The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
NOTEBOOK: Blazers Run Toward Matchup At Mississippi State
9/1/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Steve Irvine
www.uabsports.com
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- Conference USA might not have a better back than UAB sophomore Jordan Howard. But that doesn't mean that UAB head coach Bill Clark wants Howard to get the bulk of the carries this season.
"I think it takes two (running backs)," Clark said on Monday.
Clark reasons that his team's goal is to run 80 snaps per game and splitting that between two running back still makes for a busy day for both.
"That's a lot of snaps, going full speed, doing what we're asking them to do," Clark said "I like two backs, maybe someday we'll have 3. I think Jordan will be the first one to tell you, `Boy, I'm a lot better when I'm rested.' There are just a lot less hits."
It's hard to argue with the success of that plan from last Saturday's season-opening 48-10 win over Troy at Legion Field. The 6-foot-1, 224-pound Howard had 19 carries for 179 net rushing yards with touchdowns of 55 and 2 yards. D.J. Vinson, a 5-foot-10, 202-pound senior, contributed 106 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown run of 3 yards.
"I think we got a good stable of backs," Clark said. "Our lead two guys are pretty good. They're humble, they work hard, they complement their offensive line, they're good pass protectors, ball security is good, they know what we're doing."
It also helps that they give defenses a different look.
*UAB finished with 339 rushing yards in the win over Troy, marking the most rushing yards in 48 games. The last time the Blazers rushed for more yards in a game came on Sept. 2, 2010 when they gained 345 yards in a season-opening loss to Florida Atlantic.
*The Blazers are ranked 32nd in the country after games played this weekend. Troy managed just 272 offensive yards on Saturday. Linebacker Jake Ganus said one reason the Blazers played so well defensively on Saturday was a lot of players contributed.
"This coaching staff has done a great developing depth, whether it's bringing in JUCOs or developing some of our younger guys," said Ganus, who had a team-high seven tackles. "I think we're 2 or 3 deep at every position and that really helped in the game Saturday. I felt fresh in the fourth quarter. I feel good right now. Usually after a game, you can barely move. I think everyone on the defensive side, because we have a good rotation, we have great depth, feels good. I think that's going to help us down the road."
The next challenge, though, is much stiffer. Mississippi State had 550 yards on 78 offensive plays in Saturday's 49-0 win over Southern Miss.
"They have weapons everywhere," Clark said. "They are monstrously big. They have a quarterback (Dak Prescott) that has a chance to play for the Heisman Trophy." *Mississippi State's starting offensive line features three players over 300 pounds, including 6-foot-7, 320-pound right guard Justin Malone. The other starters are 6-foot-5, 295-pound Justin Senior and 6-foot-4, 299-pound Dillon Day. Obviously, the UAB defensive line is in for a `big' challenge on Saturday, which excites defensive end Diaheem Watkins.
"I just look at it like this, a lot of us guys have dreams of playing in the NFL and these guys are NFL size," said the 6-foot-4, 256-pound Watkins. "We've got a chance to go out and show what we can do against some pretty big guys." Watkins had six tackles with two sacks in the win over Troy. Watkins is one of 27 Football Bowl Subdivision players nationally with two at least sacks in season-opening games.
*The participation chart included 65 UAB players in during the Blazers' win over Troy. Receiver Collin Lisa was the lone true freshman on the chart. That's a considerable difference in the two prior UAB head coaches' first game. Ten true freshmen played in Neil Callaway's debut at Michigan State in 2007 while 11 true freshmen saw playing time in the Garrick McGee's first game in 2012.
