The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Head To Middle Tennessee For Key C-USA Contest
10/17/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Live Stats | Live Audio
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- The UAB football team looks to make it three Conference USA victories in a row on Saturday when the Blazers take on Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Kickoff at Floyd Stadium is set for 2:30 p.m. CT.
The contest will be televised by FOX College Sports with Mike Morgan, JC Pearson and Steffin Sorensen on the call. Fans can listen to the game on the Blazer IMG Sports Network locally on WUHT-FM 107.7 with David Crane, Steve Irvine and Sam Miller.
UAB (4-2, 2-1 C-USA) is coming off a dominant performance last weekend when the Blazers defeated North Texas, 56-21, in their Homecoming game.
The Blazers scored three defensive touchdowns and quarterback Cody Clements passed for 316 yards to help UAB to its fourth victory of the season and its best start to a season since 2004. The Blazers' 56 points were the most they've scored in 57 games (2009 season) and also mark the most allowed by North Texas in 73 games (2008 season).
Middle Tennessee (4-3, 3-1 C-USA) dropped a 49-24 decision to Marshall last weekend in Huntington, W.Va.
Saturday's game features two of the most accurate passers in college football. Both UAB quarterback Cody Clements and Blue Raider signal caller Austin Grammer rank in the top five nationally in completion percentage at 71 percent.
This will be the fifth meeting on the football field between the schools. The series, which began in 1995, is tied at 2-2 following MT's 24-21 last season at Legion Field. There has only been one matchup between the teams in Murfreesboro, that coming in 1995 in the first meeting when the Blue Raiders won by a 28-13 score.
UAB at Middle Tennessee
Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014 • 2:30 p.m. CT
Floyd Stadium - Murfreesboro, Tenn.
TV: FCS (FOX College Sports)
GAMEDAY NOTES
**UAB is in its 24th season of intercollegiate football and its 19th at the NCAA Division I level.
**The Blazers are playing Middle Tennessee for the second straight year and for the fifth time overall. UAB has played only once in Murfreesboro when the teams played for the first time in 1995.
**The Blazers ran up 591 yards of offense in the Oct. 4 win over WKU to represent the most yards in a game by the Blazers since the 2011 Memphis game when UAB notched 601 yards.
**Against Mississippi State Sept. 6, the Blazers scored on pass plays of 88 (Jeremiah Briscoe to J.J. Nelson), 81 (Cody Clements to Josh Magee) and 75 yards (Briscoe to Quincy Perdue). Those plays represent the sixth-longest, seventh-longest and 12th-longest (tied) pass plays in UAB history.
**The Blazers had two players named to the All-Conference USA first team during the summer. Wide receiver J.J. Nelson and punter Hunter Mullins were both tabbed to the first unit by the league's coaches. Mullins, in addition, was named the C-USA Special Teams Player-of-the-Year.
**Quarterback Cody Clements ranks No. 4 in the country in completion percentage at 70.6 and is No. 9 in passing efficiency. at 166.1. Clements has hit 39 of his last 47 passes (83 percent).
**Senior running back D.J. Vinson registered a UAB record five rushing touchdowns against Alabama A&M, also tying the Conference USA single-game mark. He now has a team-best eight rushing touchdowns on the season.
**The Blazers' sophomore running back Jordan Howard rushed for 881 yards last season as a true freshman as he split time with Darrin Reaves who left UAB a year early and is now a member of the Carolina Panthers. Howard's rushing total was the second-best nationally among freshmen in 2013.
**J.J. Nelson has averaged 20.6 yards per reception on his 100 catches during his career.
**Nelson now ranks No. 7 on the Blazers' all-time reception list with his 100 catches and he ranks No. 4 in receiving touchdowns with 18.
**UAB is ranked No. 3 in C-USA in total offense (490.0) and is No. 6 in total defense (398.5).
**UAB's Bill Clark is in his 11th overall season as a head coach (9 years at Prattville HS, 1 year at Jacksonville State and in first year at UAB). In those 11 years, he has only suffered 17 total losses.
**UAB was +5 in turnover margin in last Saturday's win over North Texas with five takeaways. The Blazers were -9 in turnover margin (9 turnovers/0 takeaways) in the previous two games vs. FIU and WKU.
