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CFB: Bahamas Bowl Preview – Miami-Ohio Redhawks (6-6) at UAB Blazers (6-6)

MIAMI-OHIO REDHAWKS NOTES:

FIRST AND TEN
• Miami football ranks first all-time in the Mid-American Conference in wins (713), conference wins (310), MAC Championships (16) and bowl wins (8). The RedHawks also captured the 2019 MAC Championship with a 26-21 win over Central Michigan.

• Although Miami was 4-18 in Coach Martin’s first 22 Mid-American Conference games, the RedHawks are 34-16 in the last 50 games versus schools from the MAC, the best record in the conference during that span.

• The RedHawks clinched the MAC East Division Championship with a 6-2 record in 2019, went 2-1 in 2020 and 5-3 in 2021. Miami has now had a .500 or better conference record in six of the last seven seasons.

• Martin, in his ninth year leading the RedHawks, has a new-look coaching staff in 2021. Offensive Coordinator Eric Koehler returns for his ninth year calling plays, while Bill Brechin begins year one as the Defensive Coordinator (ninth year at Miami). Special Teams Coordinator Jacob Bronowski is in his first year with the Red and White.

• Miami is 13-7 in one-score games, dating back to the 2018 campaign and are 4-3 this season in single-score games.

• In its last 50 contests, Miami has had a lead at some point in 44 of those games. The RedHawks have had a lead at some point in all but one game in 2022.

• Miami competed in the 2021 Frisco Football Classic (W, 27-14) and the RedHawks have now been bowl eligible six of the last seven seasons. From 2006-15, Miami was bowl eligible just twice.

ABOUT CHUCK MARTIN
• Head coach Chuck Martin, who earned that title on Dec. 3, 2013, brings an impressive resume to Oxford, Ohio.

• Not only was he 74-7 in six years at Grand Valley State (2004-09), he has coached in seven national championship games in the past 20 seasons. Martin has an all-time head coaching record of 119-65.

• He has twice been named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) National Coach of the Year and has been a coordinator on both sides of the ball.

• Martin was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Grand Valley State University on Oct. 23, 2015.

ABOUT UAB
The Blazers (6-6) achieved bowl eligibility for a seventh straight season (2014, 2017- 22) with their victory at Louisiana Tech. Led by record-setting running back DeWayne McBride, the Blazers finished the regular season with the most prolific rushing attack in school history and as one of the top running teams in the nation with an average of 243.5 rushing yards per game. McBride set UAB’s single season school records for rushing yards (1,713), rushing yards per game (155.7), rushing touchdowns (19) and yards per carry (7.4), while also establishing the single game rushing record with 272 yards against Louisiana Tech.

SERIES VS. THE BLAZERS
This will be the first meeting between the two schools.

MATCHUP TO WATCH
The Bahamas Bowl will feature strength on
strength. UAB is sixth in the nation, averaging 243.8 rushing yards per contest and 17th with 30 rushing touchdowns in 2022. Miami is 41st against the run, allowing a MAC low of 135.8 rushing yards per contest. The RedHawks have surrendered under 100 yards rushing four different times and have allowed just 15 rushing touchdowns all season long.

BOWL BOUND
The RedHawks are competing in their 14th bowl game in school history and are 8-5 all-time in bowl games.

1948 Sun Bowl (Won 13-12 vs. Texas Tech)
1950 Salad Bowl (Won 34-21 vs. Arizona State)
1962 Tangerine Bowl (Lost, 49-21 vs. Houston)
1973 Tangerine Bowl (Won, 16-7 vs. Florida)
1974 Tangerine Bowl (Won, 21-10 vs. Georgia)
1975 Tangerine Bowl (Won, 20-7 vs. South Carolina)
1986 California Bowl (Lost, 37-7 vs. San Jose State)
2003 GMAC Bowl (Won, 49-28 vs. Louisville)
2004 Independence Bowl (Lost, 17-13 vs. Iowa State)
2010 GoDaddy Bowl (Won, 35-21 vs. Middle Tennessee State)
2016 St. Petersburg Bowl (Lost, 17-16 vs. Mississippi State)
2020 LendingTree Bowl (Lost, 27-17 vs. Lousiana)
2021 Frisco Football Classic (Won, 27-14 vs. North Texas)
2022 HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl

HOW WE GOT HERE
Starting quarterback Brett Gabbert was injured in the first game of the season and only played four games in 2022.

• Aveon Smith got his first career win over Robert Morris and two weeks later led the RedHawks to a win over Northwestern.

