2020 UAB Blazers football team

2020 UAB Blazers football
2020 UAB Blazers football
C-USA champion; C-USA West Division champion
C-USA Championship Game, W 22–13 vs. Marshall
Conference	Conference USA
	West Division
Record	6–3 (3–1 C-USA)
Head coach	Bill Clark (5th season);
Offensive coordinator	Bryant Vincent (4th season)
Defensive coordinator	David Reeves (4th season)
Home stadium	Legion Field
	Seasons ← 2019 2021 →

2020 Conference USA football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
Marshall xy	4	–	1	7	–	3
Florida Atlantic	4	–	2	5	–	4
Western Kentucky	4	–	3	5	–	7
Charlotte	2	–	2	2	–	4
Middle Tennessee	2	–	4	3	–	6
FIU	0	–	3	0	–	5
West Division
UAB xy$	3	–	1	6	–	3
UTSA	5	–	2	7	–	5
Louisiana Tech	4	–	2	5	–	5
North Texas	3	–	4	4	–	6
Rice	2	–	3	2	–	3
Southern Miss	2	–	4	3	–	7
UTEP	0	–	4	3	–	5
Championship: UAB 22, Marshall 13
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Note: Due to COVID-19, Old Dominion opted out of the season.

The 2020 UAB Blazers football team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Blazers played their final home games at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, and competed in the West Division of Conference USA (C-USA). They were led by fifth-year head coach Bill Clark.

After compiling a 6–3 record (3–1 in conference play), the team accepted a bid to the Gasparilla Bowl. However, on December 22, the Blazers' bowl opponent, South Carolina, had to withdraw from the bowl due to COVID-19 issues within their program.^[1] As no replacement team was available, the bowl was subsequently canceled.^[1]

Preseason[edit]

Death of Jamari Smith[edit]

On May 28, 2020, it was announced that incoming freshman Jamari Smith, from Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery, Alabama, had drowned while swimming with friends.^[2]

Award watch lists[edit]

Listed in the order that they were released

Award	Player	Position	Year
TBD

CUSA media days[edit]

The CUSA Media Days will be held virtually for the first time in conference history.^[3]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
Media poll (West Division)
1	Louisiana Tech
2	North Texas
3	Rice
4	Southern Miss
5	UAB
6	UTEP
7	UTSA

Rank	Team	Votes
Media poll (CUSA Championship)
TBD

Preseason All-CUSA teams[edit]

To be released

Schedule[edit]

UAB announced its 2020 football schedule on January 8, 2020.^[4] The 2020 schedule was originally planned to consist of 6 home and 6 away games in the regular season.

The Blazers had games scheduled against Alabama A&M, New Mexico State, Old Dominion, UTEP, and Middle Tennessee but were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[5]^[6]^[7]

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	7:00 p.m.	Central Arkansas*	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	ESPN3	W 45–35	12,716
September 10	8:00 p.m.	at Miami (FL)*	Hard Rock Stadium Miami, FL	ACCN	L 14–31	8,153
September 24	6:30 p.m.	at South Alabama*	Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, AL	ESPN	W 42–10	5,766
October 3	11:30 a.m.	UTSA	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	Stadium	W 21–13	12,547
October 17	12:30 p.m.	Western Kentucky	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	Stadium	W 37–14	11,098
October 23	7:00 p.m.	Louisiana*	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	CBSSN	L 20–24	11,610
October 31	2:30 p.m.	at Louisiana Tech	Joe Aillet Stadium Ruston, LA	Stadium	L 34–37 ^2OT	7,140
December 12	11:00 a.m.	at Rice	Rice Stadium Houston, TX	ESPN3	W 21–16	2,000
December 18	6:00 p.m.	at Marshall	Joan C. Edwards Stadium Huntington, WV (C-USA Championship Game)	CBSSN	W 22–13	8,324
~~December 26~~	11:00 a.m.	vs. South Carolina*	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL (Gasparilla Bowl)	ABC	CANCELLED
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 24 released prior to game All times are in Central time

^[8]

Rankings[edit]

Ranking movements
**Legend:** — = Not ranked RV = Received votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	RV	RV*	RV
Coaches	—	—*	—
CFP	Not released															Not released

Game summaries[edit]

Central Arkansas[edit]

