UAB and Florida Atlantic Meet in C-USA Championship Game

BIRMINGHAM – Looking to win back-to-back league titles, the UAB football team travels to Florida Atlantic for the 2019 Ryan Conference USA Championship this Saturday, Dec. 7. Kickoff at FAU Stadium is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. EST/12:30 p.m. CST on CBS Sports Network.

Saturday's matchup pairs the two most recent C-USA champs against each other. The Blazers are the reigning champions, and FAU won the title in 2017. Last year, UAB became the first team in league history to win the C-USA title on the road and looks to replicate that in 2019.

Who: UAB (9-3) at Florida Atlantic (9-3)
Where: Boca Raton, Fla. – FAU Stadium
When: 1:30 p.m. EST/12:30 p.m. CST
Watch: CBS Sports Network
On the Call: Carter Blackburn (play-by-play), Aaron Taylor (color), John Schriffen (sideline)
Listen: WJOX2 100.5 FM
On the Call: David Crane (play-by-play), Steve Irvine (color), Trey Ragland (sideline)
Series: Florida Atlantic leads, 4-2
Last Meeting: Nov. 1, 2014 - UAB 31-28
Streak: UAB, W1

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

UAB returns to the site of where it won the program's first ever bowl game, which was just last season when the Blazers defeated Northern Illinois 37-13 in the 2018 Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl on Dec. 17. UAB currently has a two-game winning streak at FAU Stadium dating back to a victory over the Owls in 2014.
The Blazers boast the nation's 5th ranked defense. UAB is coming off a dominant performance in which it tallied seven sacks, 11 TFL, two interceptions and held North Texas to 21 rushing yards to clinch the West Division title. With two games remaining, the Blazers are six sacks away from surpassing the school record (48) and 14 away from the TFL record (111), each of which were set last season.
Junior Linebacker Kristopher Moll is having a monster year with 89 tackles, 15.5 TFL, 9.0 sacks, six quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles, an interception, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup. He will be key in slowing down the league's top scoring offense (FAU 34.1 points per game).
Jack Linebacker Jordan Smith has also been dominant as his 10.0 sacks currently rank him fifth all-time at UAB for sacks in a single season. Moll, Smith, Garrett Marino (6.0), Alex Wright (4.5) and Fitzgerald Mofor (3.0) have combined for 32.5 of UAB's 43 total sacks.
Along with ranking 5th nationally in total defense, UAB ranks 3rd in fumble recoveries (13), 4th in third down defense (.275), 5th in rushing defense (92.3), 6th in sacks per game (3.58), 6th in passing defense (177.5) and 8th in tackles for loss per game (8.2).
Those numbers, specifically the passing defense, will be tested by Florida Atlantic who averages 277 yards through the air and has an All-America candidate in tight end Harrison Bryant. Bryant is a finalist for the Mackey Award, which is annually presented to the nation's top tight end. He has 61 catches for 965 yards and six touchdowns this season.
The Blazers have re-established their rushing attack and are averaging 240.5 yards per game on the ground during their current three-game winning streak. UAB posted a season-high 353 rushing yards vs. UTEP, followed by 166 vs. Louisiana Tech and 203 at North Texas.
Spencer Brown (111) and Lucious Stanley (72) combined for 183 rushing yards and two touchdowns at North Texas and should continue to carry the load for the ground attack. Brown became UAB's career leader in 100-yard rushing games at North Texas with 13 and in the process went over 3,000 career rushing yards.
The running game has been rejuvenated by a now healthy offensive line. The OL has had eight different starting lineups this season, but has found consistency down the stretch which has resulted in impressive results.
Austin Watkins Jr. is 110 yards shy of becoming just the third player in program history with 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. He (890), Kendall Parham (608) and Myron Mitchell (545) have combined for 2,043 of UAB's 2,433 receiving yards this season (84 percent).

Following the championship game, UAB will learn its bowl destination the next day, Sunday, Dec. 8. The Blazers will be playing in their third-consecutive bowl game in 2019.

UAB and Florida Atlantic Meet in C-USA Championship Game

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Spencer Brown

Garrett Marino

Myron Mitchell

Fitzgerald Mofor

Kristopher Moll

Kendall Parham

Jordan Smith

Lucious Stanley

Austin Watkins Jr.

Alex Wright

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics