A UAB Dynasty: 2005 (TCY)
 

Before you read any further, check this out:

A UAB Dynasty: 2004

Offseason News
 

UAB News

• Walk-on 5th year senior T Otis Gilmore left the team due to a lack of playing time. Boo-hoo.
• Walk-ons junior QB Rodney Naquin and senior WR Rick Spenser came into my office yesterday demanding more free time. Sorry boys, you're just going to have to cope. We have a tough season ahead.
• 5th year senior DE Carlos Singleton lost his girlfriend over the offseason, blaming it on our strict regimen. Carlos, Carlos... there's plenty of other fish in the sea, my friend.

National News

• The Coach of the Year was Gilbert Cage of Georgia. His run-and-shoot offense lit up SEC defenses all year.
• Kodiak of the Alaska 8 was put on probation for 1 year after recruiting violations. They won't be able to go to a bowl or make appearances on TV during that time. I don't think they expected either, so this probably won't hurt that much, in my opinion.

Staff Changes
 

Two of our staff members left us during the offseason. The first was our syndicate coordinator, Rob Stewart. A good guy, but his departure is nothing to cry about. We went out and found a decent replacement:

R.J. Rees, 35
Academic Eligibility: Good
Syndicate Investigation: Terrible
Solicit Donations: Pretty Good

We don't plan to get into any trouble with the NCAA, so his investigation rating shouldn't be an issue. A young guy with a lot of potential to really help build up this program.

Our second departure was from our Great Lakes scout, Irv Stallworth. Because the Great Lakes region may be of more importance to us in the future, we went out and found a good replacement:

Steven Sutton, 47
QB: Fair
RB: Terrific
WR: Very Good
OL: Poor
K: Very Good
DL: Excellent
LB: Very Good
DB: Good

Meanwhile, I made the not-so-painful decision to fire both of our coordinators from last year. While Harvey Bratzke did a wonderful job of putting together the wishbone last season, the offense was too inconsistent. And the guys didn't like him anyway. We think we found a good replacement for him:

Darnell Drake, 40
Play Calling: Very Good
Injury: Good
Rehab: Decent
Congeniality: Terrific

QB: Very Good
RB: Decent
WR: Good
OL: Excellent
K: Terrible

Current Offense: Wishbone (0 years)

Not only is this guy younger than Bratzke, but he's better all around. Bratzke was better at developing RBs, but was much lousier at developing the OL. This is our guy for the future, or at least until a bigger program comes along. However, Drake certainly has his work cut out for him with this group of offensive players (more on that later).

Our D-Coordinator from last year, D.J. Shields, did a tremendous job last year against the pass. But the best teams in C-USA run the ball, and we stunk at run defense last year (injuries aside). I had to make a change:

Rod Grasmanis, 41
Play Calling: Decent
Injury: Pretty Good
Rehab: Excellent
Congeniality: Terrible

DL: Pretty Good
LB: Decent
DB: Good

This was a difficult change to make. Shields was much better at developing the LBs, and was a very likeable person. But we need to concentrate on developing the D-line. We needed someone who was better at calling the plays, too.

Summary: Our coordinators are the future of UAB football, if they wish to stay. They'll be given enough time to build this program.

Based on the talents of our staff and players, I've decided to stick with the Wishbone and 3-4 for the 2005 season. If we get another 7-win season, I'll be very pleased.

2005 UAB Blazers Roster
 

A quick look at this year's players:

You're making me want to play TCY again and start yet another failed dynasty. :D

Do it, Izulde! I'm a sucker for TCY dynasties!

Ye gods that's an ugly offense. :D

Question: How do you get this and the stats over to Notepad? Whenever I press Print, it nags about me needing a printer set up.

Izulde,

Add a printer and when it says what port, select FILE (print to file) and then select the generic/text printer (first one in the list). When you hit the print button within TCY or FOF, select that printer and it will ask you for a name. Name it whatever you want and hit OK. From there, find that file and then associate it with notepad and you're set.

I agree... I'm also a sucker for TCY dynasties!

Yep, that's exactly what I did.

And yeah, the offense is extremely horrible. The only way we're going to win is 3 to nothing, or 7 to 3. If you want a lot of points, find another dynasty. :(

2005 Offensive Breakdown
 

Quarterbacks
Take a good look at the QBs on the roster above. This group is downright terrible. Every one of these guys is rated in the single digits. Unbelievable. Not only that, our walk-ons have more potential than our scholarship QBs. That's crazy. That has to change.

