UAB Football Travels to Rice for Noon Kickoff in Houston

Saturday, October 13

Houston, Texas

12 p.m.

UAB

Rice

UAB Football Travels to Rice for Noon Kickoff in Houston

10/11/2018 1:20:00 PM | Football

UAB Gamenotes vs. Rice Rice Gamenotes vs. UAB

BIRMINGHAM - Looking to match its best start in program history, the UAB football team travels to Houston this Saturday to face Rice in a Conference USA West Division matchup. Kickoff on ESPN+ is slated for noon at Rice Stadium.

UAB enters the game at 4-1 overall and 2-0 in C-USA. A win on Saturday would tie the best start in school history with the Roddy White led 2004 Blazers. The Green and Gold is currently on a three-game winning streak and is coming off back-to-back 28-7 victories over Charlotte and Louisiana Tech.

Who: UAB (4-1, 2-0 C-USA) at Rice (1-5, 0-2 C-USA)
Where: Houston, Texas - Rice Stadium
When: Noon CST
Watch: ESPN+
On the Call: David Saltzman (Play-by-Play), ND Kalu (Color)
Listen: WJOX2 100.5 FM
On the Call: David Crane (Play-by-Play), Steve Irvine (Color), Trey Ragland (Sideline)
Series: Tied, 3-3
Last Meeting: Nov. 4, 2017: UAB 52, Rice 21

STORYLINES:

UAB has been dominant on the defensive side of the ball and enters Week 7 ranked 11th nationally in total defense and 15th nationally in scoring defense.
The defense has been even more impressive during the last three games, all of which have been victories. In those three games against Tulane, Charlotte and Louisiana Tech, the Blazers have compiled 16 total sacks (5.3/game) and have allowed just 12.7 points against.
UAB has 20 total quarterback sacks totaling 131 yards lost and ranks second nationally in sacks per game (4.0). Jamell Garcia-Williams leads the team with 5.0 sacks and 7.5 TFL, while 11 different players have recorded a sack and 17 players have notched a TFL.
Not only is the front seven performing at a very high level, but the secondary has UAB ranked second nationally in passing yards allowed per game (134.6) and pass efficiency defense. The Blazers have not allowed a 200-yard passer this season and opposing quarterbacks are 46-of-110 (41.8 percent) for 673 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions.
Offensively, UAB continues to punish opponents on the ground and leads Conference USA in rushing offense at 237.6 yards per game. The Blazers have had at least 225 rushing yards in four of five games this season and have scored no less than two rushing touchdowns in every game.
Spencer Brown is the league's second leading rusher at 91.0 yards per game. Brown has had at least 90 yards in four of five games, including two 100-yard rushing performances, and has tallied back-to-back multi-touchdown games. He enters the game against Rice with 455 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
A.J. Erdely continues to move up the career list for touchdowns responsible for after adding two more at Louisiana Tech. Erdely now has 21 career passing touchdowns and 17 career rushing touchdowns. His 38 total touchdowns ranks him fourth all-time. He needs four more passing TDs to move into sixth place on the career passing touchdowns list which is held by Austin Brown (24 from 2012-13).
In last year's game against Rice, Erdely set the Conference USA completion percentage record, going 20-of-21 (95.2 percent) for 197 yards and three touchdowns.
Rice is currently enduring a five-game losing streak, with three of those losses coming to non-conference opponents Houston, Hawaii and Wake Forest, and two against C-USA opponents Southern Miss and UTSA.
The Rice offense is averaging 22.7 points per game, but allows 38.7 points on defense. Austin Walter is the league's fourth leading rusher at 73.3 yards per game.

This is the second of a two-game road swing for the Blazers and the first of a four-game stretch against teams from Texas. UAB returns to Legion Field following Rice to host North Texas next Saturday, Oct. 20, for Homecoming at 6:30 p.m. The game will be a nationally televised broadcast on beIN Sports.

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