• Smith had the game-clinching pass in a win over Kent State, but after back-to-back losses to Bowling Green and Western Michigan, bowl hopes were low.

• Miami won three of its last four contests, including the final two against Northern Illinois and Ball State to become bowl eligible.

• Miami scored two touchdowns in the final six minutes to erase a 17-6 deficit versus Ball State. Smith found Miles Marshall for a 34-yard touchdown with 1:42 to play to send Miami to the Bahamas.

SIX CURRENT REDHAWKS EARN ALL-MAC
Six members of the Miami University football team were named All-MAC. Earning conference honors were Rusty Feth (second-team), Mac Hippenhammer (second-team), Ryan McWood (second-team), Dom Dzioban (second-team), Matthew Salopek (third-team) and Jalen Walker (third-team, returner).

BOUNCE BACK
Since early in the 2016 season Miami has lost back-to-back MAC games just twice in that span. In fact, Miami is now 13-2 following a MAC loss under Martin, dating back to Oct. 15, 2016.

MONSTERS OF THE MAC
With so many new faces on defense in 2022, a drop in defensive production could have been expected, instead, Miami is once again one of the best defenses in the conference. Miami ranks first in scoring defense (22.5), fourth in total defense (371.7), and first in rush defense (135.8).

TAKE IT AWAY DEFENSE, TAKE IT AWAY
Through 12 games in 2022, the RedHawks defense has forced 19 turnovers and is on pace for 21 takeaways in 2022. Prior to this season, Miami had averaged 16 turnovers forced per season since Chuck Martin’s arrival, with a high of 20 in 2019. Miami’s 19 forced turnovers is third in the MAC and 23rd in the nation.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
The RedHawks graduated two defensive ends and lost two others to the transfer portal prior to the start of the 2022 season, creating a major hole at defensive end … or so we thought. Transfers Corey Suttle (6.0) and Brian Ugwu (5.0) are tops on the team in sacks. Sophomore Caiden Woullard, who saw no action a year ago, is third on the team with 4.0 sacks.

SMITH BECOMING A DUAL-THREAT
Quarterback Aveon Smith is the first Miami quarterback in program history to lead the RedHawks in rushing (503 yards) and passing (1,137 yards) yards in a season.

• Miami is 5-3 on the year with Smith under center, including a 17-14 win over Northwestern.

• He has rushed for over 100 yards two different times in 2022 and over his last five starts he has averaged 91.4 yards rushing per contest.

• While his completion percentage could be better, he has four throws of over 20 yards in the last two contests, including the 34-yard game-winner over Ball State.

WILL THE REAL RUSHING ATTACK PLEASE STAND UP
Miami is averaging 144.0 yards rushing per contest in 2022, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Miami has rushed for over 200 yards four different times this season, including 240 yards at Buffalo and another 236 in a win over Kent State. For whatever reason, from Oct. 15-Nov. 8 the RedHawks averaged just 83.5 yards per game on the ground. It’s been better as of late, rushing for 171 yards versus NIU and 120 against Ball State.

TRENCH WARFARE
Miami’s offensive line is by far the most experienced unit for the RedHawks in 2022, returning four starters from last season’s squad. In all, Miami’s offensive line has started 96 combined games. Rusty Feth leads the way with 32, followed by Reid Holskey (25), Sam Vaughan (14, but out for the year in 2022), Will Jados (10), Kolby Borders (7), John Brekke (5), and Ben Jackson (1) Brekke was also a three-year starter from Holy Cross before transferring to Miami.

FROM ZERO TO HERO
Over the past year, head coach Chuck Martin has awarded six scholarships to walk ons with the football program. Last year Chris Cavalaris and Dominic Nardone earned a free ride and back on Aug. 16, in the middle of fall camp 2022, Oscar McWood, Brendan Beattie, Jack DeJarld and Graham Nicholson were awarded scholarships.

PAGING DR. MCWOOD
Linebacker Ryan McWood (turned 25 on Oct. 13) is in his SEVENTH season with the Red and White. Due to red-shirting the 2016 season, a 2020 COVID year and then a season-ending injury in week one of the 2021 season, McWood is just a handful of college football players playing in their seventh (or eighth) year. McWood ranks fifth in the country with 121 stops.

NOTHING BUT NET
In his first year with the football program, Graham Nicholson did not disappoint. He finished the season 15-20 on field goals, including 6-of-7 on attempts between 40-49 yards. He added 30 touchbacks on 65 kickoffs in 2021. He is 18-for-22 on field goals in 2022. He also had his first game-winning field goal, connecting on a 36-yard field goal with 21 seconds to go in the 17-14 win at Northwestern. Nicholson missed a kick versus Ball State, snapping a streak of 12 consecutive makes.

