The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Open Conference USA Saturday At Home Vs. FIU
9/26/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Live Stats | Live Audio | UAB Game Notes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- After one of their two open dates of the season, the UAB Blazers return to action Saturday when they open Conference USA play against FIU at Legion Field.
Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. with the contest to be televised by ASN (American Sports Network).
The Blazers (2-1, 0-0 C-USA) are coming off a 41-14 victory over in-state opponent Alabama A&M. UAB trailed the Bulldogs 14-0 three minutes into the second quarter but scored 41 unanswered points. Running back D.J. Vinson scored five rushing touchdowns for the Blazers to set a UAB record and tie the C-USA mark.
The Panthers (1-3, 0-0 C-USA) dropped their most recent decision, falling 42-25 to Pittsburgh last Saturday in Miami. FIU is playing its first game away from home this season.
Saturday's game will be televised by the American Sports Network (ASN) and can be seen in the Birmingham area on CW21 (WTTO). Dave Armstrong (play-by-play), Micheal Young (analyst) and Christina Chambers (sidelines) will call the action. The contest can also be heard on the Blazer IMG Sports Network in Birmingham.
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).
FIU at UAB
Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014 • 2:34 p.m. CT
Legion Field • Birmingham, Ala.
ASN (American Sports Network)
GAMEDAY STORY LINES
** UAB is in its 24th season of intercollegiate football and its 19th at the NCAA Division I level.
** The Blazers are playing FIU for only the second time in history.
** UAB is off to a 2-1 start for the first time since the 2005 season. The Blazers started 3-1 that year.
** The Blazers are averaging 507 yards on offense and averaging 41 points through the first three games. UAB is averaging 291.7 passing yards and 215.3 yards on the ground.
** 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.
** The Blazers return eight starters on offense and eight on defense, as well as both their kicker and punter, from last season.
** 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. Vinson also rushed for more than 100 yards (106) for the second time in three games this 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 90 catches during his career.
** UAB's 548 offensive yards on Sept. 6 at Mississippi State are the most by the Blazers since the final game of the 2012 season when they tallied 599 at UCF (11/24/12).
** 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 16 total losses.
** Kicker Ty Long is now 4x4 on field goals this season with successful kicks of 34, 49, 44 and 46 yards. He now has 50 career field goals at UAB, becoming the third Blazer to reach that number. Long is now tied with Swayze Waters on the UAB career list for field goals.
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.
** Ron Turner (Pacific, '77) is in his second season at FIU and his 11th season overall as a head coach. He also served as head coach at Illinois (1997-2004) and at San Jose State (1992).
ALL-TIME SERIES RECORD VS. FIU
** UAB and FIU will be meeting for the second time when they kick off Saturday at Legion Field. The Blazers won the only previous meeting (27-24 at Miami) in 2013.
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.
UAB/FIU CONNECTIONS
** FIU senior associate athletics director Bobby Staub, now in his second year at the Miami school, was a member of the UAB athletics staff for 20 years before he accepted the Director of Athletics position in 2004 at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Staub began his career at UAB in 1984 as assistant ticket manager before elevating to the position of Senior Associate Athletics Director, a post he held at UAB from 1997 until his departure.
A LOOK BACK AT THE ALABAMA A&M GAME
** Running back D.J. Vinson rushed for five touchdowns, a UAB single-game record that tied the Conference USA mark.
** UAB trailed 14-0 with 12 minutes to play in the second quarter but scored 41 unanswered points.
** The Blazers had only 13 yards on 16 plays in the first quarter of the game but totalled 470 yards in the final three periods.
** Tight ends Kennard Backman (5/80) and Gerald Everett (3/94) combined for eight receptions for 174 yards in the contest.
** The game drew a crowd of 29,604 at Legion Field, the Blazers' eighth-largest home attendance in history.
** Quarterback Cody Clements connected on 18-of-23 passes (78 percent) in the game, completing passes to 10 different receivers.
** Running back Ja'Won Arrington scored his first career UAB touchdown on a 14-yard run 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 279 yards in three games. He had 179 yards in the season-opening win against Troy and followed that up with a solid 89-yard performance against SEC foe Mississippi State Sept. 6. He saw only limited action against Alabama A&M due to an eye injury he suffered early in the game.
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.
TIGHT END BACKMAN SCORES TWICE IN OPENER
** Senior tight end Kennard Backman, named this summer to the Mackey Award Watch List, lived up to the hype in the season opener for the Blazers.
** Backman caught a pair of touchdown passes from junior quarterback Cody Clements -- both in the first half on distances of 3 and 18 yards.
** Backman now has eight receiving touchdowns in his career.
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 90 career receptions to rank No. 9 all-time on the UAB charts and is No. 4 on the career list for receiving yards with 1,859. Of his 20 career touchdowns, 13 of them have coveraged distances of 40 yards or more.
JORDAN HAD OUTSTANDING FRESHMAN SEASON
** Running back Jordan Howard is coming off an outstanding true freshman season for the Blazers. He rushed for 881 yards and a pair of touchdowns while averaging a team-best 6.1 yards per attempt. Howard, who split playing time with All-Conference USA running back Darrin Reaves, ranked second nationally among FBS freshmen in rushing yards. He was named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team following the season.
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 ON VERGE OF UAB RECORDS
** UAB kicker Ty Long entered his senior season needing only 12 field goals to become the Blazers' all-time leader in three-pointers. After four FGs thus far this season, the senior from Roswell, Ga. now has 50 career field goals and trails UAB career leader Nick Hayes by just seven. Long is the third kicker in UAB history to make 50 career field goals (Nick Hayes and Swayze Waters).
** Long put together another outstanding season for the Blazers in 2013 as he made 16-of-24 attempts. He also connected on three field goals of 50 yards last season and now has five of 50 yards or more in his UAB career.
NELSON, BACKMAN, MULLINS NAMED TO PRESEASON WATCH LISTS
** UAB seniors JJ 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 given each season to the nation's top collegiate punter. Mullins is UAB's career record holder in average yards per punt.
