The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Recapping the First Half of UAB’s Historic 2017 Season
10/17/2017 12:02:00 PM | Football
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Entering the second half of the season in a race for the Conference USA West Division title, here is a look back at UAB's first six games of its historic 2017 season.
Sitting at 4-2 overall and 2-1 in C-USA action, the Blazers are in a tie for second place in the West Division and have had no shortage of memorable moments getting there.
It was a historic day on September 2 in Birmingham as a record crowd of 45,212 witnessed UAB defeat Alabama A&M 38-7 in the Blazers' first game back in two and a half years.
UAB's first road the following week was a 51-31 setback at Ball State, but as head coach Bill Clark noted, it was the first FBS road game for nearly 90 percent of the team and valuable lessons were learned.
UAB returned home to defeat Coastal Carolina 30-23 to improve to 2-1 overall. The Blazers then hit the road for C-USA action at North Texas.
Facing a 30-14 halftime deficit in Denton, UAB stormed back in the second half and tied the game at 43-43 before ultimately losing on a last second field goal. To many, that was the turning point.
The Blazers then had a bye week to prepare for reigning West Division champ Louisiana Tech, a team they had never defeated before. Wearing special uniforms for Children's Harbor, UAB blocked a last second field goal attempt to secure a 23-22 victory.
Last week's 25-23 win over Middle Tennessee was another heart-pounding, last-second victory that moved the Blazers to 4-2 overall.
FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
Here is a look at UAB's remaining schedule:
10/21 - at Charlotte
10/28 - at Southern Miss
11/4 - Rice (Salute to Service)
11/11 - at UTSA
11/18 - at Florida
11/25 - UTEP
Tickets for UAB's remaining games can be purchased online or by calling the ticket office at 205-975-UAB1.
Sitting at 4-2 overall and 2-1 in C-USA action, the Blazers are in a tie for second place in the West Division and have had no shortage of memorable moments getting there.
It was a historic day on September 2 in Birmingham as a record crowd of 45,212 witnessed UAB defeat Alabama A&M 38-7 in the Blazers' first game back in two and a half years.
UAB's first road the following week was a 51-31 setback at Ball State, but as head coach Bill Clark noted, it was the first FBS road game for nearly 90 percent of the team and valuable lessons were learned.
UAB returned home to defeat Coastal Carolina 30-23 to improve to 2-1 overall. The Blazers then hit the road for C-USA action at North Texas.
Facing a 30-14 halftime deficit in Denton, UAB stormed back in the second half and tied the game at 43-43 before ultimately losing on a last second field goal. To many, that was the turning point.
The Blazers then had a bye week to prepare for reigning West Division champ Louisiana Tech, a team they had never defeated before. Wearing special uniforms for Children's Harbor, UAB blocked a last second field goal attempt to secure a 23-22 victory.
Last week's 25-23 win over Middle Tennessee was another heart-pounding, last-second victory that moved the Blazers to 4-2 overall.
FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
- Quarterback A.J. Erdely has established himself as one of the top QBs in the league. Erdely has limited the mistakes and is a dual threat throwing (seven touchdown passes) and running (seven rushing touchdowns).
- Spencer Brown is the real deal. Brown is on pace to shatter all the freshman rushing records at UAB and is in the running for C-USA postseason awards. Brown has rushed for 629 yards and six touchdowns in his first six games and ranks fourth in conference with an average of 104.8 yards per game.
- There has been no shortage of drama since C-USA action has started. All three of UAB's conference games have come down to the final play of the game and all three games have been decided by a combined six points.
- Familiar names on defense heading into the season like Tevin Crews, Shaq Jones and Darious Williams are all living up to the hype, but the emergence of other key defensive contributors have been substantial as well. Broderick Thomas leads the team in tackles with 51, while Stacy Keely, Teko Powell and Anthony Rush have been disruptive in the backfield from the defensive line position. In their four wins, the defense is allowing just 18.7 points per game.
- There has been a true home field advantage at Legion Field as the Blazers are 4-0 in Birmingham so far. UAB leads Conference USA in attendance, averaging over 30,000 fans per game and have had no less than 24,750 at each game.
Here is a look at UAB's remaining schedule:
10/21 - at Charlotte
10/28 - at Southern Miss
11/4 - Rice (Salute to Service)
11/11 - at UTSA
11/18 - at Florida
11/25 - UTEP
Tickets for UAB's remaining games can be purchased online or by calling the ticket office at 205-975-UAB1.
Players Mentioned
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