It probably doesn't matter who we stick in the starting lineup. Rodney Naquin (Jr., walk-on) will probably get the opening day start, because he's the only one with any game experience at all. However, I wouldn't be surprised if Vernon Parker (Jr., walk-on) takes over during the season. He seems to have more potential talent than his ratings suggest. We're going to give him a scholarship and tempt him to prove us wrong.

Lamar Mardeusz (Jr.) can't be ruled out as well. He may be a factor. Deron Cox (Fr.) will be redshirted, but his camp was terrible. We're very disappointed in this recruit. He won't be a factor in the future. We gotta recruit hard for a QB this year.

Running Backs
Obviously Moe Stewart (Sr) will be one of our tailback starters. The second slot will go to Maurice Maxwell (Jr). Recruit Luther Schneider won't be redshirted, as we have a serious lack of depth at the RB position.

At FB, we like what we see in recruit Percy Schulz. He'll be our starter as a true freshman on opening day.

Receivers
Selecting a starting WR is a bit difficult. Bryce Prewitt (Sr) looked great as a part-time starter last year, but Byron Hodges (Sr) looked good in camp. They'll probably split duties. Walk on Rick Spencer (Sr) is not bad either, giving us the luxury of redshirting freshman Matt Lang, who will eventually be better than all the above.

At TE, it's gonna be very very hard to replace C-USA first teamer Walter Lowe this year. Our TEs stink. We'll go with Jeremy Madison (Sr) for now. Lorenzo Lee (Sr) could get in the mix as well.

Offensive Line
At center, Vernon Jordan (Sr) will once again be our starter. Stud recruit Dale Peachey will be redshirted and should fill in immediately for Jordan in 2006.

At guard, our two starters from last year, C-USA first teamer Tyrus Clanton (Sr) and Heath Player (Sr) will return for their final years, giving us a good inside OL. This allows us to redshirt freshman Everett Lerner, who will be as good as these guys when all is said and done.

At tackle, we have to replace both tackles, including C-USA first teamer Mo Gomez. The obvious two to take over are Mark LaPorte (Sr) and walkon Leland Harper (So). If they go down, all we have left are our two horrible freshmen, Marlon Coates and Earl Charles. If that happens, we're only running plays down the middle. We will certainly hit the tackle market hard in recruiting this year.

Defensive breakdown to come...

By the way, thank you all for reading this dynasty. I really appreciate the comments. Hopefully this season won't drive you away. :D

No way, this is when it gets good. Time to see what type of a coach you really are! :D

Defensive Breakdown
 

After getting depressed from writing up that offensive overview, writing about the other side of the ball should make for some cheering up...

Kickers
Hmmm... perhaps this should have been in the offensive overview, but what the heck. Our kicker will definitely be Korey Elliott (Jr), as the other option is... well... terrible. Jamie Muterspaugh (So) will be our punter for the next few years.

Defensive Line
At DE, our two starters from last year return: Carlos Singleton (Sr) and Sean Lazetti (Jr). This allows us to redshirt our two decent DE recruits. One of them, Michael Davila, will be a force on the line, perhaps as early as next year. We return another starter at DT in Kerry Leatherman (Sr). Talent-wise, these guys aren't great, but the experience certainly will help out this year.

Linebackers
We return our two starting ILB, Rufus Sanford (Sr, and our leading returning tackler) and Trevor Rayburn (Jr). Plus, we return one of our starting OLB, Spenser Morgenstern (Sr). The other OLB slot will be filled by junior John Small, who won't be as good as Morgenstern will be, but will be okay in this defense. Luther Wheeler, our recruit at OLB, looked horrible in camp.

Secondary
C-USA first teamer Dennis Kennedy (Sr) will return as a starting CB. The other slot will be filled by promising junior Bryant Phillips. A favorite of mine, Lincoln Medley (So), should be a great backup. Those looking for star recruit Bart Roberson to wreak havoc on opposing QBs will have to wait a while; we're going to redshirt him.

