A UAB Dynasty 2008 (TCY)
 

Another Blazer season is upon us. Can UAB get over the hump and post their first winning season in 4 years?

Before you read on, check out the previous seasons:

UAB 2004
UAB 2005
UAB 2006
UAB 2007

Quick Coaching History:
Believe it or not, I had the highest performance ranking for last year's 4-7 team. I'm hoping for some big things to happen in '08. These recruiting classes have got to pay off sometime.

News and Notes
 

The big news of the offseason for us is that talented but underachieving senior CB Bart Roberson will be suspended for the 2008 season due to academic ineligibility. The good news is that Roberson, who has not had a redshirt year, will be available in 2009 for one more year.

Other than that bombshell, the offseason was quiet, save for the few crazy kids that think they deserve more free time. We didn't lose any staff - that's a big plus. I still believe in the coordinators I have. The last few years were dismal, but it's not really their fault. We need some better players, especially on defense.

Meanwhile, some schools, like Georgia Tech and Oregon State, were interested in my services. But the timing was not right; UAB is on the verge of big things.

GO GET EM!!!! THUNDER/LIGHTNING!!!

Nice! I'm betting that Koehler will make a run for 2000 yards this year. :D

2008 UAB Blazer Roster
 

A quick look at the roster for 2008:

Team Overview
 

I won't spend too much time on this; I'm anxious to get the 2008 season started.

OFFENSE
We're going to bench Charles Raphael (So) in favor of true freshman Kim McLemore. Not only is McLemore much more of a running threat, he's just plain better. In fact, Raphael will be third on the depth chart, behind Seth Weaver (Fr).

At RB, Koehler and Razo (both So) will be the 1 and 2 backs again. Despite FB Schulz (Sr) starting 3 years for us, freshman Tyrell Barrows looked pretty good in the spring, so he'll be the starter.

Barring any injuries, the offensive line should be solid, if not great.

Except for McLemore, all true offensive freshmen will be redshirted.

DEFENSE
If we don't get any injuries, the D-line should be much improved this year. The DTs will be awesome in a year or two.

At LB, we really stink, especially at ILB. We're going with a 4-3 this year.

At DB, even without the suspended Roberson, we should be okay. This group is not there yet, with the exception of junior S Springer, who is already top-notch, but hopefully they will improve as the season goes on.

Except for DE Les Riffle and CB Blaine Owens, all true defensive freshmen will be redshirted.

2008 UAB Preview
 

Here's a look at the UAB 2008 schedule:

For the first time since I arrived in Birmingham, we have SEVEN HOME GAMES!!! That's good news in itself. The first three are at home. Of course, one of those is against the #11 Buckeyes, who we signed a home-and-away agreement with. I think we really have a shot at going 2-1 out of conference.

In conference, Louisville looks strong again - that's probably a loss. ECU comes to Legion Field, but I don't see a win. We have to catch up with those guys. We'll also lose to either Southern Miss (whom we haven't scored a single point against since I've been here) or South Florida. The other games are winnable. Luckily, we avoid TCU, who will be much improved this year.

With that, I see us having a 7-4 (5-3) season. Probably not good enough for a bowl, but it's a step in the right direction.

Let's see what the C-USA coaches think:
Obviously the coaches are not as optimistic as I am. Maybe they're worried about the D. But if our LBs do anything productive, we'll have a chance.

Here's the national coaches top 25 for the preseason:

I'd like to get SLU to the point where we're redshirting so many players. :)

I'm so tempted to use a lot of these players immediately. God knows they would be better than a lot of the upperclassmen.

Week 1
 

No games for UAB this week.

RECRUITING
Here are the positions we're going after this season:
QB, TE, G, T, DE, DT, ILB, OLB, CB, S, K (walk-on)

The same rules from last year apply in 2008 as well:
- Recruiting is only allowed within a 400-mile radius from Birmingham, AL.
- If we have a winning season, add 50 miles. If we win C-USA, 100 miles. In the unlikely event that we win a NATIONAL championship, 200 miles.

Wow, the region is really low on choice defensive players that would come to UAB. We might have to continue to suffer on defense for a while.

C-USA - WEEK 1
Wisconsin 55, East Carolina 24
Cincinnati 34, Kentucky 17

WEEK 2 PREVIEW
North Texas (0-0) at UAB (0-0) (E)

Week 2 Recap
 

North Texas 49, UAB 17

BIRMINGHAM - This is certainly not the way the Blazers wanted to start the season. Believe it or not, it all came down to UAB (0-1) making costly penalties at the wrong time, killing momentum. Meanwhile, North Texas' (1-0) offense was on point.