THE COACHES
**Bill Clark (Jacksonville State, `90) is in his first season as the head coach at UAB. Clark came to UAB after spending one year at Jacksonville State where he led the Gamecocks to an 11-4 record and a berth in the NCAA FCS playoffs. JSU concluded the year ranked No. 10 in the final FCS poll and recorded its most wins since the 1992 season.
**Rick Stockstill (Florida State '79) is in his ninth season as the head coach at Middle Tennessee. Stockstill has a record of 55-52 with the Blue Raiders during that time. Under Stockstill, MT has won a league title, won the 2009 New Orleans Bowl, made four bowl appearances and been bowl eligible five times. Stockstill was an assistant 24 years prior to becoming the head coach at Middle Tennessee.
ALL-TIME SERIES RECORD VS. MIDDLE TENNESSEE
**UAB and Middle Tennessee will be meeting for the fifth time when they kick off Saturday at Murfreesboro, Tenn. The series is tied at 2-2 after the Blue Raiders edged the Blazers, 24-21, last season at Legion Field. This will be the second matchup at MT. The Blue Raiders took a 28-13 win in 1995 in the first meeting between the teams.
BLAZERS COME UP WITH FIVE TAKEAWAYS VS. NORTH TEXAS
**Certainly one area that stood out in last Saturday's 56-21 win over North Texas was in turnover margin where the Blazers finished with a +5, recording five takeaways and zero turnovers. UAB registered three defensive touchdowns (2 interceptions, 1 fumble) against the Mean Green. The Blazers were -9 in turnover margin the two games prior to Saturday (vs. FIU and WKU) and had no takeaways in those two contests.
24TH SEASON OF UAB FOOTBALL; 19TH AT 1-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, remaining at that level three years before making the transition to Division I-A during 1996 season.
**The 2014 season represents the 24th season of football for UAB.
A LOOK BACK AT THE NORTH TEXAS GAME
**The big story was turnovers. UAB forced five Mean Green turnovers and committed none. The +5 margin played a large role in the 56-21 win as the Blazers' first two touchdowns were scored on the defensive side.
**UAB's 56 points scored were the most scored by the Blazers in 57 games (2009 season) and also the most allowed by a North Texas team in 73 contests (dating back to the 2008 campaign.
**UAB WR J.J. Nelson scored on a 74-yard reception for his 100th reception for the Blazers and also eclipsed the 2,000-yard receiving mark for his career. The touchdown was Nelson's 18th career receiving score.
**UAB quarterback Cody Clements hit 17of-22 passes for 316 yards and two touchdowns.
**Linebacker Jake Ganus registered two tackles for loss, marking his fourth consecutive game with at least two tackles for loss.
**UAB RB D.J. Vinson notched his eighth rushing touchdown of the year.
HOWARD WAS NO. 2-RANKED NCAA FRESHMAN IN 2013
**Running back Jordan Howard rushed for 881 yards last season as a true freshman in 2013 as he split backfield duty with the departed Darrin Reaves, now with the Carolina Panthers. Howard averaged 6.1 yards on 145 carries for the Blazers.
**His rushing total in 2013 ranked No. 2 nationally among NCAA FBS freshmen, only behind Arkansas' Alex Collins who ran for 1,026 yards.
**Howard is off to a great start in 2014 as he has rushed for 631 yards in six games. Howard has rushed for more than 100 yards in three games thus far this season, including a career-best 183 two weeks ago against WKU. He ranks No. 3 in Conference USA in rushing yards per game with 105.2.
BLAZERS RUSHING TOTAL HIGHEST IN 48 GAMES
**UAB rushed for 338 yards in the season-opening 48-10 win over Troy and the rushing total was the Blazers' highest ground production in 48 games.
**The last time that a UAB team rushed for as many yards as the season opener was on Sept. 2, 2010 when the Blazers ran for 345 vs. Florida Atlantic.
**The Blazers also had a pair of 100-yard rushers in the win over Troy. Jordan Howard rushed for 179 yards while senior D.J. Vinson tallied 106 yards.
HOWARD IN TOP 10 FOR UAB CAREER RUSHING
**Jordan Howard is off to an outstanding start to the 2014 season. Just fivegames into his sophomore season, running back Jordan Howard has moved into the top 10 on UAB's career rushing list.
**Howard, who has 631 yards (105.2 avg.) after six games this season, has increased his career total to 1,512 yards.
**Howard is averaging 5.7 yards per attempt in his career thus far.
FOUR TIMES OVER 40 POINTS IN SIX GAMES
**UAB has already surpassed the 40-point mark four times through the 2014 season's first six games.
**The Blazers only eclipsed 40 points four times in the past three SEASONS (2013 - 1, 2012 - 2, 2011 - 1) prior to this fall.
