UAB Welcomes Rice for Penn Mutual Salute to Service

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Honoring service men and women and first responders for its Penn Mutual Salute to Service game, the UAB football team hosts Rice this Saturday, Nov. 4 at Legion Field. Kick is set for 2 p.m. on CUSA.tv.

GAME INFORMATION:
UAB (5-3, 3-2) vs. Rice (1-7, 1-3)
Where: Legion Field, Birmingham, Ala.
When: 2 p.m.
Watch: CUSA.tv
On the Call: David Crane, Steve Irvine, Trey Ragland
Listen: 100.5 FM JOX 2 (Pregame show beginning at 1 p.m.)
Twitter/Instagram: @UAB_FB
Promotion: Salute to Service

NOTES:

A win against the Owls would make the Blazers bowl eligible for just the fifth time in program history. UAB has played in one bowl game (2004 Hawaii Bowl), but was also bowl eligible in 2000 (7-4), 2001 (6-5) and 2014 (6-6).
The Blazers are still very much in the thick of the C-USA West Division title race. UAB enters the contest with a C-USA mark of 3-2 and one game behind North Texas. UNT travels to Louisiana Tech this weekend.
UAB looks to remain perfect at home this season with a win. The Blazers are 4-0 at Legion Field with wins coming over Alabama A&M, Coastal Carolina, Louisiana Tech and Middle Tennessee.
Freshman running back Spencer Brown enters the game just 91 yards shy of 1,000 for the season. If he eclipses the 1,000 yard plateau, he would become just the fifth player in program history to accomplish that feat along with Jordan Howard (1,587 yards in 2014), Joe Webb (1,427 yards in 2009 and 1,021 yards in 2008), Carl Sanders (1,154 yards in 1996) and Darrin Reaves (1,037 yards in 2012).
Brown rushed for 209 yards at Southern Miss last week which was the seventh most yards in program history. In the process, he broke Jordan Howard's single season freshman rushing record. Brown is the nation's second leading rusher among freshmen with 909 rushing yards and has four 150-yard performances this season. He is averaging 113.6 rushing yards per game overall.
Quarterback A.J. Erdely enters the game with 19 total touchdowns. His 10 rushing touchdowns are the 14th most in the nation and he leads all C-USA quarterbacks in that category. Erdely is one rushing touchdown shy of tying Joe Webb's single season record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 11. Jordan Howard and Darrin Reaves share the overall single season rushing touchdown record with 13.
Cornerback Darious Williams has recorded an interception in three straight games and is the league leader in passes defended with 11 (three interceptions, eight pass breakups).
The Blazer defense pitched a shutout in the second half last week at Southern Miss. In five wins this season, the UAB defense is allowing just 17.4 points per game.
Emmanuel Ellerbee, Rice's middle linebacker, is the league's third leading tackler averaging 9.5 per game (44 solo, 32 assisted, 76 total).

SALUTE TO SERVICE:

UAB will honor the men and women who help protect our freedom this Saturday. For the past two months, fans have been able to purchase a $10 ticket which have since been donated to members of military branches. There have already been over 1,000 tickets donated to support the initiative.

Active members or veterans of the military can redeem up to four free tickets on the day of the game at Gate 6A or by contacting Michael Emert in advance at memert@uab.edu or calling 205-934-3161.

Fans can still support the cause by purchasing $10 ticket to be donated by clicking here.

UAB Athletics is also holding flash sale to any fan from 10 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 2 through 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 3, to purchase discounted $10 tickets to the game.

LOOKING AHEAD:

Following the game with Rice, UAB hits the road for a conference game at UTSA followed by its final non-conference game against SEC opponent Florida at the Swamp.

UAB Welcomes Rice for Penn Mutual Salute to Service

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Players Mentioned

Spencer Brown

A.J. Erdely

Darious Williams

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics