).
TROY:Larry Blakeney (Auburn, '70) is entering his 22nd season as the head coach at Troy. He has a record of 164-91 with the Trojans. Blakeney spent 14 years as an assistant coach at Auburn before becoming the head coach at Troy. He has helped Troy to five bowl appearances in the past eight years.
QUICK HITS
-- UAB returns seven starters on offense and four on defense from last season.
-- For only the second time in the past six seasons, UAB will play six home games in 2012.
-- The Blazers will have to replace four of five starters on their offensive line from a year ago. Led by first-team all-conference tackle Matt McCants, a sixth-round NFL draft choice of the New York Giants, UAB lost four starters who totaled 136 career starts. Senior Chris Hubbard, a preseason coaches all-conference selection is the lone returning starter among the offensive line.
-- The Blazers have four assistant coaches (Jeff Brohm, Jimmy Williams, Richard Owens and Brandon Sharp) who spent time as a player in the National Football League.
-- Look for the Blazers to have a significant number of players who will see their first collegiate action Saturday against Troy. Last season when UAB opened the 2011 season at Florida, the Blazers had 19 first-time players.
-- Junior wide receiver Jackie Williamshas registered at least one reception in all 23 games he has played at UAB.
FIRST AND 10
22ND SEASON OF UAB FOOTBALL; 17TH AT I-A LEVEL
UAB has a young football program compared to most of its opposition. The Blazers went through their first intercollegiate football season in 1991 as a member of NCAA Division III. The Blazers moved to Division I-AA two seasons later in 1993 and remained at that level three years before making the transition to Division I-A beginning with the 1996 season. The 2012 season will represent the 22nd season of football for UAB.
WILLIAMS ENTERS SEASON WITH 23-GAME STREAK
UAB wide receiver Jackie Williams has caught at least one pass in all 23 games he has suited up for the Blazers. Williams, a junior, will begin the 2012 season with a reception streak of 23 consecutive games. Williams' streak is tied for the third-longest in UAB history. Roddy White(2002-05) and Derrick Ingram (1991-94) each had 35-game streaks, while Cedrick Bucannon had a 23-game streak from 1993-95. Williams finished 2011 with 58 catches for the fourth-highest season mark in UAB history.
WILLIAMS WAS HERO VS. TROY IN 2010 UAB VICTORY
In only his third game as a collegiate player, wide receiver Jackie Williams hauled in a 44-yard touchdown on the game's final play, giving UAB a 34-33 comeback victory over Troy in the 2010 meeting between the teams. Williams made a leaping catch at the goal line from backup quarterback Bryan Ellis. The Hail Mary touchdown capped a 99-yard drive that began with 1:09 remaining and UAB out of timeouts. The Blazers trailed 23-0 with 6:35 left in the first half and were still behind 33-20 with nine minutes to play. Ellis hit Williams with a 36-yard touchdown pass to close the gap to 33-27 with 8:34 remaining.
HUBBARD PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE USA
UAB senior offensive tackle Chris Hubbardwas named to the 2012 Coaches Preseason All-Conference USA team, the league office announced this summer. Hubbard, a 6-4, 285-pound senior from Columbus, Ga., is the lone senior and returning starter on the Blazers' offensive line heading into the new season. A former C-USA All-Freshman Team selection, Hubbard has had an impact since his true freshman campaign and has played in 28 total games for UAB. He started all 12 contests last season for an O-line unit that was one of the Blazers' biggest strengths.
UAB OFFENSE CLICKED IN FINAL THREE GAMES OF 2011
UAB finished the 2011 season with wins in two of its final three games and nearly capped the campaign with a three-game win streak. Much of the reason for the Blazers' strong finish was their offensive performance. UAB averaged 469 yards and 37 points in the last three games of the season against Memphis, Southern Miss and Florida Atlantic. UAB scored 14 offensive touchdowns in the last three games after scoring only 11 in the previous nine contests.
PERRY MADE FIRST START VS. TROY LAST SEASON
QB Jonathan Perry made his first career start Oct. 1 at Troy, a week after he saw what had been his most extensive action at East Carolina. Perry, who had not played for the Blazers until the 2011 season, saw action in all 12 games, but he saw considerable playing time in the fourth quarter Sept. 24 at ECU after starting QB Bryan Ellisleft the game due to an injury. Perry, who finished with 106 passing yards at East Carolina as he hit 9-of-16 passes and led the Blazers on two long, late-game drives, went on to complete 174-of-300 for 2,042 yards last season. He has thrown for 836 yards and seven touchdowns (one interception) in the final three games vs. Memphis, Southern Miss and Florida Atlantic as he completed 63-of-100 passes.
MCGEE SAW TROY A SEASON AGO
When UAB opens the 2012 season Saturday against Troy, the Trojans won't be a totally unfamiliar team for Blazers' head coach Garrick McGee. Troy played at Arkansas last Sept. 17 (38-28 Razorbacks' victory) when McGee was the Arkansas offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
IRVIN NO. 1 IN NCAA IN FUMBLE RECOVERIES
Linebacker Greg Irvin recovered all four fumbles for UAB in the Blazers' game at East Carolina, breaking the previous individual school record of two in a single game. They were the first fumble recoveries of Irvin's career. Irvin finished the season with five recoveries and tied for the NCAA lead with Oregon State's Dylan Wynn. They both averaged .42 fumble recoveries per game. Teammate T.J. Balloutied for fourth nationally with four fumble recoveries and a .33 average.
WILLIAMS' RECEPTION TOTAL AMONG TOP 5 IN SCHOOL HISTORY
WR Jackie Williamsregistered 58 catches last season, the fourth-highest single-season mark in UAB history. Williams caught 58 for 607 yards. He increased his two-year total to 88, No. 9 on the Blazer career charts. Williams has caught at least one pass in all 23 games he has played in at UAB.
LONG NAMED TO GROZA AWARD WATCH LIST
UAB sophomore kicker Ty Longwas one of 30 players nationally named this summer to the Watch List for the 2012 Lou Groza College Placekicker Award, presented by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. Long, from Roswell, Ga., had an outstanding season as a true freshman in 2011 as he connected on 16-of-19 field goals, including a pair of game-winning field goals (vs. UCF and Southern Miss). He was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team and was also tabbed a third-team Freshman All-American by Phil Steele's College Football Preview. Long ranked No. 2 last year among Conference USA kickers in field goal percentage at 84.2 and was third in field goals made per game (1.33). In addition, he ranked second nationally among freshman in field goals made per game and was third among NCAA freshmen in FG percentage.
BURDETTE MOVING UP ALL-TIME TACKLES LIST
Linebacker Marvin Burdette continues his climb up the UAB career tackles chart after posting 92 as a junior in 2011. Burdette now has 249 tackles in his career to rank No. 11 on the Blazer list. Burdette only needs 46 tackles as a senior in 2012 to move into the No. 3 spot on the Blazer career list. Zac Woodfin holds the school record with 372 tackles recorded from 2001-04.