NEW-FACES NEW PLACES
The transfer portal has changed college football, and Miami is no different. Kameron Butler (Virginia), Lonnie Phelps (Kansas) and Ivan Pace (Cincinnati) combined for 208 tackles and 21.5 sacks last season, but are now at other schools. The RedHawks brought in a handful of new talent of their own. In all, 13 transfers joined Miami for the 2022 season: Matt Bjorson (Indiana), John Brekke (Holy Cross), Jalen Brunson (Virginia Tech), Michael Dowell (Michigan State), Nolan Johnson (ECU), Trey LaBounty (Stanford), Miles Marshall (Indiana), Yahsyn McKee (Mercer), Jalen Peterson (Indianapolis), Zane Reis (Ohio Wesleyan), Corey Suttle (Iowa State), Brian Ugwu (Rutgers) and Ty Wise (Indiana).

IF YOU BUILD IT…
Miami’s Director of Athletics, David Sayler continues to add facilities for the department. The two newest football installments can be seen just north of Yager Stadium. The new David and Anita Dauch Indoor Sports Center (DISC) opened in February of 2015 and features a full-length 120-yard field and four sprint lanes. Between Yager Stadium and the DISC is the Athletic Performance Center. The APC provides much-needed upgrades to Miami Football’s locker room and offices while also hosting a state-of-the-art medical and athletic training facility that serves all Miami’s student-athletes.

ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM BLAZERS NOTES:

UAB LOOKS FOR THIRD BOWL VICTORY IN HOMETOWN LENDERS BAHAMAS BOWL:
The UAB football team looks for the school’s third ever bowl victory as the Blazers take on Miami (OH) for the first time at the HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl. UAB’s 37-27 victory over Louisiana Tech in the season finale secured bowl eligibility for a seventh-consecutive season (2014, 2017-22), and the Blazers look for back-to-back bowl wins after last year’s 31-28 victory over No. 13 BYU in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. UAB was also victorious in the 2018 Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl (37-13 over Northern Illinois), which was the program’s First bowl victory in school history.

MCBRIDE HAS MOST DECORATED SEASON IN SCHOOL HISTORY:
DeWayne McBride had the most decorated season in school history as he finished the regular season as the nation’s leading rusher with 1,713 yards. In just 11 games, McBride set school records for rushing yards (1,713), rushing yards per game (155.7), rushing touchdowns (19), yards per carry (7.35), 100-yard games (10), 200-yard games (3) and total points (114). Additionally, he set the single game school rushing record with 272 yards on just 16 carries against Louisiana Tech. For his efforts, he earned Walter Camp Second Team All-America honors, as well as being named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year.

UAB PASS DEFENSE ONE OF THE TOPS IN THE COUNTRY:
Despite not finishing top 20 in total defense for a fifth straight season, UAB’s pass defense has been one of the most stout in the nation. Through the first 10 weeks of the season, UAB had ranked top five nationally in pass efficiency defense, but enters the bowl game ranked No. 18. UAB has not allowed a 300 yards passer this year and is holding opposing QBs to just 57% completion.

UAB HAS 20 PLAYERS EARN C-USA POSTSEASON AWARDS:
Led by First Team All-Conference USA selections DeWayne McBride (RB), Kadeem Telfort (LT), Sidney Wells (RT), Noah Wilder (LB) and Starling Thomas V (CB), the Blazers had 20 players earn Conference USA postseason honors. UAB also had five Second Team All-Conference USA recipients and 10 Honorable Mentions. All of UAB’s five starting offensive linemen garnered accolades as UAB ranks 5th nationally in rushing yards per game (243.8) and set the single season school record for rushing yards (2,925).

LOOKING FOR WIN 50 SINCE THE RETURN:
UAB has won 49 games since returning to action in 2017, which is the most wins of any team in Conference USA during that span. The Blazers are 49-26 overall dating back to the 2017 season and are the first team in C-USA history to win their division three years in a row (2018-2020). UAB has been dominant against league action, compiling an overall record of 34-13 vs. Conference USA and a mark of 22-5 against West divisional opponents during that span.

TOP G5 PROGRAM
The Blazers have been one of the top Group of 5 programs in the country since returning to action in 2017…During that span, the Blazers have the sixth highest winning percentage of any G5 team (data provided by Appalachian State which goes back to 2015 season when UAB was not playing).

