Team: University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)
Conference: Conference USA (This is the second of four games Liberty will play against a C-USA team)
Game Date: October 2 (Week 5)
Location: Protective Stadium – Birmingham, Alabama. UAB’s home game against Liberty will be the first time they play in their brand new, $200 million dollar, 45,000 seat stadium.
Game History: 0-0. October 2 will mark the first meeting between these two teams.
Coach – Bill Clark
Clark took over as head coach for UAB in 2014. In that time he has compiled four straight winning seasons and post-season appearances for the Blazers. Before arriving in Birmingham, Clark had a one-year stint at the FCS level for Jacksonville State where he took the Gamecocks to the quarterfinals of the playoffs. In six total years as a head coach, he has an impressive 51-26 record and is a proven winner.
2020 Record: 6-3. The Blazers had four consecutive games canceled toward the end of their season due to COVID.
2021 Outlook: In 2014, UAB voted to disband their football program due to financial issues (though there seemed to be other nefarious plots afoot. ). They didn’t stay gone long though thanks to a $27 million fundraising campaign and general pressure to resume operations. Since their rebirth in 2017, UAB has seen nothing but success, claiming three straight C-USA West Division titles and a pair of outright conference championships.
The Blazers seem to be on that same path in 2021. At least that’s what the media thinks as they were named the C-USA preseason favorite. One of the main reasons behind this is their veteran offensive line. Last season they ranked 4th in pass protection, giving up just four sacks and averaged 200 rushing yards a game. UAB did see some turnover in their WR core with the top two targets, Austin Watkins and Myron Mitchell, moving on from the program. They do have a pair of tight ends that should make up for that loss though in Gerrit Prince and Hayden Pittman.
UAB also had the 7th best defense in the nation last season, allowing 311 yards and 21 points a game. They are in a similar position this year. They return a good chunk of their defensive backs and have some solid defensive linemen in rotation as well. Star LB Kristopher Moll will remain at the center of it all, using his COVID waiver for another senior season.
Offensive Player To Watch – Sophomore RB DeWayne McBride
As a true freshman, McBride saw action in six games for UAB. He averaged over nine yards a carry, 73 rushing yards a game, and amassed 439 total yards with four touchdowns during the abbreviated season.
Defensive Player To Watch – Senior LB Kristopher Moll
No doubt Liberty will spend ample time studying Kristopher Moll before October 2. He lead the team in tackles last year. Not only did Moll cause issues in the defensive back field, he spent a lot of time at the line of scrimmage talling four tackles for loss, a pair of sacks, and six quarterback hurries. His performances in 2019 and 2020 earned Moll back-to-back First Team All-Conference honors.