True freshman QB Kim McLemore had a decent 1 1/2 quarters, but after some dubious decisions, he was pulled before halftime in favor of redshirt freshman Seth Weaver, who completed the game decently, but could not get UAB in the game. RB Juan Koehler cranked out another 100-yard game.

C-USA - WEEK 2
Wake Forest 24, East Carolina 17
Kansas St. 26, Southern Miss 14
Washington 41, Houston 27
South Florida 45, Ole Miss 27
Mississippi St. 16, Memphis 10
Miami (OH) 31, Cincinnati 24
Louisville 35, Anchorage 3
Middle Tenn. St. 21, TCU 14
Tulane 24, San Jose St. 10

WEEK 3 PREVIEW
Fairbanks (0-1) at UAB (0-1) (-4)

UAB INJURIES
We keep losing the only decent ILB we have to injury! How frustrating is this.

Week 3 Recap
 

Fairbanks 35, UAB 16

COACHES NOTE: Horrible, horrible, horrible. We couldn't stop the running attack of a single-back offense. Their back had 222 yards on us.

If there's a silver lining, it's that McLemore is beginning to learn the ropes. He had good game on the ground and a decent one in the air, albeit one INT. Koehler was just 2 yards shy of 100.

But it's hard to feel good right now. I thought we could start 2-0, but we're 0-2 with Ohio State coming to town next week. The Buckeyes are 0-2 as well, but at least they lost on the road to both Colorado St. and UCLA. We lost at home to North Texas and Fairbanks. Ugh.

C-USA - Week 3
TCU 20, Missouri 12
Louisville 27, Texas Tech 7
Georgia 42, Cincinnati 28
Alabama 20, Southern Miss 13
Tulane 17, LSU 10 (2 years in a row!!!!)
Ohio 30, Army 15
Houston 12, Rice 9
Memphis 31, Middle Tenn. St. 13

Last place... ugh. Hey, ECU is there, too.

Week 4 Preview
 

Ohio State (0-2) at UAB (0-2) (-1)
COACH'S NOTE: UAB favored? What?!? Then again, we were favored against Fairbanks, too.

UAB INJURIES
Our very thin LB ranks become thinner. That McCrory injury really, really stinks, as we have a big hole in the middle of our 4-3.

Week 4 Recap
 

Ohio State 62, UAB 14

BIRMINGHAM - Either Ohio State (1-2) is really good, or UAB (0-3) is really bad.

The Buckeyes passed for over 350 yards, and ran for another 150, as they creamed the Blazers. OSU did not have to punt until the final drive of the game.

UAB RB Juan Koehler had his usual consistent day with 114 yards, but the Buckeyes defense completely neutralized QB Kim McLemore, making him look like the true freshman that he is.

After going 0-3 out of conference, UAB now finds itself in a big hole, needing to go 6-2 in conference play to have any hope of a bowl game.

C-USA - WEEK 4
Indiana 31, Army 10
Purdue 26, Southern Miss 7
Colorado 41, Houston 7
Nebraska 35, Memphis 28
Louisville 32, Kentucky 15
Bowling Green 23, South Florida 15


COACHES TOP 25
Both Louisville and Tulane are in the polls, as is North Texas. Now I don't feel so bad about that loss.

Week 5 Preview
 

UAB (0-3) at #22 Louisville (3-0) (-22)
Of course Louisville is heavily ranked... I don't blame Vegas at all.

Desperate times calls for desperate measures... I decided to move DE Lincoln Guthrie to ILB to help out there. With McCrory always injured, and no good ILBs in the recruiting region this year, I needed to do something.

Week 5 Recap
 

#22 Louisville 38, UAB 24

LOUISVILLE - UAB's offense scored its most points in a game this year so far, but true freshman QB Kim McLemore, despite having a good game, made several bad mistakes, and UAB lost to the Cardinals (4-0).

McLemore threw 4 interceptions, including 2 in the 4th quarter that killed any chances UAB (0-4) had of coming back. One of those 4th quarter INTs was returned for a touchdown.

Stud RB Juan Koehler had his worst game of the year so far, gaining only 85 yards. Former DE Lincoln Guthrie looked good at ILB, but despite that, the defense was its usual bad self.

C-USA - WEEK 5
Tulane 31, Army 0
Cincinnati 30, Houston 27
Bowling Green 34, East Carolina 24
TCU 23, Memphis 6
South Florida 17, Southern Miss 14

Look how horrible our defense is. 184 points allowed?

COACHES TOP 25
Louisville's up to #19, while Tulane stays at #25.

WEEK 5 - PREVIEW
Cincinnati (2-2)(-20) at UAB (0-4)

UAB INJURIES
We're losing all our receivers now. Oh well... just run the ball more. :)

RECRUITING
We have our first commitment of the year:
Nice. Our offensive line gets better and better.