Top G5 Winning Percentage Since 2015:

  1. Appalachian State – 79-25 (75.9)
  2. Boise State – 73-26 (73.7)
  3. San Diego State – 72-29 (71.2)
  4. Cincinnati – 68-32 (68.0)
  5. Memphis – 67-35 (65.6)
  6. UAB – 49-26 (65.3)

1-2 PUNCH AT RB
DeWayne McBride and Jermaine Brown Jr. entered the 2022 season as the only running back tandem in the nation who combined to rush for 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns last season, and have accomplished that feat again this season. They both had tremendous seasons in 2022 as McBride led the nation with 1,713 rushing yards and Brown Jr. added 832. They have combined for 2,545 of the team’s 2,925 total rushing yards and 25 of the team’s 30 rushing touchdowns.

UAB DOMINANT AT HOME
The Blazers moved into their new home of Protective Stadium in 2021 and opened the new era of UAB Football on Oct. 2 vs. Liberty. UAB’s first victory came on Oct. 9, 2021 with a 31-14 victory over Florida Atlantic. Since returning to action in 2017, UAB is 29-4 at home and 8-3 at Protective Stadium.

WINNINGEST TEAM IN C-USA SINCE 2017:
Since returning to action in 2017, UAB is the winningest team in Conference USA with 48 total victories. The Blazers were the 2018 and 2020 C-USA Champions and won the West Division title three straight years (2018, 2019 & 2020).

  1. UAB – 49
  2. UTSA – 43
  3. FAU – 42
  4. North Texas – 39
  5. Louisiana Tech – 36

OFFENSIVE NOTES
McBRIDE HAS BEST SEASON IN SCHOOL HISTORY
In 11 games, DeWayne McBride finished the regular season as the nation’s leading rusher with 1,713 yards. Bride has rushed for over 100 yards in 10 of 11 games this season and added 19 rushing touchdowns. He set the school record for rushing yards, touchdowns, points and yards per carry in 2022.

McBRIDE 2022 GAME-BY-GAME
Opponent No. Gain Loss Net TD LG Avg.
at Liberty 20 184 7 177 1 56 8.9
Georgia Southern 28 229 6 223 4 47 8.0
at Rice 27 131 10 121 1 23 4.5
Middle Tennessee 12 121 1 120 3 45 10.0
Charlotte 29 139 2 137 2 23 4.7
at WKU 24 201 1 200 0 64 8.2
at FAU 24 169 1 168 1 63 7.0
UTSA 19 145 4 141 2 68 7.4
North Texas 21 120 0 120 3 33 5.7
at LSU 13 35 1 34 1 6 2.6
at Louisiana Tech 16 272 0 272 1 60 17
Total 233 1,746 33 1,713 19 68 7.4

McBRIDE FINISHES 2022 AS NATION’S LEADING RUSHER
With a school record 272 rushing yards at Louisiana Tech, DeWayne McBride finished the regular season as the national leader in rushing yards and rushing yards per game.

2022 RUSHING YARDS:
Player Gms Att. Yds

  1. DeWayne McBride – UAB 11 233 1,713
  2. Chase Brown – Illinois 12 328 1,643
  3. Brad Roberts – Air Force 12 308 1,612
  4. Mohamed Ibrahim – Minnesota 11 304 1,594
  5. Bijan Robinson – Texas 12 258 1,580

2022 RUSHING YARDS PER GAME:
Player Gms Yds Avg.

  1. DeWayne McBride – UAB 11 1,713 155.7
  2. Mohamed Ibrahim – Minnesota 11 1,594 144.9
  3. Chase Brown – Illinois 12 1,643 136.9
  4. Zach Charbonnet – UCLA 10 1,359 135.9
  5. Brad Roberts – Air Force 12 1,612 134.3

McBride is also the NCAA active career leader in yards per carry and ranks second in rushing yards per game.

CAREER RUSHING YARDS PER CARRY:
Player Rush Yds Avg

  1. DeWayne McBride – UAB 484 3,523 7.3
  2. Kendre Miller – TCU 353 2,353 6.7
  3. Tyjae Spears – Tulane 410 2,705 6.6

CAREER RUSHING YARDS PER GAME:
Player Games Yds Avg

  1. Brad Roberts – Air Force 29 3,425 118.1
  2. DeWayne McBride – UAB 30 3,523 117.4
  3. Mohamed Ibrahim – Minn. 40 4,597 114.9

McBRIDE’S CAREER 100-YARD GAMES
McBride is 2nd all-time in career 100-yard games at UAB. He has rushed for 100 yards in 10 of 11 games this season, and dating back to last year he has gone over 100 yards in 14 of his last 16 contests.
CAREER 100-YARD RUSHING GAMES
Player Years Yds