At safety, we'll have two super sophs. Cole Corbett will start again, and Billy Rudy, who has a lot of potential, will replace the ineffective Marco McElroy (So). Freshmen Brenden Springer and Jose Dole will be redshirted. Springer has the best pro prospects of all the players currently on our roster, even more than Roberson. I'm excited to see what this secondary will do to passing teams this year.

2005 Preview - UAB Sports Daily
 

It's time to kick off our coverage of the 2005 UAB Blazer football season. This is Year 2 of the B.B. Gunn era and Year 2 of the Wishbone in Birmingham...

...The only talent the offense has this year is Moe Stewart and 3 decent interior linemen. The only way the UAB offense will excel this year will be to hand off to Stewart and have him run down the middle. If Stewart goes down, this offense is dead.

Meanwhile, the defense looks improved from last year. The new defensive coordinator should also have a good effect on that side of the ball...

The coaches have made their C-USA predictions. Let's take a look at those:

UAB certainly has come a long way since this time last year, so a 6th place prediction seems decent. But below Tulane? We are skeptical.

By the way, here's the nation's preseason top 10:

Let's look at the 2005 Blazer schedule:

If you think the offense was terrible, look at this schedule. UAB has only 4 home games out of 11. The first four games of the season are on the road, including a prime match with Big Brother, the University of Alabama, in Week 3. Note that UAB again avoids playing Louisville.

UAB can realistically aim for 4-1 to begin the season. However, when the meat of the C-USA slate hits, things can go awry. We could be looking at another 7-4, 5-3 in C-USA season, folks, but we think that the terrible offense will lose a game it shouldn't lose. Our prediction: 6-5 (4-4).

Week 1 Recap, News and Notes
 

UAB didn't play in Week 1, but there was action around C-USA:

#24 Colorado 52, Houston 22
Iowa St. 30, Louisville 14
TCU 17, Troy 0
Memphis 50, Bethel 0

Recruiting

Like last season, I'll post on players that commit to UAB. I did hit the recruiting trail hard in Week 1. Our priorities are QB, RB, TE and T. We think we found suitable candidates at all those positions, but it's only a matter of time before bigger schools start coming.

Due to the difficulty in recruiting from last year, I've changed our recruiting limits. Now we can recruit from all areas within a 400 mile radius. This takes us into Arkansas and Louisiana in the west, and the Carolinas in the east. Hopefully this can help us turn into a premier program.

Everytime we have a winning season, I add 50 miles to that. If we win a conference championship, 100 miles. I doubt if we'll win a national championship here, but if we do, I'll add 200 miles.

Week 2 Preview (UAB Sports Daily)
 

UAB (0-0) at Fairbanks (0-1)
Coaches Poll: UAB #76, Fairbanks #118
Line: Fairbanks by 3
Weather: 43 degrees, sunny
TV: none

For its first game of the season, the UAB Blazers head up to the Last Frontier to face the University of Fairbanks of the Alaska Eight in what is easily the longest road trip ever in UAB history. This game will be the first of an annual series between the two schools.

Fairbanks runs a single back offense, one that wasn't too effective in last week's game against UNLV. The school had to change its QB in that game. UAB's improved secondary should be able to handle Fairbanks offense. The question is, can UAB's wishbone offense then put up enough points to win the game? Even after the offseason, there are still many question marks about UAB's offense. We hate to be pessimists, but that, plus the forecasted cold September weather in Fairbanks, makes us wonder.

Our prediction: Fairbanks 13, UAB 3.

Week 2 Recap (UAB Sports Daily)
 

UAB 44, Fairbanks 7

FAIRBANKS, AK - The fears about UAB's offense have subsided... at least for now.

In a record-setting day, RB Moe Stewart ran for 3 touchdowns and caught another, as UAB beat Fairbanks 44-7. UAB had their way in the cold, running for 321 net rushing yards, their highest total ever under the wishbone. The big rushing game seemed to quell doubts about the offense working well after losing 6 starters from last year's 2nd place team.

"We proved a lot of people wrong," Stewart said after the game. "The line had us down by, what, 4 points or something? We proved them wrong."

Stewart's 368 all-purpose yards set a national record, while his 294 rushing yards set a Conference USA record. Both, of course, are school records. He was easily the MVP of the game. Not only that, he was the National Player of the Week for Week 2, something his predecessor, Bobby Forbes, never accomplished.