Week 6 Recap
 

UAB 45, Cincinnati 21

BIRMINGHAM - QB Kim McLemore threw for a touchdown and ran for one, and RB Juan Koehler had 186 yards rushing, as the Blazers (1-4) defeated the Bearcats (2-3) for their first win of 2008.

McLemore was named Game MVP for his performance. He went 14-17 in the air, passing for 186 yards, and he also had 35 yards rushing. Mercury "Thunder" Razo - whom we never hear from nowadays - had 21 yards and a TD on the ground, and 35 yards and a TD in the air.

C-USA - WEEK 6
LSU 29, South Florida 24
Army 20, Memphis 10
TCU 28, East Carolina 3
Houston 7, Tulane 6 (upset!!!)
Louisville 35, Southern Miss 14 (the streak continues for the Golden Eagles)


COACHES TOP 25
Louisville's up to #17, and TCU's getting closer to joining them in the Top 25.

WEEK 7 - PREVIEW
Tulane (3-1)(-10) at UAB (1-4)
I think we can play them close, but I wouldn't be surprised if we lost.

UAB INJURIES


RECRUITING
3 more commitments:
Hurnblad is another scrambling QB that may help us out in the wishbone. Cohen is a good solid ILB, something we desperately need. Cook is no Dean Snyder (which is probably good, if you think about Snyder's injury record), but he's strong at run blocking.

Week 7 Recap
 

UAB 21, Tulane 17

BIRMINGHAM - Mercury "Thunder" Razo put the Blazers (2-4) ahead for good with a 17-yard TD run with under 7 minutes remaining as UAB upset the Tulane Green Wave (3-2).

The victory means that UAB has won back-to-back games for the first time since 2004, B.B. Gunn's first season as Blazer head coach. UAB fans, perhaps realizing that, started chanting and celebrating with minutes remaining in the game.

"Back-to-back wins... it's been a long time comin'," one fan excitedly said after the game.

RB Razo, as usual, didn't have many carries, but the 17-yard TD run certainly made up for it. His partner in the backfield, Juan "Lightning" Koehler, was the Game MVP, racking up 143 yards and a TD. Meanwhile, QB Kim McLemore continued to impress, effectively running the option and gaining 26 yards himself.

The game could have been worse for the Blazers, as Tulane shot themselves in the foot several times in the 1st half. Tulane's first 3 drives, which were otherwise successful, all ended on turnovers in Blazer territory. Then in the second half, UAB's defense played uncharacteristically well, shutting down the Green Wave on all but the first drive of the half.

Up next is a game at Houston (3-3), who also has a nice 2-game winning streak.

C-USA - WEEK 7
TCU 34, Army 7
Southern Miss 24, Cincinnati 8 (the 9-game losing streak is over!)
Houston 49, East Carolina 14
Louisville 45, South Florida 7

How about that... from last to a tie for 3rd within 2 weeks. And ECU, last year's champs, are in last place and riding a 5-game losing streak.

Our final 5 opponents, Houston, ECU, USF, So. Miss and Memphis, are all at or below .500. A good sign?

COACHES TOP 25
Louisville continues to climb the charts. They're number #12 now. TCU is in the mix as well at #24.

Week 8 Preview
 

UAB (2-4) at Houston (3-3)(-1)
Houston is favored in this matchup, but not by much. Can the Blazers pull off another upset? A win here would give the Blazers a 3-game winning streak, something that has happened only once in the B.B. Gunn era. In 2004, UAB beat Memphis, Cincinnati and Miss. State in successive weeks.

UAB INJURIES


RECRUITING
No commitments this week.

Week 8 Recap
 

UAB 28, Houston 20

HOUSTON - S Brenden Springer returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the 2nd half and was named MVP as UAB (3-4) upset the Houston Cougars (3-4) for their first win on the road this year.

The game was filled with mistakes from both sides. Houston's QB threw 5 picks, while UAB QB Kim McLemore threw 3 interceptions of his own. UAB was outrushed and outpassed in Texas, but, for the second straight week, the Blazers made the most of their opponent's mistakes. Houston had 9 penalties in this one.

RB Juan Koehler had another 100-yard game, but no TDs, while WR Ben Patton, coming back from injury, caught both of McLemore's touchdown passes.

This is only the 2nd 3-game winning streak for the Blazers since B.B. Gunn came to UAB.

I may have missed this somewhere--just picking up reading this dynasty again, but what is your base Offensive Formation? I kinda recall it being the Split Backs formation but I'm not sure.

Looks like the Blazers have a very promising future. Very impressive recruiting job--I can never get the hang of recruiting in TCY.