  1. Spencer Brown 2017-2020 19
  2. DeWayne McBride 2020-Pres. 18
  3. Joe Webb 2006-09 12
  4. Jordan Howard 2013-14 11
  5. Pat Green 1991-94 10

McBRIDE CAREER 100-YARD RUSHING GAMES:
2020
Opponent No. Gain Loss Net TD LG Avg.
WKU* 10 131 0 131 1 71 13.1
at Louisiana Tech* 13 133 0 133 2 75 10.2

2021
Opponent No. Gain Loss Net TD LG Avg.
at Tulane 18 112 1 111 0 28 6.2
at Southern Miss 17 139 2 137 1 37 8.1
Louisiana Tech 14 210 4 210 4 43 15.0
at Marshall 25 114 6 108 2 18 4.3
at UTSA 24 149 5 144 1 32 6.0
vs. No. 13 BYU 28 188 5 183 1 64 6.5

2022
Opponent No. Gain Loss Net TD LG Avg.
at Liberty 20 184 7 177 1 56 8.9
Georgia Southern 28 229 6 223 4 47 8.0
at Rice 27 131 10 121 1 23 4.5
Middle Tennessee 12 121 1 120 3 45 10.0
Charlotte 29 139 2 137 2 23 4.7
at WKU 24 201 1 200 0 64 8.2
at FAU 24 169 1 168 1 63 7.0
UTSA 19 145 4 141 2 68 7.4
North Texas 21 120 0 120 3 33 5.7
at Louisiana Tech 16 272 0 272 1 60 17

McBRIDE AND BROWN JR. ON UAB’S CAREER RUSHING YARDS AND TD LIST
DeWayne McBride and Jermaine Brown Jr. are both inside the top 10 on UAB’s career rushing list and career rushing touchdown list.

CAREER RUSHING YARDS
Player Years Yds

  1. Spencer Brown 2017-20 4,011
  2. DeWayne McBride 2020-Pres. 3,523
  3. Pat Green 1991-94 2,817
  4. Joe Webb 2006-09 2,774
  5. Jordan Howard 2013-14 2,468
  6. Darrin Reaves 2011-13 2,337
  7. Dan Burks 2002-06 2,277
  8. Jermaine Brown Jr. 2019-Pres. 2,160
  9. Jegil Dugger 1998-01 1,979
  10. Corey White 2003-06 1,925

CAREER RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
Player Years TDs

  1. Spencer Brown 2017-20 41
    T2. DeWayne McBride 2020-Pres. 36
    T2. Pat Green 1991-94 35
  2. Darrin Reaves 2011-13 27
  3. Corey White 2003-06 25
  4. Joe Webb 2006-09 24
  5. A.J. Erdely 2017-18 18
  6. Jermaine Brown Jr. 2019-Pres. 16
  7. Jordan Howard 2013-14 15
    T10. Daniel Dixon 1997-00 13
    T10. Jegil Dugger 1998-01 13

McBRIDE SETS UAB’S SINGLE SEASON RUSHING RECORD
With a school record 272 rushing yards at Louisiana Tech, DeWayne McBride also set the school record for single season rushing yards – a record that was previously set by Jordan Howard back in 2014.

SINGLE SEASON RUSHING YARDS
Player Year Yds

  1. DeWayne McBride 2022 1,713
  2. Jordan Howard 2014 1,587
  3. Joe Webb 2009 1,427
  4. DeWayne McBride 2021 1,371
  5. Spencer Brown 2017 1,329
  6. Spencer Brown 2018 1,227
  7. Carl Sanders 1996 1,154
  8. Darrin Reaves 2012 1,037
  9. Joe Webb 2008 1,021
  10. Darrin Reaves 2013 928

SINGLE SEASON RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
With three rushing touchdowns against North Texas, DeWayne McBride set the single season school record for rushing touchdowns with 17. McBride finished the regular season with 19 touchdowns, which is the second most nationally.

SINGLE SEASON RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
Player Year TDs

  1. DeWayne McBride 2022 19
  2. Spencer Brown 2018 16
    T3. DeWayne McBride 2021 13
    T3. A.J. Erdely 2017 13
    T3. Jordan Howard 2014 13
    T3. Darrin Reaves 2012 13
  3. Darrin Reaves 2013 12
    T8. Joe Webb 2009 11
    T8. Joe Webb 2008 11
    T10. Spencer Brown 2020 10
    T10. Spencer Brown 2017 10
    T10. Pat Green 1993 10

NOTES ON DYLAN HOPKINS
Dylan Hopkins, who finished 2021 as the nation’s eighth most efficient passer, finished the 2022 regular season ranked 30th in efficiency. He missed two and a half games due to injury, but completed 120-of-191 (62.8 percent) for 1,709 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions. For his career, Hopkins is 16-9 as UAB’s starting quarterback.