The other starting tailback, Maurice Maxwell, ran for 32 yards and a TD. QB Rodney Naquin had a day reminiscent of last year's QB Skip Nolan: simple and consistent. He threw for a TD and, most importantly, no INTs. G Tyrus Clanton and C Vernon Jordan were also player of the week nominees for their blocking prowess today.

Week 2 - Conference USA
 

C-USA Scores:
Purdue 69, Cincinnati 0
Kansas 44, Army 31
Kansas State 31, Southern Miss 7
Nebraska 52, Tulane 0
Lousiville 24, Kentucky 17
East Carolina 45, Idaho 21
Houston 23, Rice 9
Bowling Green 52, South Florida 14

Week 3 Preview (UAB Sports Daily)
 

UAB (1-0) at Alabama (0-0)
Coaches Poll: UAB #45, Alabama #59
Line: Alabama by 13
Weather: 55 degrees, sunny
TV: TV5

After going all the way up to Alaska for their first game of the season, the UAB Blazers return home for Week 3... sort of.

UAB will make the 60-mile trip west to Tuscaloosa to face Big Brother, the University of Alabama, for the first time ever in football. UAB fans have had this day circled on their calendars ever since the official schedule was first released. The game will be televised on regional TV.

Alabama runs a veer formation and, if preseason is any indication, is great all around on both offense and defense. This is a team that was ranked #15 in the preseason coaches poll, but fell out, mainly due to not playing a game until now. Meanwhile, UAB had a lot of questions answered about their wishbone, as RB Moe Stewart clearly established himself as the force of the offense.

UAB coaches, players and fans feel a lot better about their offense. However, running against an Alabama defense is going to be a lot more difficult than running against Fairbanks. UAB will be lucky to get half the points that they had in last week's win. Meanwhile, while UAB's defense is among the best in C-USA, it'll be lucky if it can stop one of the SEC's top offenses. The question won't be if UAB can win, but how close they can make the score.

Our prediction: Alabama 35, UAB 10.

I agree. And even more so for NEXT year! =)

Week 3 Recap (UAB Sports Daily)
 

Alabama 48, UAB 3

TUSCALOOSA, AL - UAB annihilated their opponents last week. This week, they were the ones who were destroyed.

The Crimson Tide clearly reminded the Blazers who the king of the University of Alabama system is with a 48-3 win on Saturday. Alabama (1-0) did in the Blazers with a balanced attack, rushing for 277 yards and passing for 191, and then a sellout crowd watched the Tide defense do the rest.

UAB (1-1) had no chance. RB Moe Stewart, who set a national record with 368 all-purpose yards in the Fairbanks game last week, was held to just 33 total yards, including -1 rushing. Forced to pass, walk-on QB Rodney Naquin couldn't, completing just 5 of 15 passes for 48 yards. Not that it was totally his fault; none of the completions went to a wide receiver or a tight end.

UAB only made it into Crimson Tide territory 3 times, and never into the red zone. Meanwhile, Alabama was forced to punt just once.

"A complete beatdown," said coach B.B. Gunn after the game. "Alabama was just better today, plain and simple. When their on their game, they are unstoppable. They were on their game today, and we weren't, so we didn't have a chance."

No word yet on whether or not UAB will seek to play the Crimson Tide again in the future.

Definitely. This secondary will be the best in C-USA in the next few years.

Yes, hermangunn has updated his dynasty! :)

I'm glad somebody cares! :p Thanks.

Speaking of which, I don't have as much free time as I would like, so I can only post a week of TCY game action a day, two weeks if I'm lucky. Sorry about that. Hopefully that will change in the future.

Conference USA - Week 3
 

Action from around Conference USA in Week 3:
#16 Penn St. 65, Cincinnati 3
Purdue 62, Tulane 0
Oregon 59, Lousiville 26
East Carolina 28, Stanford 23
Ole Miss 59, South Florida 14
Memphis 52, Mississippi St. 6 (Memphis is looking good. They're our rivals in TCY... uh-oh.)
Army 32, Arkansas St. 29
Southern Miss 62, La.-Monroe 0
TCU 45, Rice 21


COACHES POLL - TOP 25
TCU moves into the Top 25 for the first time this year, at #23. After their great game against us, Alabama is now #11.

