The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Head To Rival Southern Miss Seeking Bowl Eligibility
11/28/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Live Stats | Live Audio | UAB Game Notes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The final game of a remarkable regular season turnaround for UAB football will be played Saturday as the Blazers head south to Hattiesburg, Miss. to take on Southern Miss.
Kickoff at M.M. Roberts Stadium will be at 2:30 p.m.
There will be plenty at stake in the game between Conference USA's longest-standing members, especially for UAB (5-6, 3-4 C-USA).
The Blazers will be seeking their sixth victory which would be their most since the 2004 season and also earn them bowl eligibility. A victory would cap a regular season that has seen a dramatic turnaround under the direction of head coach Bill Clark.
A win would also be UAB's fifth in the past six matchups against Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles snapped a four-game Blazer win streak in the series last year in the season's final game in Birmingham erasing a 21-13 halftime deficit and taking advantage of several UAB turnovers en route to a 62-27 win.
Though last year's year's game was not a close decision, the series which USM leads 10-4 has featured numerous tight contests. Eight of the 14 games have been settled by seven points or less.
UAB is coming off a narrow 23-18 defeat at the hands of No. 19-ranked and undefeated Marshall last Saturday in Birmingham. The Blazers were driving for a game-winning score before being stopped on a 4th-and-1 play at the Marshall 10-yard line inside the 2-minute mark.
Southern Miss has had some extra time to prepare for its final game of the season. The Golden Eagles had an open date last weekend after falling to UTSA 12-10 on Nov. 13 in their last outing.
Saturday's game will be televised on the American Sports Network and can be seen locally in Birmingham on WABM My68. The contest can also be heard on the Blazer IMG Sports Network (WUHT 107.7 FM in Birmingham).
UAB at Southern Miss
Saturday, Nov. 29, 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 (Nov. 8). 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.
-- Senior J.J. Nelson is the national and Conference USA leader in kickoff returns (36.0 avg.) and also paces C-USA punt returners at the top of the list (10.1). Nelson is the only player in the country with three kickoff returns for touchdowns. Nelson is also No. 1 in the NCAA in combined kick return yards.
-- Quarterback Cody Clements ranks No. 14 in the country and No. 2 in C-USA in completion percentage at 66.5 and he is No. 30 in passing efficiency at 142.4.
-- 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 2,206 career rushing yards in only 22 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 three weeks ago. Howard is second in C-USA in 100-yard rushing games this season (7).
-- 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 now the Blazers' all-time leader in field goals with 58 and No. 9 on the C-USA career list. He moved ahead of Nick Hayes (57, 2001-04) with a pair of field goals Saturday against Marshall. 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.
-- Todd Monken (Knox College, '89) is in his second season as the head coach at Southern Miss. Monken has a record with the Golden Eagles thus far of 4-19. Monken assumed the helm in Hattiesburg after serving two seasons as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Oklahoma State.
ALL-TIME SERIES RECORD VS. SOUTHERN MISS
-- UAB and Southern Miss will be meeting for the 15th time overall when they play Saturday in Hattiesburg. The Golden Eagles hold a 10-4 advantage in the series that began in 2000. UAB has played USM more than any other opponent. The teams have played every season since the series began.
-- The Blazers have won four of the past five games in the series. Southern Miss snapped a four-game UAB win streak in the series last season with a 62-27 victory in the regular season finale at Legion Field.
-- Southern Miss holds a 5-2 series advantage in games played at Hattiesburg.
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 MARSHALL GAME
-- In its final 2014 home game, UAB gave the undefeated and No. 18 Marshall Thundering Herd all it wanted and then some as the Herd scored a late touchdown on a fumble recovery in the endzone and then held off the Blazers on a 4th-and-1 from the MU 10-yard line with :56 left on the clock. The stop on the fourth down play also thwarted a drive that went 17 plays for UAB.
-- Running back Jordan Howard rushed for 168 yards and two touchdowns as he carried a career-high 39 times.
-- Kicker Ty Long booted a pair of field goals in the game (36 and 40 yards) to become UAB's all-time leader in field goals. Long moved ahead of Nick Hayes who had 57 from 2001-04.
-- Tight end Kennard Backman registered a career-high seven receptions in the game for 70 yards.
-- UAB held Marshall to its lowest point total of the season as the Thundering Herd trailed in the fourth quarter for the first time this season.
LONG IS NEW ALL-TIME BLAZER FG RECORD HOLDER
-- Senior Ty Long, though he hasn't attempted as many field goals as in previous seasons, has had another outstanding year for UAB.
-- Long began the 2014 successfully against Troy as he connected from 34 and 49 yards in the 48-10 victory over the Trojans. The Roswell, Ga. native is the new UAB record holder for field goals after kicking two Saturday vs. Marshall. Long has 58 field goals as he moved ahead of Nick Hayes (57 from 2001-04).
-- Also impressive is that in 11 games thus far, aside from his 12x15 on field goals, may be that Long has 33 touchbacks. Long's three field goal misses have come from distances of 56, 48 and 45 yards. Long had a streak of six straight field goals end two weeks ago vs. Louisiana Tech. He kicked a 24-yard game-winner with only :02 remaining Nov. 1 at Florida Atlantic.
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 5 FOR UAB CAREER RUSHING
-- Jordan Howard has had an outstanding 2014 season. Now 11 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 (1,325) after 11 games this season, has increased his career total to 2,206 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 114 career receptions to rank No. 7 all-time on the UAB charts and is No. 3 on the career list for receiving yards with 2,253. Of his 25 career TDs (receiving, kick and punt returns), 18 of them have coveraged distances of 40 yards or more.
FOUR TIMES OVER 40 POINTS THIS SEASON
-- UAB has already surpassed the 40-point mark four times through the 2014 season's first 11 games.
-- The Blazers only eclipsed 40 points four times in the past three seasons (2013 - 1, 2012 - 2, 2011 - 1) prior to this fall.
BLAZERS 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 10 games of the season. UAB has improved 32 spots in the NCAA rankings for penalties per game and has improved 15 places in penalty yards per game. Here is a comparison from 2013 to 2014, looking at the averages per game, as well as the NCAA rankings.
UAB HAS BEEN GOOD THIRD QUARTER TEAM
-- Through the season's first 11 games this season, the Blazers have been a good team in the third quarter, outscoring the opposition by a 120-59 (+61) margin. That ranks No. 6 in the country in largest margin in the third quarter.
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.