HOPKINS GAME-BY-GAME
Opponent Comp Att. Yds TD INT Lg
Alabama A&M 13 18 191 1 0 31
at Liberty 10 15 114 0 0 56
Georgia Southern 12 19 125 1 0 36
at Rice 15 21 231 2 1 71
Middle Tennessee 17 27 278 1 0 68
Charlotte 15 23 231 1 1 64
at WKU 2 2 63 1 0 59
at FAU DNP (Injury)
UTSA DNP (Injury)
North Texas 15 23 234 1 0 75
at LSU 14 29 158 0 0 27
Louisiana Tech 7 14 91 1 1 74
Total 120 191 1,709 9 3 75

HOPKINS ON UAB’S CAREER QB LISTS
In 25 career starts, Dylan Hopkins is fifth in both career passing touchdowns and career passing yards.

CAREER TOUCHDOWN PASSES
Player Years TDs

  1. Darrell Hackney 2002-05 71
  2. John Whitcomb 1992-94 53
    T3. Tyler Johnston III 2017-Pres. 37
    T3. Joe Webb 2006-09 37
  3. Dylan Hopkins 2018-Pres. 30
  4. Bryan Ellis 2008-11 27
  5. Jonathan Perry 2011-13 26
  6. Austin Brown 2012-13 24
  7. A.J. Erdely 2017-18 23
  8. Lee Jolly 1997-99 17

CAREER PASSING YARDS
Player Years Yds

  1. Darrell Hackney 2002-05 9,886
  2. John Whitcomb 1992-94 7,420
  3. Joe Webb 2006-09 5,771
  4. Tyler Johnston III 2017-Pres. 4,837
  5. Dylan Hopkins 2018-Pres. 4,553
  6. Jonathan Perry 2011-13 4,454
  7. Austin Brown 2012-13 3,872
  8. A.J. Erdely 2017-18 3,870
  9. Bryan Ellis 2008-11 3,697
  10. Daniel Dixon 1997-00 3,085

OFFENSIVE NOTES
59 POINTS
The Blazers scored 59 points against Alabama A&M in the season opener. It was their third most points scored in school history and their most as a Division I FBS member. Additionally, the 59-point margin of victory was the largest in school history as Division I members and the second most in school history.

  1. 75 vs. Albany Turner – Nov. 2, 1991 (DIII)
  2. 61 vs. Knoxville College – Nov. 11, 1995 (DI-AA)
  3. 59 vs. Alabama A&M – Sept. 1, 2022 (DI-FBS)
  4. 75 vs. Albany Turner (75-0) – Nov. 2, 1991 (DIII)
  5. 59 vs. Alabama A&M (59-0) – Sept. 1, 2022 (DI-FBS)
  6. 53 vs. Knoxville College (61-8) – Nov. 11, 1995 (D1-AA)

500+ YARDS OF OFFENSE
The Blazers have put up 500 yards of total offense four times this season, with the most recent coming against North Texas where they had 505 yards. UAB is now 23-12 in its history when going over 500 yards of offense.

UAB OFFENSIVE LINE NOTES
UAB’s offensive line has helped UAB rush for over 220 yards in 10 of 12 games this season. The Blazers rank 5th nationally in rushing yards per game at 243.8 per game. UAB was named to the Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll and all five of the starters earned Conference USA postseason accolades.

Player 19 GP/GS 20 GP/GS 21 GP/GS 22 GP/GS Career GP/GS
OT Sidney Wells 14/14 9/9 4/4 12/12 39/39
OG Matthew Trehern — 9/9 13/13 12/12 34/34
OT Kadeem Telfort — 6/4 13/13 11/10 30/27
C Will Rykard 1/0 5/3 9/6 9/9 24/18
OT Trey Bedowsky — — 13/0 8/2 21/2
OG Quincy McGee — — 4/0 12/12 16/12
C Brady Wilson — — 2/0 12/6 14/6
OG Zaire Flournoy — — 1/0 12/0 13/0
OG Eli Richey — — 3/0 5/0 8/0
OT Quez Yates — — — 3/0 3/0
OT Tater Reid — — — 2/0 2/0
OG Cameron Young — — — 1/0 1/0

SHROPSHIRE MOVES IN TOP 10 FOR CAREER RECEIVING YARDS
With a career-high 193 receiving yards against Middle Tennessee, Trea Shropshire moved into the top 10 for career receiving yards at UAB. He is currently fifth in career receiving yards and seventh in receiving touchdowns.