MT HAS TWO FORMER UAB COACHES ON STAFF
**Two members of the coaching staff at Middle Tennessee coached at UAB in recent years. Rick Mallory is the offensive tackles/tight ends for the Blue Raiders and served as the offensive line coach for the Blazers in 2011. Tommy West is the Middle Tennessee defensive line coach. West was the UAB defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in 2011. Both Mallory and West coached at UAB when Neil Callaway was the head coach.
BLAZERS MUCH IMPROVED IN PENALTIES IN 2014
**There are many areas that stand out when comparing the 2014 Blazers to the UAB football team of a year ago. Certainly one of those is with penalties where the Blazers have been much less penalized through the first six games of the season. Here is a comparison from 2013 to 2014, looking at the averages per game, as well as the NCAA rankings.
UAB HAS BEEN DOMINANT FOURTH QUARTER TEAM
**Through the season's first six games this season, the Blazers have been a dominant team in the fourth quarter, outscoring the opposition by a 31-17 margin and outgaining them by a 102-49.5 margin. The 17 points allowed include a fourth quarter, pick-six given up to FIU, and a field goal to FIU after the Panthers returned an interception to the UAB 14.
**The Blazers have shut out four opponents in the fourth quarter this season. The only two games that UAB has been outgained in the final period were Alabama A&M and North Texas, and in both cases, the Blazers held large leads entering the quarter (41-14 vs. AAMU heading to the fourth and 56-14 vs. UNT going to the fourth).
UAB PUT UP 34 POINTS, 548 YARDS ON NO. 1 MISS. STATE
**Though UAB dropped a 47-34 decision to Mississippi State back on Sept. 6 in Starkville, the Blazers put up some impressive against the Bulldogs, now ranked by most as the No. 1 team in the country.
**UAB's 34 points are the most that State has allowed this season and the 548 yards that the Blazers rolled up are the most that the Bulldogs have yielded during the 2014 season.
**In addition, UAB held a lead on Mississippi State later than any other Bulldogs' opponent this season, leading 20-19 with 5:03 to play in the second quarter. The Blazers trailed 26-20 at halftime.
UAB'S 56 POINTS VS. NORTH TEXAS MOST SINCE 2009
**The 56 points UAB scored in last week's 56-21 win over North Texas represent the most points a Blazers' team has put on the board since the ninth game of the 2009 season when they scored 56 in a 56-29 victory over Florida Atlantic, a span of 57 games.
**he 56 points also represent allowed by a North Texas team since the 2008 season, dating back 73 games.
LB GANUS LEADS C-USA IN TACKLES FOR LOSS
**Junior linebacker Jake Ganus is putting together an outstanding season for the Blazers. In addition to leading UAB with 30 tackles, Ganus also is the team leader with 9.5 tackles for loss and is second on the squad in sacks with 3.0.
**Ganus leads Conference USA both in overall tackles for loss (9.5) but also in average TFL per game at 1.58.
NELSON, BACKMAN, MULLINS NAMED TO PRESEASON WATCH LISTS
**UAB seniors J.J. Nelson, Kennard Backman and Hunter Mullins were all named to watch lists for their respective positions.
**Nelson, a wide receiver from nearby Midfield, Ala., was named this summer on a pair of lists -- the Paul Hornung Award and the Biletnikoff Award. The Hornung Award is presented annually to the nation's most versatile player while the Biletnikoff Award goes to the top receiver.
**Backman, a three-year starter at tight end, is listed on the John Mackey Award Watch List. The Mackey Award recognizes the country's outstanding tight end each season.
**Mullins, from Tallassee, Ala., is on the Ray Guy Award list for the second consecutive year. The Ray Guy Award is awarded to the nation's top collegiate punter. Mullins is UAB's career record holder in average yards per punt.
NELSON = EXPLOSION PLAYS
**There's no doubt that when UAB wide receiver JJ Nelson is on the field, he's a threat to break a big play.
**Nelson has averaged 20.6 yards per reception in his career with 2,061 yards on 100 catches. He ranks among UAB's all-time leaders in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
**Nelson has 22 touchdowns (18 receiving, 1 rushing, 3 on returns) in his three-year career and 15 of those have covered distances of 40 yards or more.
