No. 25 UAB Heads to Texas A&M for Primetime Battle on ESPN2

BIRMINGHAM - In a primetime battle at Kyle Field, the No. 25 UAB football team travels to College Station for its final non-conference game of the season against Texas A&M. Kickoff on ESPN2 is set for 6 p.m. CST.

The Blazers enter the game riding a program-best eight game winning streak and are ranked No. 25 in the Amway Coaches Poll. The ranking in the Coaches Poll is the first in program and just the second time UAB has ever been nationally ranked (2004 in BCS).

Who: UAB (9-1) at Texas A&M (6-4)
Where: College Station, Texas - Kyle Field
When: 6 p.m. CST
Watch: ESPN2
On the Call: Clay Matvick (play-by-play), Dan Orlosky (color), Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
Listen: WJOX 100.5 FM
On the Call: David Crane (play-by-play), Steve Irvine (color), sideline (Trey Ragland)
Series: Texas A&M leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Sept. 26, 2009 - Texas A&M 56-19

STORYLINES:

The Blazers secured their spot in the Conference USA championship game last week with a 26-23 overtime victory against Southern Miss at Legion Field. The win was UAB's 12th straight at Legion Field which is the third longest home winning streak in the nation, and improved the Blazers to 12-0 in Birmingham since the return.
UAB's defense ranks top-5 nationally in seven different statistical categories, including leading the country in sacks (38), third down defense (.242) and fourth down defense (.214).
Additional top-5 defensive rankings include third in total defense (260.7), fourth in scoring defense (13.2) and passing yards allowed (153.8) and fifth in tackles for loss per game (8.5).
UAB is coming off a game in which it had a season-high seven sacks and 13 TFL. Tre' Crawford, the reigning C-USA Defensive Player of the Week, led the charge with 3.5 TFL and 3.0 sacks, both of which were career-highs.
In the game against Southern Miss, UAB held the Golden Eagles to just five rushing yards for the game, and 29 yards of total offense in the second half and overtime.
The defense will be tested by the SEC's leading rusher Trayveon Williams. The junior running back ranks eighth nationally with 1,159 rushing yards and has added 11 touchdowns. He is one of eight semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award.
The Blazers have a standout running back of their own in Spencer Brown. Coming off an All-America season as a true freshman in 2017, Brown has followed that up with another record-breaking campaign as a sophomore.
Brown's game-winning overtime touchdown last week was his 14th rushing touchdown of the season and is a new single season school record. Brown ranks fifth nationally in rushing touchdowns and has scored at least one touchdown in each of the last eight games. He also has 913 rushing yards and looks for back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons this weekend against the Aggies.
Tyler Johnston III will make his third collegiate start on Saturday. He is 2-0 as a collegiate starter and 37-0 as a starter dating back to his days in high school at Spanish Fort. He has thrown for 456 yards, four touchdowns and four INTs in his first two starts.

Following the game at Texas A&M, the Blazers conclude the regular season at Middle Tennessee with a chance to clinch home field advantage for the C-USA championship game on Dec. 1.

Fans can watch Saturday's game on ESPN2, and can also receive updates by following @UAB_FB on Twitter and Instagram.

No. 25 UAB Heads to Texas A&M for Primetime Battle on ESPN2

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Players Mentioned

Spencer Brown

Tre' Crawford

Tyler Johnston III

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics