UAB Blazers 2018 Football Preview
Opening Statement: Nobody saw UAB coming last year on the way to an 8-5 finish after being on hiatus for 2 seasons. Bill Clark, one of the best coaches in the game, stuck around, and built the program from rubble, and then managed to stick around after teams sought him out during the off-season. With Clark and his staff back in the fold, there are few reasons to expect that the Blazers will not be competitive once again. Nobody will be fooled this time around, and teams will be waiting on them, but another bowl run could be in store.
Breakdown Offense: AJ Erdely came out of nowhere last fall, and tossed 16 TD passes to just 4 INTs while passing for 2331 yards. He completed 60.7% of his passes, and returns for his senior season to lead the Blazers. He added 13 rushing scores to his arsenal last fall, and should be one of the better QBs in CUSA football. Tyler Johnston returns after only attempting 2 passes as the backup as a freshman last fall, but former South Alabama starter Dallas Davis is going to push him for the backup job in camp.
The top 3 rushers all return for the Blazers, led by starter Spencer Brown, who blew up last season as a freshman to rush for 1329 yards and 10 scores, while averaging 5.32 yards per carry. James Noble III will return to the group after carrying 54 times last season, and Michigan transfer Kingston Davis could push them all before the end of the season.
There is an issue at receiver, where only one starter returns in Andre Wilson. Wilson led the team by posting 54-677-6, and averaged 12.54 yards per catch last fall. Collin Lisa and Xavier Ubosi are projected as the new starters. Lisa did catch 33 passes last fall, and Ubosi added 13 receptions. Jonathon Haden and Justin Walker are around to provide some depth, as is Sederian Copeland.
Logan Scott returns at TE, but caught just 4 passes last fall. Hayden Pittman caught 9 passes, and should get plenty of reps.
The line should be strong once again, as 4 starters return into the fold. James Davis (LT), Lee Dufour (C), Malique Johnson (RG), and Justice Powers (RT) will all be back, with Rishard Cook, a senior, being penciled in at LG. Bryant Novick and David Galten should provide some depth.
Breakdown Defense: Garrett Marino is the lone returning starter on the line for the Blazers in 2018. He totaled 8 TFLs last fall, but finished with just one sack on the season. Anthony Rush and Quindarius Thagard are projected to start at the open spots up front. Rush totaled 9 TFLs, while Thagard totaled just 2.5 in 12 games. Stacy Keely should see some reps as well after totaling 5 TFLs. Zachary Williams adds some depth on the bench.
The Blazers get 2 starters back at LB in the 3-4 set. Keely could rotate between the line and LB this fall, depending on situation. Fitzgerald Mofor also returns. Mofor totaled 74 tackles last fall, but was good for just 3.5 TFLs. Thomas Johnston and Chris Woolbright project to start this season in the open spots. They combined for 5.5 TFLs last fall. Johnston totaled 32 tackles as a freshman, while Woolbright totaled 15.Craig Kanyangarara and Tre Crawford add depth.
The secondary will get 3 starters back from a unit that ranked 22nd nationally against the pass last season. DA Williams is back and will start at CB. He totaled 4 PBUs and totaled 16 tackles. Will Dawkins returns at SS after a 35 tackle season. Broderick Thomas is back at FS, and totaled 95 tackles. Brontae Harris is the new starter at CB, and played in all 13 games as a freshman last fall.
Breakdown Special Teams: Nick Vogel is back at PK after hitting 13/17 FGs last fall., He was good for 40/42 PAT tries as well.
Joel Dixon returns at Punter, and averaged 41.34 yards per punt.
The KR game is manned by Haden once again, after he averaged 22.81 yards per return. Andre Wilson joins him in that role, and averaged 20.76 yards per return. Wilson averaged 9.39 yards per punt return as well.
Final Analysis: The Blazers shocked the nation last fall by rolling up 8 wins in the first return season of the program after not fielding a team for 2 years. It was a testament to the work of Bill Clark in holding this football team together during that time, and a testament to him that he stayed on. The program is in excellent hand, and is in solid shape moving forward, with a new on campus stadium coming their way soon. Look for the Blazers to roll through the first month of the season, and that alone should set them up nicely for another bowl bid.
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