CAREER RECEIVING YARDS
Player Years Yards

  1. Derrick Ingram 1991-94 3,379
  2. Roddy White 2001-04 3,112
  3. J.J. Nelson 2011-14 2,273
  4. Frantell Forrest 2007-10 2,215
  5. Trea Shropshire 2020-22 1,753
  6. Jackie Williams 2010-12 1,733
  7. Cedrick Buchannon 1992-95 1,694
  8. Austin Watkins Jr. 2018-20 1,642
  9. Darrius Malone 1996-99 1,596
  10. Willie Quinnie 2000-02 1,395

CAREER RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS
Player Years TDs

  1. Derrick Ingram 1991-94 28
  2. Roddy White 2001-04 26
    T3. Frantell Forrest 2007-10 20
    T3. J.J. Nelson 2011-14 20
    T5. Gerrit Prince 2018-21 15
    T5. Reggie Lindsey 2004-05 15
    T7. Trea Shropshire 2020-Pres. 14
    T7. Cedrick Buchannon 1992-95 14
  3. Andre Wilson 2017-18 11
    T10. Patrick Hearn 2009-12 10
    T10. Willie Quinnie 2000-02 10

DEFENSIVE NOTES
BLAZERS OPEN THE YEAR WITH DOMINATING PERFORMANCE
For a second straight season, the Blazers opened the season by posting a shutout, this year by defeating Alabama A&M 59-0. It was UAB’s sixth shutout since returning to action in 2017 and their 13th in program history.

UAB SHUTOUTS
DATE Opponent Score
11/2/1991 Albany Turner W, 75-0*
11/5/1992 Millsaps W, 28-0*
10/7/1995 Wofford W, 28-0^
10/5/1996 WKU W, 24-0
10/2/1999 ULM W, 47-0
9/15/2007 Alcorn State W, 22-0
11/29/2008 at UCF W, 15-0
8/30/2018 Savannah St. W, 52-0
10/13/2018 at Rice W, 42-0
10/27/2018 at UTEP W, 19-0
9/1/2021 vs. Jacksonville St. W, 31-0
10/16/2021 at Southern Miss W, 34-0
9/1/2022 Alabama A&M W, 59-0
*As Division III members | ^As Division I-AA members

TOTAL DEFENSE
UAB currently ranks 56th in total defense, allowing 368.2 yards per game. The Blazers have finished top 20 in total defense each of the last four years, and although that will not happen this year, UAB looks for a strong performance against Miami to end the season.

2018 – 9th (299.2)
2019 – 8th (301.9)
2020 – 7th (311.1)
2021 – 16th (328.8)

PASSING DEFENSE
The Blazers ranked top five in pass efficiency defense for the first 10 weeks, but are currently 18th entering bowl season. Despite that, UAB is still playing at a high level defensively allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete just 57.2 percent of their passes (217-379) and are allowing just 197.7 yards per passing per game. The Blazers also have nine interceptions this season.

Team Comp-Att. Yards Efficiency

  1. Illinois 183-370 1,985 89.77
  2. Penn State 230-436 2,553 104.00
  3. Michigan 242-429 2,494 106.57
  4. UAB 217-379 2,372 116.74
  5. Texas A&M 184-327 1,874 117.10

MAC MCWILLIAMS FINDS THE END ZONE
Cornerback Mac McWilliams tallied his first career interception in style, returning it 78 yards for a touchdown in the season opener against Alabama A&M. It was the sixth longest interception return for a touchdown in school history.

WILDER INTO TOP 10 FOR CAREER TACKLES
Noah Wilder was in contention to lead Conference USA in tackles, but was injured in early in the first quarter against Louisiana Tech in the season finale. Despite that, the First Team All-Conference selection still finished the season ranked third in C-USA with an average of 8.5 tackles per game. He will finish his career ranked third all time at UAB in career tackles.

CAREER TACKLES AT UAB:
Player Yrs. Tkl

  1. Marvin Burdette 2009-12 406
  2. Zac Woodfin 2001-04 372
  3. Noah Wilder 2018-Pres. 330
  4. Nigel Eldridge 2001-04 321
  5. Joe Henderson 2005-08 294
  6. Will Dunbar 2005-08 290
  7. Alan Willis 1994-97 289
  8. Izell Reese 1994-97 276
  9. Josh Evans 1991-94 274
  10. Wayne White 1991-94 266

CASH ON THE CAREER INT LIST
Grayson Cash has three interceptions this year and now has nine for this career. Cash is currently tied for fifth all-time at UAB in career interceptions.

