The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Hosts Undefeated Marshall In Home Finale
11/21/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - After a well-timed bye week, the UAB football team returns to Legion Field on Saturday as the Blazers host undefeated Marshall at 11 a.m. in the home finale and Senior Day.
UAB's last time out was a 40-24 loss to Louisiana Tech on Nov. 8, while Marshall is coming off a 41-14 win over Rice a week ago.
The Thundering Herd (10-0, 6-0 C-USA) heads into the matchup having not lost a contest since Dec. 7, 2013 (41-24 vs. Rice), while the Blazers are looking for their sixth win of the season to become bowl eligible.
Saturday's game will be televised on the American Sports Network and can be seen locally in Birmingham on WABM My68.
Marshall at UAB
Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014 • 11 a.m. CT
Legion Field - Birmingham, Ala.
TV: ASN (American Sports Network)
GAMEDAY NOTES
** 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.
** Wide receiver/kick returner J.J. Nelson scored his 25th career touchdown with his 100-yard kickoff return against Louisiana Tech. Nelson is having an All-America season as a kick returner. Of Nelson's 25 career touchdowns, 18 of them have covered distances of 40 yards or more.
** UAB senior J.J. Nelson leads Conference USA in both kickoff returns (36.0 avg.) and punt returns (10.3). Nelson is the only player in the country with three kickoff returns for touchdowns. Nelson ranks No. 2 in the country in kick return average.
** Quarterback Cody Clements ranks No. 9 in the country and No. 1 in C-USA in completion percentage at 67.5 and he is No. 23 in passing efficiency at 146.2.
** 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.
** Jordan Howard now has 2,038 career rushing yards in only 21 games at UAB. Howard moved into the No. 5 position all-time for the Blazers in rushing yardage with his 148-yard performance against Louisiana Tech two weeks ago. Howard is second in C-USA in 100-yard rushing games this season (6).
** UAB's Jordan Howard and D.J. Vinson have also combined for 18 rushing touchdowns.
** J.J. Nelson registered his third 100-yard receiving game of the season and the 11th of his career at Florida Atlantic. Nelson is tied for the C-USA in number of 100-yard receiving games this season.
** Kicker Ty Long is one field goal shy of tying Nick Hayes (2001-04) for the all-time UAB record for career field goals (57). Long is 10-of-13 on field goals this season. He has not missed this season from 44 yards and in.
** TE Kennard Backman, who is second on the team in receptions with 29 this season, was named to the Midseason Watch List for the John Mackey Award, presented annually to the nation's top tight end. Punter Hunter Mullins was named as a candidate for the Ray Guy Award.
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.
Doc Holliday (West Virginia, '79) is in his fifth season as the head coach at Marshall. Holliday has a record with the Thundering Herd thus far of 37-24.
ALL-TIME SERIES RECORD VS. MARSHALL
** UAB and Marshall will be meeting for the 10th time overall when they play Saturday at Legion Field. The Thundering Herd owns a 7-2 advantage in the series that began in 2005. The teams have played every season since 2005. Marshall won the 2013 contest by a 56-14 margin at Huntington, W. Va. and has taken wins in five of the last six games.
BLAZERS COME UP WITH FIVE TAKEAWAYS VS. NORTH TEXAS
** Certainly one area that stood out in the Oct. 11th 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 the North Texas game (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 LOUISIANA TECH GAME
** UAB was playing its first home game since Oct. 11 (North Texas).
** Running back Jordan Howard rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown in the game. He moved into the No. 5 position on UAB's career rushing list with 2,038 yards.
** Kicker Ty Long booted a 34-yard field goal in the first quarter for his 56th career three-pointer and to move within one of the Blazers' all-time record (held by Nick Hayes with 57, 2001-04).
** Wide receiver J.J. Nelson moved into third place on UAB's career list for receiving yards. Nelson, who finished the game with six catches for 54 yards, now has 2,243 yards.
** J.J. Nelson also returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, marking his third 100-yard return for a touchdown this season. Nelson also increased his touchdown career total to 25.