Week 3 - News and Notes
 

Injuries

Starting T Mark LaPorte suffered a strained hamstring. It is unknown how long it will take to heal, but he'll probably play through the pain and is listed as probable.

Week 4 Preview (UAB Sports Daily)
 

UAB (1-1) at UCF (1-1)
Coaches Poll: UAB #67, UCF #66
Line: UCF by 5
Weather: 82 degrees, sunny
TV: none

UAB heads down to Orlando to face the Golden Knights of Central Florida. UAB hopes to get the thoughts of the blowout loss to Alabama out of their heads, while UCF hopes to capitalize on the momentum of their win against Temple last week.

UCF runs a veer formation, but leans more towards the past, since their run has not been effective this year. That's good for UAB's defense, which is third in pass coverage in C-USA so far. The big question will be if UAB can jump-start their run attack after being destroyed by the Crimson Tide. Even though the oddsmakers favor UCF in this matchup, we give the slight edge to UAB, but it won't be easy.

Our prediction: UAB 34, UCF 28 (OT).

Week 4 Recap (UAB Sports Daily)
 

UCF 37, UAB 29

ORLANDO - UAB gave a decent game, but could not do enough to win as the Central Florida Golden Knights came away with victory in this matchup. UAB never had the lead, but the Blazers (1-2) kept UCF (2-1) on its toes by answering almost all of UCF's scoring drives.

UCF caught the UAB defense off guard by running for 233 yards, while they also kept up their consistency in the passing game, gaining 213 yards.

UAB RB Moe Stewart had a good day with 128 rushing yards, but could not find the end zone. Walk-on QB Vernon Parker made his first start. He effectively ran the option and passed for 185 yards and 2 TDs in his first-ever college game. However, his 3 interceptions are what ultimately did his team in - that and failing to control the ball more than UCF did.

WR Byron Hodges had a big day as well in the loss, gaining 92 yards and a TD.

Conference USA - Week 4
 

SCORES:
Wake Forest 41, East Carolina 23
Miami (FL) 49, South Florida 17
Memphis 51, Temple 3 (wow)
#11 Alabama 34, Southern Miss 10
#9 LSU 48, Tulane 13
Miami (OH) 45, Houston 14

Look how good that Memphis team is! They're going to be hard to play. But they have only played Bethel, Miss. St. and Temple.

COACHES TOP 25
TCU drops to #25 after an off week.

Week 4 - News and Notes
 

Injuries

NEW: Starting OLB John Small suffered a severe wrist sprain in the UCF game and will be out for 7 weeks.

Week 5 Preview (UAB Sports Daily)
 

UAB (1-2) at Army (1-1)
Coaches Poll: Army #75, UAB #76
Line: Army by 8
Weather: 54 degrees, sunny
TV: none

UAB takes the long road trip to West Point to face Army in the first C-USA game of the year for both teams.

Army runs a run-and-shoot offense, which may give UAB a good shot at winning. UAB QB Vernon Parker is said to be the starter for the Army game. The key will be if he can avoid interceptions and instead show brilliance with his mind, arm and legs.

If UAB doesn't turn over the ball like usual, they should be okay against this Army team. Our prediction: UAB 29, Army 17.

Week 5 Recap (UAB Sports Daily)
 

Army 35, UAB 24

WEST POINT, NY - UAB let one get away on the shores of the Hudson in their first C-USA game.

UAB had led for the entire game going into the 4th quarter. At the beginning of that quarter, it was 21-19. Then UAB (1-3) kicked a field goal to make it 24-19. Army (2-1) then proceeded to happily pass all over the UAB secondary and engineer a comeback which will be talked about for days at West Point.

UAB RB Moe Stewart had his second straight 100-yard game and third overall this year. He also had 2 TD runs. However, an inconsistent game from QB Vernon Parker, including 1 interception, kept UAB from doing much to quell Army's comeback in the 4th quarter.

"The Parker experiment is over," said a disappointed B.B. Gunn after the game. "We're going with Naquin for the Houston game." UAB is 1-1 and no interceptions with QB Rodney Naquin, while they are 0-2 and 4 interceptions with Parker.

DE Sean Lazetti had a great day defending the run. His stats included 3 sacks.

