Robinson National Stadium – Nassau, Bahamas
ESPN
During the short interim, however, a wave of . . .
Return they did – and successful they were!
The Blazers went 8-4 during the regular season, easily qualifying for a bowl appearance. They were 6-2 in conference play, good enough for second place in their conference USA West Division.
UAB, in fact, won four of its last five outings, with the lone loss coming at SEC foe Florida. The only other loss over the last eight weeks was a 25-24 overtime setback at Charlotte.
Ohio, meanwhile, is trying to rebound from a late season two-game slide that cost it a spot in the MAC championship game. Prior to that, the Bobcats had won four straight. It’s been almost a month since OU last played, if the ‘Cats have regrouped, they can be a formidable foe – even for sentimental picks.
Alabama Birmingham (8-4, 6-2 C-USA)
► The Blazers are playing for their first bowl victory ever. Their only other appearance was a loss in the 2004 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.
► There are 15 members of the 2017 team who were on the 2014 squad.
► Head coach Bill Clark has been a key figure in the UAB rebirth and earned C-USA Coach of the Year honors. This year’s team set a program record for single season FBS wins (8) and Conferencce USA victories (6). The school also led topped all C-USA schools in average attendance (26, 375). That home support was rewarded with a 6-0 home-turf record.
► Quarterback A.J. Erdely had a record-breaking season. He accounted for 29 total touchdowns, with 16 through the air and 13 on the ground.
► C-USA Freshman of the Year Spencer Brown shattered the UAB record books and is the nation’s third-leading freshman rusher with an average of 107.7 ypg. He provided 1,292 rushing yards. He needs just 97 more to crack the C-USA freshman rushing record held by Damien Fletcher of Southern Miss in 2006. Though just a freshman, he impressed earlier this ear with a max squat of 600 lbs, bench of 365 lbs and power clean of 345 lbs.
► Andre Wilson tops Blazer receivers with team bests in receptions (48), receiving yards (619) and receiving touchdowns (6). Colin Lisa is next with 29 receptions for 384 yards and a score.
► UAB is actually one of the older teams in the NCAAthis season. The Blazers hve three players who are 26 years old. Among the two-deep, 30 are at least 22 years of age.
► Tevin Crews leads the team in tackles and is one of two players with 12.0 tackles for loss. Shaq Jones also has a dozen tfl
► As a unit, the Blazers rank 34th nationally in tackles for loss (81 for 274 yards – 6.8 per game).
► The Blazer defense ranks third in C-USA with 14 interceptions. Three of the picks were returned for touchdowns. UAB recorded 10 interceptions over the last seven contests.
► Cornerback Sarious Williams ranks second nationally in passes defended with 20. He also has five interceptions, tied for seventh-best in the NCAA. He was a Pro Football Focus First Team All-American.
► Free safety Broderick Thomas is second on the team with 92 tops and is a nominee for C-USA Newcomer of the Year. He had a career-high 12 tackles against Florida.
► PK Nick Vogel has made 38 of 40 PATs and 11 of 14 field goal chances. He has a long of 48 yards.
► Alabama Birmingham averages 29.2 ppg. It has totaled 2,282 rushing yards and 2,093 passing yards.
► UAB has outscored opponents in every quarter except the fourth period, which is an 84-82 edge for the opposition.
► The Bobcats have been bowl eligible for nine straight years, making eight bowl trips in that span. OU fell to Troy 28-23 last December in the Dollar General Bowl. The last Ohio bowl win was in 2011.
► This is the first meeting between Ohio and UAB.
► Frank Solich is third-longest tenured head coach in the NCAA.
► Sophomore quarterback Nathan Rourke has been the straw that stirs Ohio’s offense. He ranked sixth among MAC quarterbacks with an average of 168.2 passing yards per game and was fourth in pass efficiency. He tossed 15 TD passes and ran for a single season record of 21 scores. The 11.0 ppg tops the MAC. His average of 73.5 ypg was seventh among MAC rushers.
► Rourke had the second-most carries this season. A.J. Ouellette led the way with 184 trips for 980 yards (5.3 ypc) with seven TDs. However, he logged just two carries and totaled nine yards in Ohio’s regular season finale against Buffalo.
► Senior Brendan Cope leads Ohio in receptions (35 for 494 yards, 4 TDs). Junior Papi White is tops in yards with 525 yards (2 TDs) on 32 catches.
► Ohio’s rushing defense leads the MAC, holding opponents to 111.4 ypg with 11 rushing TDs. That ranks 10th nationally. The ‘Cats have limited opponents to under 70 rushing yards five times in 2017.
► Senior Quentin Poling tied for third among MAC defenders with 8.5 stops per game and 102 total hits.
► Ohio was last among MAC teams in passing defense, allowing 281.8 ypg. It was seventh in pass defense efficiency. The Bobcats were last in Red Zone defense, allowing scores on 89.7 percent of opportunities.
►Ohio has had some solid play this season out of its two starting corners - RS senior Bradd Ellis and RS junior Jalen Fox have started all 11 games at corner for the Bobcats. Ellis ranks second in the country and leads the MAC with 20 passes defended (breakups + interceptions), while Fox is sixth in the MAC with 11 passes defended. Ellis has made two pick sixes this season while Fox has two picks for 38 yards returned.
► Ohio has 467 total points this season which set the single-season record. The previous record of 427 was set during the 2011 season in 14 games.