UAB Blazers 2009 Football Betting Preview

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UAB 2008 Record: (4-8, 3-5)
UAB 2008 Bowl: none
UAB Coach: Neil Callaway (6-18 at UAB, 6-18 overall)
UAB Offensive Coordinator: Kim Helton
UAB Defensive Coordinator: Eric Schumann
UAB Returning Stats Leaders:

• Rushing: Joe Webb, QB, 1,021 yards
• Passing: Joe Webb, QB, 2,367 yards
• Receiving: Frantrell Forrest, WR, 536 yards
• Tackles: Chase Daniel, S, 47; Keon Harris, LB, 47
• Sacks: Bryant Turner, DE, 4.0
• Interceptions: Brandon Carlisle, CB, 2; Chase Daniel, S, 2

Notable UAB Returning Players: TE Jeffery Anderson, DE Anthony Barnes, G Greg Bulls, OT Greg Calhoun, DT Tim Davis, OT Terence Edge, WR Mark Ferrell, DT D.J. Reese, C Jake Seitz, RB Rashaud Slaughter, CB Terrell Springs, LB Lamanski Ware, WR Mario Wright

UAB Key Losses: S Will Dunbar, LB Joe Henderson, CB Kevin Sanders, S Matt Taylor, K/P Swayze Waters

The Blazers have long been among the bottom tier of teams in the C-USA East and have only earned one bowl berth in their entire history. Last season was the second under head coach Neil Callaway and UAB finished with a 4-8 record, though they did win three conference games. The issue was pretty simple: UAB didn’t have enough defense as they allowed over 31 points per game. With 17 starters back this fall, including the entire offense, UAB might be in position for a step forward.

The offense’s triggerman will be senior Joe Webb, who took every snap last fall. Webb’s numbers weren’t very impressive passing, only accounting for 2,367 yards and 10 touchdowns against 16 picks but he also led the team in rushing with 1,021 yards and 11 touchdowns! The Blazers really need to improve their balance because when a quarterback has 200 carries in a season then he’s just asking to get hurt. To that end, senior Rashaud Slaughter did account for 514 yards and 4 touchdowns last year, so perhaps he can lighten Webb’s load. The O-Line is a solid group and should open plenty of holes this fall with the entire two deep back. Expect a big improvement over last season’s 170 yards per game average if Webb stays healthy. At receiver, junior Frantrell Forrest is the top returnee, having caught 42 passes for 536 yards and 2 touchdowns last fall. However, nine different players accounted for double digit catches in 2008 and there will be a plethora of options for Webb to throw to. Assuming Webb stays healthy once more, I expect him to cut down on his interceptions in his 3rd season as the starter. With the entire offense back, I believe that the Blazers will see a nice increase in their offensive production.

The defense is a bit more concerning as only six starters return. The good news is that four of those starters are on the defensive line. Expect much improved production, especially in the pass rush, and keep an eye on junior end Bryant Turner, who had 4 sacks last season. I expect UAB to have a solid D-Line. The big concern is in the back seven, where only two starters are back. Sophomore safety Chase Daniel was a backup last fall but he is the team’s leading returning tackler (47 in 2008 ) and is tied for the returning lead in interceptions with senior cornerback Brandon Carlisle, both of whom snagged two picks last season. The biggest departure was undoubtedly cornerback Kevin Sanders, who had 7 picks en route to 1 st team C-USA honors. However, there is a bunch of talent on hand and I’m bullish on UAB fielding a solid pass defense as both cornerback spots and one of the safety spots will be manned by players with a lot of experience from 2008. Linebacker is more of a concern for me as only junior Keon Harris started last fall and he only started 8 games, notching 47 stops. I’m not very confident that the Blazers will have a very good group because there is little experience and a true freshman was atop the depth chart at middle linebacker after spring practice. That said, I think UAB should be improved in the air after allowing over 260 yards per game last fall thanks to an improved pass rush and a solid core of young talent taking over in the secondary. While the Blazers appear to be a stronger unit overall and should improve, they’re still likely to finish in the conference’s bottom half of the defensive rankings.

The Blazers have a good schedule draw from the West, avoiding both Houston and Tulsa. However, they only have two home division games and their first two games of the season will be against conference opposition, so they have to start well. The non-conference schedule is also tough, featuring trips to Texas A&M, SEC West favorite Ole Miss and Sun Belt favorite Troy. While I like the Blazers to be a much better team this fall, I’m not so sure they’ll manage to qualify for a bowl game. In fact, it seems likely that they’ll need a few upsets to better last season’s four win total.

UAB Big Games: Sept. 5th vs. Rice, Sept. 12th vs. SMU, Oct. 1st vs. USM, Oct. 24th @ Marshall, Nov. 14th @ UCF, Nov. 28th vs. UCF

UAB’s Strength:

And it all starts with senior quarterback Joe Webb. Not only did he throw for 2,367 yards and ten touchdowns, but Webb also rushed for over 1,000 yards and actually rushed for more touchdowns than he passed. Now that does say something about the overall rushing offense of UAB, but it also says that Webb is a dynamic playmaker who can make things happen. Wide receiver Frantrell Forrest came out of nowhere to lead the team with 536 receiving yards as a freshman and Mario Wright is an experienced wideout. Add tight end Jeffery Anderson to the mix and Webb has himself plenty of targets. The offense returns nearly everybody. The entire two-deep from last year is back and that experience should turn the Blazers offense into one of the best in the conference. The key to it all might be the development of running back Rashaud Slaughter and the offensive line that needs to give him more room to operate.

UAB’s Weakness:

The defense returns a ton of players too, but three of them that are not returning were last year’s top three tacklers. Will Dunbar, Joe Henderson and Matt Taylor were easily the three most productive players on the defensive side of the ball. And this was a unit that was outplayed most of the time even with those three on the field. The rest of the unit was relatively young but all those sophomores littered around the defense need to develop into consistent upperclassmen and a few of them need to take over this team. It is in the secondary where there are the biggest concerns since Dunbar, Taylor and Kevin Sanders are gone and the pass defense was still 108 th in the nation. If the front four can get pressure in the backfield the job in the secondary will be easier, but if UAB ranked 108 th with those experienced players, it is hard to imagine them doing much better with Terrell Springs, Brandon Carlisle and Chase Daniel.

Our Prediction for the 2009 Blazers:

The overall team statistics were pretty bad in 2008. Yet, this team pulled off four wins and most of those were in the second half of the season. They kept getting better as the year went on and that should continue into 2009. The schedule does not make it easy, but if this UAB team really is improving, they should win six games and be bowl eligible.

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