Conference USA - Week 5
 

SCORES:
Tulane 38, Cincinnati 3
#25 TCU 51, East Carolina 3 (uh-oh, TCU's back)
Houston 49, South Florida 42 (it was USF's run against UH's pass)
Southern Miss 48, Louisville 31


COACHES TOP 25
TCU is now number 21.

Week 5 - News and Notes
 

Injuries

PREVIOUS: OLB Small
NEW: none

Recruiting

Our first commitment of the year was a good one:

RB Mercury Razo
5-8, 185
Hendersonville, TN
Rating: 72-

#1 RB in TN, #22 RB in the nation. Small guy, but powerful. Great on receiving plays, too. He brings us more talent than Bobby Forbes or Moe Stewart have. He'll be a great replacement for Stewart.

Week 6 Preview (UAB Sports Daily)
 

Houston (2-2) at UAB (1-3)
Coaches Poll: Houston #76, UAB #87
Line: Houston by 3
Weather: 59 degrees, rainy
TV: none

Finally... UAB gets to play in their own stadium. After playing on the road in the first four games on the season, UAB returns to Legion Field to play the Houston Cougars.

Houston runs a Wing-T formation that looked good in the South Florida game last week, but didn't look that great before that. Rodney Naquin should be back under center for UAB, and if he can be as consistent as he was in the first two games, not throw any interceptions like Vernon Parker, and let Moe Stewart do his thing, UAB will have a chance. However, we're going to pick against the Blazers.

Our prediction: Houston 28, UAB 24.

Week 6 Recap
 

Houston 14, UAB 10

BIRMINGHAM - UAB's slide continues.

These two teams played almost even in the Birmingham rain, but in the end, it was Houston on top. Another disappointing loss for UAB.

Moe Stewart ran for exactly 100 yards, including UAB's only TD. Rodney Naquin, back at QB replacing Vernon Parker, had a Parker-like day, missing most of his passes and throwing one pick.

We all have our ups and downs. Don't give up! I'm really enjoying this dynasty, nice work.

Me too!!

Ouch! So many close, close losses. You could just as easily be 3-2, maybe even 4-1.

Yeah, these close losses are hard to take. Thanks for the encouraging words, though. Hopefully we can win more than we lose from this point on, but it's unlikely, given the schedule.:(

Conference USA - Week 6
 

SCORES:
#21 TCU 34, Memphis 24 (this establishes TCU as the team in C-USA once again. But Memphis played them close... man)
Tulane 28, Army 21
Louisville 65, Cincinnati 10
East Carolina 51, South Florida 21
COACHES TOP 25
With that big win over Memphis, TCU is now number #17.

Week 6 - News and Notes
 

Injuries
PREVIOUS: Small (5 weeks)
NEW: 2nd starting tailback Maurice Maxwell is out with a severe wrist sprain for 9 weeks. This hurts us a lot, since we have no depth at RB... I may have to move a player to RB.

Starters OLB Spencer Morgenstern (groin) and DE Carlos Singleton (thumb) will play through their injuries.

Recruiting

Our newest commitment, OLB Kurt Roosenraad of SC, is nothing special (Rating:37+). The OLB corps are at a low level this year.

Week 7 Preview
 

Tulane (2-3) at UAB (1-4)
Coaches Poll: Tulane #73, UAB #96
Line: Tulane by 9
Weather: 53 degrees, stormy
TV: none

UAB will try to halt their 4-game losing streak against the Tulane Green Wave on Saturday in Birmingham. Tulane has won 2 straight after getting blown out in their first 3 games.

Tulane runs a balanced wing-T formation that has looked decent in their last 2 games. Many experts say that the Green Wave has an edge over UAB in terms of talent. However, we think that UAB is due for a win, so we'll pick UAB this week. Our predicton: UAB 21, Tulane 17.

Week 7 Recap
 

UAB 16, Tulane 10

BIRMINGHAM - RB Moe Stewart had 171 yards rushing and a TD as the Blazers defeated the Green Wave at home on Saturday.

Things looked bleak for UAB (2-4) at the half, as Tulane led 10-3. But the defense was able to shut down the Green Wave (2-4) for the remainder of the game while UAB's offense was able to get the points needed to win.

G Tyrus Clanton was a Player of the Week nominee, making several key blocks in the win.