Game One – Central Arkansas Bears (0-1) at No. 24 UAB Blazers (1-0)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	7	14	0	14	35
#24 Blazers	14	14	3	14	45

at Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama

Date: Thursday, September 3, 2020
Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 84 °F (29 °C) • Wind: SSW 5 mph
TV announcers (ESPN3): Curt Bloom (play-by-play), Chad Pilcher (analyst)
Pregame line: UAB –21.5 • Odds to win: UAB 93.1% • Game summary: ESPN NCAA

Game information

First quarter

(7:03) UAB – Gerrit Prince 6 yard pass from Tyler Johnston III, Matthew Quinn kick (Drive: 12 plays, 73 yards, 5:15; UAB 7–0)
(2:46) UAB – Spencer Brown 5 yard rush, Matthew Quinn kick (Drive: 9 plays, 55 yards, 3:24; UAB 14–0)
(0:03) UCA – Cameron Myers 4 yard rush, Hayden Ray kick (Drive: 2 plays, 4 yards, 0:13; UAB 14–7)

Second quarter

(10:50) UAB – Myron Mitchell 18 yard pass from Bryson Lucero, Matthew Quinn kick (Drive: 5 plays, 55 yards, 2:03; UAB 21–7)
(5:31) UAB – Gerrit Prince 10 yard pass from Tyler Johnson III, Matthew Quinn kick (Drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 2:56; UAB 28–7)
(2:33) UCA – Lujuan Winningham 15 yard pass from Breylin Smith, Chandler Caughron kick (Drive: 1 play, 15 yards, 0:05; UAB 28–14)
(1:21) UCA – Robert Rochell 35 yard fumble return, Chandler Caughron kick (UAB 28–21)

Third quarter

(3:07) UAB – Matthew Quinn 23 yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 48 yards, 6:51; UAB 31–21)

Fourth quarter

(12:41) UAB – Lucious Stanley 8 yard rush, Matthew Quinn kick (Drive: 4 plays, 30 yards, 2:10; UAB 38–21)
(8:12) UAB – Jermaine Brown Jr. 30 yard rush, Matthew Quinn kick (Drive: 4 plays, 43 yards, 2:00; UAB 45–21)
(5:43) UCA – LuJuan Winningham 8 yard pass from Breylin Smith, Chandler Caughron kick (Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 2:29; UAB 45–28)
(0:32) UCA – Sam Camargo 6 yard pass from Breylin Smith, Chandler Caughron kick (Drive: 10 plays, 83 yards, 2:40; UAB 45–35)

Statistics	UCA	UAB
First downs	20	29
Plays–yards	66–293	83–459
Rushes–yards	21–100	49–233
Passing yards	193	226
Passing: comp–att–int	25–46–1	24–34–1
Time of possession	22:55	37:05

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Arkansas	Passing	Breylin Smith	25/46, 193 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Kierre Crossley	10 carries, 59 yards
	Receiving	Lujuan Winningham	6 receptions, 53 yards, 2 TD
UAB	Passing	Tyler Johnston III	17/25, 143 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Spencer Brown	24 carries, 127 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Austin Watkins	7 receptions, 72 yards

At Miami[edit]

Game Two – UAB Blazers (1–0) at Miami Hurricanes (0–0)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Blazers	7	0	7	0	14
Hurricanes	7	7	17	0	31

at Hard Rock Stadium • Miami Gardens, Florida

Date: Thursday, September 10, 2020
Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C) • Wind: ENE 5 mph
TV announcers (ACC Network): Dave O'Brien (play-by-play), Tim Hasselbeck (analyst), Katie George (sideline)
Pregame line: Miami –14

Game information

First quarter

(2:40) UAB – Austin Watkins 16 yard pass from Tyler Johnston III, Matthew Quinn kick (Drive: 2 plays, 17 yards, 0:44; UAB 7–0)
(1:04) MIA – Cam'Ron Harris 66 yard rush, José Borregales kick (Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:36; Tied 7–7)

Second quarter

(10:04) MIA – D'Eriq King 12 yard rush, José Borregales kick (Drive: 6 plays, 64 yards, 2:16; Miami 14–7)