C-USA - WEEK 8
Southern Miss 45, Army 19
TCU 21, Cincinnati 17
East Carolina 63, Louisville 61 (OMG!!! That's what happens when two Run-and-Shoot teams get together)
Memphis 39, South Florida 21

Despite having the 2nd-worst defense in C-USA in terms of points allowed, we are in a 2nd-place tie with Louisville.

COACHES TOP 25
Louisville drops to #23, while TCU is once again king of C-USA after a year off. They sit at #19.

My base formation is the Wishbone. I'm still trying to get the hang of it. I've been very lucky with recruiting so far, except at ILB. :(

Week 9 Preview
 

East Carolina (1-5) at UAB (3-4)(-9)
Don't let the records and the spread fool you. UAB always plays poorly against run and shoot teams. Also, ECU just gave Louisville their first loss, to the tune of 63-61. UAB is in for a hard time. The 3-game winning streak will probably stop here.

UAB INJURIES


RECRUITING
No commitments this week.

Week 9 Recap
 

UAB 24, East Carolina 21

BIRMINGHAM - Talk about a turnaround.

UAB QB Kim McLemore converted a crucial 4th down play with under 2 minutes remaining, then completed a touchdown pass to TE Dean Snyder with about half a minute remaining to give UAB the 24-21 win over the East Carolina Pirates (1-6).

RB Juan "Lightning" Koehler had a big day, rushing for 170 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries and receiving for 42 yards. He was named Game MVP.

But all UAB fans were talking about in the rain after the game at Legion Field was the amazing Elway-esque performance by McLemore in the final 2 minutes of the game. Abandoning the run, McLemore took to the air to drive down the field and give UAB the victory.

They were talking about something else, too: UAB's first 4-game winning streak in school history.

"Amazing," said coach B.B. Gunn after the game. "These guys didn't quit after we started 0-4, and look where we are... Kim was great in this one. If he keeps his head on straight and works hard, he'll be a player that UAB fans will remember for a long time."

UAB, amazingly enough, is now in a tie for first place in Conference USA, along with TCU. Those two teams do not play each other this year.

C-USA - WEEK 9
South Florida 38, Cincinnati 7
Houston 34, TCU 16
Tulane 31, Louisville 14
Southern Miss 24, Memphis 23

Look at that, look at that! And after week 5, I was beginning to think about how I would have looked in a Georgia Tech sweater on the sidelines.

COACHES TOP 25
Due to losses by both Louisville and TCU, there are no teams from C-USA in this week's poll. Meanwhile, the BCS has Georgia and Virginia 1 and 2.

Week 10 Preview
 

UAB (4-4) at South Florida (3-4)(-4)
UAB has never beaten USF since B.B. Gunn arrived. Then again, they hadn't beaten ECU before last week. Of course, that game was in Birmingham.

Juan Koehler is currently the top running back in C-USA, averaging 126.5 yards a game.

UAB INJURIES


RECRUITING
Two commitments this week.
Westbrook adds another solid player to our O-line corps, while Schwarzhaupt will be a decent safety, for sure.

Week 10 Recap
 

UAB 36, South Florida 33

TAMPA - Repeat after me: Sole possession of first place.

That's where the UAB Blazers (5-4) find themselves after winning an amazing 5th game in a row, beating South Florida (3-5) on the road on Saturday. The Blazers (5-4) won this game like they won the one last week, with a great performance by true freshman QB Kim McLemore, who was named Game MVP in this one.

McLemore had an amazing 5 touchdown passes. He accounted for all of UAB's 36 points. Moreover, he gave an encore to his 2 minute drill in the ECU game with a 1 1/2 minute drill in this one. He once again converted a crucial 4th-down play, then threw the winning touchdown pass with just seconds remaining.

"The guy's just magic," said WR Ben Patton, who caught 2 TD passes and had the second-highest receiving yards in a game in UAB history.

"The dude adds a new dimension to the wishbone, for sure," said RB Juan Koehler, who had 151 yards rushing in this game. "We knew he had speed, smarts and a decent arm. But we had no idea he could do that."

Due to a TCU loss, UAB now controls its own destiny in C-USA. "That's the only way we get to a bowl game this year," said coach B.B. Gunn. "Win the conference."

C-USA - WEEK 10
Cincinnati 42, Army 17
East Carolina 34, Southern Miss 3
Memphis 38, Houston 27
Tulane 14, TCU 7


COACHES TOP 25

Week 11 Preview
 

No games for UAB this week.

UAB INJURIES
McCrory's just not getting better.


RECRUITING
Two more commitments this week: Vinny Palma and Don Jaster:
Jaster gives us another good safety, while Palma will be something we desperately need, a star LB.

:eek: That's one hell of a turnaround!

Amazing, huh?