Conference USA - Week 7
 

SCORES:
#17 TCU 38, South Florida 13
East Carolina 49, Houston 27
Louisville 41, Memphis 14 (Memphis went in the tank after that TCU loss)

COACHES TOP 25:
No need to post it this week, I guess. TCU rises to #16.

Week 7 - News and Notes
 

Injuries

PREVIOUS: Singleton, Small, Maxwell, Morgenstern.
NEW: The win over Tulane was costly. We lost our top CB, Dennis Kennedy (an all-C-USA player) for the remainder of the season with a broken clavicle. Just in time for the matchup with run-and-shoot East Carolina. :( Anyway, Kennedy's college career is unfortunately over.

ILB Rufus Sanford and T Mark LaPorte both have bruised ribs, but will play.

Roster Movement

We switched WR Bob Marsh to RB to help out our lack of depth.

Recruiting

6 commitments today, and 3 of them were fabulous:

TE Dean Snyder
6-4, 225
Rayville, LA
Rating: 93+

The most talented recruit to ever commit to UAB. Has great hands and great size. He's gonna create problems for defenses in C-USA for a long time. Will probably start next year.

RB Juan Koehler
5-8, 183
Cave City, AR
Rating: 86+

This one trumps the Razo commitment two weeks ago. #16 back in the nation. This guy has some amazing speed. Combined with Razo, Koehler will carry the wishbone to great heights in the future. I can see it now... Koehler will be Lightning and Razo will be Thunder.

QB Charles Raphael
6-3, 183
Bonifay, FL (Bethlehem)
Rating: 62+

You're looking at the QB of the future at UAB. #1 QB in FL. Capable of throwing the deep ball, if needed. Plus he has a bit of mobility, which will help out in the wishbone. Considering our QB situation, he will probably start next year.

Week 8 Preview
 

UAB (2-4) at East Carolina (4-2)
Coaches Poll: East Carolina #53, UAB #87
Line: East Carolina by 18
Weather: 65 degrees, sunny
TV: none

UAB goes on the road for the fifth time in seven games this Saturday as they face the East Carolina Pirates in Greenville.

UAB will try to keep the momentum from the win over Tulane last week, but they have a difficult task. East Carolina has won 2 straight games. They run an explosive run and shoot offense that is one of the top 25 offenses in the nation. That's bad news for a team that lost perhaps their best defensive player, CB Dennis Kennedy, for the season. Also, UAB has struggled to put up points as of late, even with consistent 100-yard games from RB Moe Stewart.

At first glance, it looks like another loss for UAB, but East Carolina's two losses (to TCU and Wake Forest) came to teams with strong running games and ball-control offenses. If UAB can win time of possession plus avoid turning the ball over, they'll have a shot at winning. We think that UAB will definitely cover the spread. However, we think that UAB will get at least one turnover that will cost them the game.

Our prediction: East Carolina 35, UAB 31.

Week 8 Recap
 

East Carolina 31, UAB 9

GREENVILLE, NC - 3 interceptions and a failure to control the clock by UAB allowed East Carolina to easily win this matchup.

UAB actually led 6-3 at the half, their defense seeming to have control of East Carolina's run-and-shoot attack. However, the Pirates (5-2) head coach must have said something inspiring in the locker room, and East Carolina went out and took over the 2nd half. UAB (2-5) led in rushing yards but gave up too many passing yards.

UAB's RB Moe Stewart had his 5th straight 100-yard game, despite the loss. He now leads the nation in rushing yardage and is 5th in rushing yards per game.

Conference USA - Week 8
 

SCORES:
Southern Miss 37, Army 6
Cincinnati 41, South Florida 14
Louisville 22, Houston 11
Memphis 52, Tulane 7
At least South Florida is keeping us out of last place. Too bad we don't play them this year.

COACHES TOP 25
TCU is now number 15 in the latest poll.

Week 8 - News and Notes
 

Injuries
PREVIOUS: see last week's notes.
NEW: To help us out at the CB position, we removed the redshirt from freshman Bart Roberson, who started against East Carolina. Hopefully that wasn't a bad move, as he suffered a concussion. He is listed as probable, but we'll keep an eye on him.

Recruiting Commitments: 1

DT Rod Welch
6-2. 245
Higdon, AL (North Sand Mountain)
Rating: 56+

Number 3 DT in Alabama. Should help us replenish after we lose the seniors on our D-line.