Third quarter

(10:15) MIA – José Borregales 25 yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 66 yards, 4:45; Miami 17–7)
(6:19) UAB – Spencer Brown 6 yard rush, Matthew Quinn kick (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:56; Miami 17–14)
(4:02) MIA – Cam'Ron Harris 4 yard rush, José Borregales kick (Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 2:17; Miami 24–14)
(0:00) MIA – Brevin Jordan 4 yard pass from D'Eriq King, José Borregales kick (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:42; Miami 31–14)

Fourth quarter: No scoring

Statistics	UAB	MIA
First downs	14	25
Plays–yards	61–285	78–495
Rushes–yards	26–80	52–337
Passing yards	205	158
Passing: comp–att–int	19–35–0	18–27–0
Time of possession	29:04	30:56

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UAB	Passing	Tyler Johnston III	15/23, 150 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Spencer Brown	16 carries, 74 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Myron Mitchell	8 receptions, 117 yards
Miami	Passing	D'Eriq King	16/24, 144 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Cam'Ron Harris	17 carries, 134 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Brevin Jordan	3 receptions, 51 yards, 1 TD

At South Alabama[edit]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Blazers	14	14	0	14	42
Jaguars	0	10	0	0	10

UTSA[edit]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Roadrunners	3	3	0	7	13
Blazers	7	7	7	0	21

Western Kentucky[edit]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hilltoppers	7	7	0	0	14
Blazers	10	14	10	3	37

Louisiana[edit]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Ragin' Cajuns	0	10	7	7	24
Blazers	3	10	7	0	20

Pregame line	Over/under
LA −2.5	50.5^[9]

Statistics	Louisiana	UAB
First downs	17	17
Total yards	286	285
Rushing yards	134	175
Passing yards	152	110
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	30:37	29:23

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Louisiana	Passing	Levi Lewis	12/20, 152 yards, 2 TDS
	Rushing	Elijah Mitchell	21 carries, 67 yards
	Receiving	Kyren Lacy	2 receptions, 43 yards
UAB	Passing	Bryson Lucero	10/23, 110 yards, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Spencer Brown	28 carries, 128 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Ryan Davis	2 receptions, 34 yards

At Louisiana Tech[edit]

	1	2	3	4	OT	2OT	Total
Blazers	0	14	17	0	3	0	34
Bulldogs	3	14	0	14	3	3	37

At Middle Tennessee[edit]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Blazers	0	0	0	0	0
Blue Raiders	0	0	0	0	0

At Rice[edit]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Blazers	0	7	14	0	21
Owls	3	10	0	3	16

Players drafted into the NFL[edit]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
4	121	Jordan Smith	DE	Jacksonville Jaguars

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b "Tampa's Gasparilla Bowl canceled after South Carolina bails". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
^ Scarborough, Alex (May 28, 2020). "UAB incoming freshman Smith drowns at age 18". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
^ "Conference USA to hold virtual football media days due to COVID-19". ktsm.com. May 5, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
^ "UAB Football Releases Complete 2020 Schedule". University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Athletics. January 8, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
^ Visser, David (July 21, 2020). "SWAC Suspends Fall Football Season". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
^ "ACC Announces Plans for Football and Fall Olympic Sports". TheACC.com. July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
^ "Old Dominion postponing football and fall sports". The Virginian Pilot. August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
^ "2020 UAB Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
^ "Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns vs UAB Blazers". Odds Shark. Retrieved October 24, 2020.

[TBT-1] "Tampa's Gasparilla Bowl canceled after South Carolina bails". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved December 22, 2020.

[2] Scarborough, Alex (May 28, 2020). "UAB incoming freshman Smith drowns at age 18". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 28, 2020.

[3] "Conference USA to hold virtual football media days due to COVID-19". ktsm.com. May 5, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.

[2020sched-4] "UAB Football Releases Complete 2020 Schedule". University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Athletics. January 8, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.

[5] Visser, David (July 21, 2020). "SWAC Suspends Fall Football Season". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved July 20, 2020.

[aac-6] "ACC Announces Plans for Football and Fall Olympic Sports". TheACC.com. July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.

[7] "Old Dominion postponing football and fall sports". The Virginian Pilot. August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.

[8] "2020 UAB Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved March 12, 2020.

[9] "Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns vs UAB Blazers". Odds Shark. Retrieved October 24, 2020.

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v t e UAB Blazers football
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