** Linebacker Jake Ganus scooped up a fumble and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown with 12:07 to play in the third quarter.
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 1,157 yards in 10 games. Howard has rushed for more than 100 yards in six games thus far this season, including a career-best 183 last month against WKU. He ranks No. 4 in Conference USA in rushing yards per game with 115.7.
HOWARD IN TOP 5 FOR UAB CAREER RUSHING
** Jordan Howard has had an outstanding 2014 season. Now 10 games into his sophomore season, running back Jordan Howard has moved into the top 5 on UAB's career rushing list and is now No. 5.
** Howard, who already has the most rushing yards in a season by a UAB running back (1,157) after 10 games this season, has increased his career total to 2,038 yards.
NELSON PROVIDES MAJOR OFFENSIVE WEAPON
** Senior wide receiver J.J. Nelson registered four 100-yard receiving games during the 2013 season and also caught a pair of touchdown passes. Nelson averaged 20.1 yards per reception for the season as he caught 42 passes for 846 yards and eight touchdown passes in 10 games. He now has 113 career receptions to rank No. 6 all-time on the UAB charts and is No. 3 on the career list for receiving yards with 2,243. Of his 25 career TDs (receiving, kick and punt returns), 18 of them have coveraged distances of 40 yards or more.
MULLINS NAMED C-USA PRESEASON SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER-OF-THE-YEAR
** Senior Hunter Mullins holds the UAB record for punting average at 44.0 yards per kick. In July, he was named the preseason Special Teams Player-of-the-Year for Conference USA, as voted by the league's 13 head coaches. Mullins, who is entering his third season as the Blazers' starting punter, was also tabbed to the first-team All-Conference USA team, joining teammate J.J. Nelson who was named as one of the first-team receivers.
LONG NOW NO. 2 ALL-TIME AT UAB IN FIELD GOALS
** UAB senior kicker Ty Long was successful on six consecutive field goals in games at Middle Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida Atlantic, before missing at home from 45 yards out in the last game vs. Louisiana Tech. He has moved into sole possession of second place on the Blazers' all-time field goals list with 56 field goals. Nick Hayes (2001-04) is the UAB record holder with 57.
BACKMAN ON MACKEY MIDSEASON WATCH LIST
** UAB tight end Kennard Backman was named last week to the Midseason Watch List for the John Mackey Award, presented to the nation's top tight end. Backman, a senior from Austell, Ga., leads the Blazers in receptions with 27 and also has three receiving touchdowns.
SENIOR WATKINS FOURTH IN C-USA LEAD IN SACKS
** Senior defensive end Diaheem Watkins ranks No. 4 in Conference USA in sacks thus far in 2014 with 6.0 through the season's first 10 games. Watkins is fourth on the team in tackles with 37.
LB GANUS NO. 4 IN C-USA IN TACKLES FOR LOSS
** Junior linebacker Jake Ganus is putting together an impressive season for the Blazers. In addition to leading UAB with 54 tackles, Ganus also is the team leader with 13.0 tackles for loss and is second on the squad in sacks with 5.0.
STAPLES HAS BEST GAME OF 2014 SEASON
** Sophomore wide receiver Jamari Staples had his best game of the 2014 season Oct. 18 at Middle Tennessee. The Lineville, Ala. product registered four receptions for 83 yards and one touchdown in the contest vs. the Blue Raiders. His touchdown catch was his first of the season and came on a 43-yard pass play from quarterback Cody Clements.
NELSON 3-TIME C-USA PLAYER OF WEEK HONOREE
** Senior J.J. Nelson has earned Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week honors three times during the 2014 season. Nelson was named for the weekly conference honor following the Western Kentucky (Oct. 13), Arkansas (Oct. 27) and Louisiana Tech (Nov. 10) games.
** Quarterback Cody Clements was named C-USA Co-Offensive Player of the Week following his performance in UAB's 56-14 win over North Texas on Oct. 11. Clements hit 77 percent of his passes in the game and threw for 316 yards.
For more information on the UAB football team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_Football). For more on all Blazer sports teams follow the official Twitter account of UAB Athletics (@UABAthletics).