CAREER INTERCEPTIONS
Player Years TDs

  1. Don Blackmon 1991-94 16
  2. Kevin Sanders 2005-08 15
  3. Rodregis Brooks 1996-99 14
  4. Tommy Harrison 1991-94 10
    T5. Grayson Cash 2017-22 9
    T5. Chris Brown 1999-02 9
    T5. Danion Sidney 1996-97 9

LEADERS IN CONFERENCE USA
UAB ranks near the top in almost every single defensive category in Conference USA.

TOTAL DEFENSE:
Team GP Yards Avg.

  1. UTEP 12 4,230 352.5
  2. UAB 12 4,419 368.3
  3. Rice 12 4,529 377.42

SCORING DEFENSE:
Team GP Pts Avg.

  1. UAB 12 281 23.4
  2. WKU 13 305 23.5
  3. UTSA 13 345 26.5

PASSING DEFENSE:
Team Comp-Att. Yards Efficiency

  1. UAB 217-379-10 2,372 116.74
  2. WKU 273-443-17 2,928 122.88
  3. Louisiana Tech 219-386-11 2,707 127.04

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
QUINN ON TARGET DOWN THE STRETCH
Matt Quinn has made his last five field goal attempts and has not missed since Oct. 29…He has made a career-best 13 field goals this season, which includes a season-best 51-yarder against Alabama A&M. Quinn is 13-of-18 on field goals this year and a perfect 42-of-42 on PAT.

QUINN FIELD GOALS
FG Pct. 01-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 Lg Blk
2020 11-12 .917 0-0 2-2 4-5 5-5 0-0 48 0
2021 11-16 .688 0-0 4-5 5-7 1-1 1-3 52 1
2022 13-18 .722 1-1 4-6 5-5 2-4 1-2 51 0
TOTAL 35-46 .760 1-1 10-13 14-17 8-10 2-5 52 0

QUINN MOVING UP FG AND PAT
Matt Quinn has moved into the top 10 for career field goals and PAT made. He is currently sixth in career field goals made (35) and is fourth in PAT (122).

CAREER FIELD GOALS MADE
Player Years FGs

  1. Ty Long 2011-14 59
  2. Nick Hayes 2001-04 57
  3. Swayze Waters 2005-08 50
  4. Nick Vogel 2014-19 47
  5. Kevin Thomason 1992-95 39
  6. Matt Quinn 2019-Pres. 35
  7. Rhett Gallego 1998-01 30
  8. Jake Arians 1996-99 29
  9. Josh Zahn 2009-10 22
  10. Parker Mullins 2003-06 16

CAREER PAT MADE
Player Years FGs

  1. Ty Long 2011-14 145
  2. Nick Vogel 2014-19 128
  3. Kevin Thomason 1992-95 124
  4. Matt Quinn 2019-Pres. 122
  5. Nick Hayes 2001-04 117
  6. Jake Arians 1996-99 81
  7. Josh Zhan 2009-10 62
  8. Rhett Gallego 1998-01 56
    T9. Swayze Waters 2005-08 52
    T9. Parker Mullins 2003-06 52

GREENWELL BECOMES CAREER LEADER
Against Liberty, Kyle Greenwell became the first punter in school history to eclipse 10,000 career punt yards. A five-year starter, Greenwell is the school record holder for most career punts and most career punt yards. If he plays in the Bahamas Bowl, he will tie the school record for most games played (63, Hayden Pittman (2017-2021).

CAREER PUNTS
Player Years Punts

  1. Kyle Greenwell 2018-Pres. 275
  2. Parker Mullins 2003-06 235
  3. Ross Stewart 1999-02 190

CAREER YARDS
Player Years Punt Yards

  1. Kyle Greenwell 2018-Pres. 11,610
  2. Parker Mullins 2003-06 9,434
  3. Ross Stewart 1999-02 7,900

CHARLIE GOODE MAKING PLAYS ON SPECIAL TEAMS
In his first collegiate play, redshirt freshman Charlie Goode blocked a punt against Alabama A&M which bounced 29 yards into the end zone and was recovered by Damien Miller for a touchdown. He also had a blocked punt at Louisiana Tech which was scooped up by Luke Percer and returned 14 yards for a touchdown. Both of Goode’s blocks have been returned for touchdowns.

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