"Dragon Breath" A UAB Dynasty (NCAA12)

[gorillapittpray]

BLAZER WEEKLY

OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT!

BLAZERS FRESHMEN MATTHEW SCOTT
RUSHED FOR 120 YARDS AND GRABBED
ANOTHER 40 THROUGH THE AIR. THE
DEFENSE RECORDED 6 MORE SACKS AND
TWO INT'S AS THE BLAZER ROLLED PAST THE
GREEN WAVE 34-17.

"THEY SAID IT"
"WE'RE GAINING MOMENTUM ON THE DEFENSIVE SIDE OF THE BALL, THIS IS A GREAT BUNCH OF YOUNG MEN WHO LOVE TO COMPETE"
HEAD COACH TRAVIS RHATIGAN

"WHEN I SAW HIM HIT THE HOLE I KNEW HE WAS GONE"
QB ANDRE SHARPE

"DIDNT BOTHER ME ONE BIT ABOUT THE FAN TURN OUT, IF WE KEEP WINNING THEY'LL COME."
FREE SAFETY NICK WILLIAMS

"COMING OUT THAT TUNNEL WAS AWESOME, SCORING A TOUCHDOWN AND WINNING WAS THE ICING ON THE CAKE"
RUNNING BACK MATTHEW SCOTT

Travis Rhatigan had his weekly press conference with Blazer Weekly on Wednesday and reflected back on last Saturday's game against Tulane as well as looked ahead to the East Carolina game this weekend. Among the topics discussed were Scott's performance against Tulane, the crowd support and the magnificent play of the defense.

First things first, lets talk about the great effort you guys had against Tulane as they played blow for blow with you. What helped you guys finally get away from them and grab the win
"Tulane is a good football team. When you play a team like that you have to get ahead early on them thats a team you dont want lingering around. After halftime we made some adjustments that we felt would help us as far as getting pressure on Robinson because of that we asked our secondary to step up and play by themselves out there, they were able to get a few big plays but we limited the majority as well as made the necessary plays on offense to grab the win.

Matthew Scott stepped up after the injury to Pryor. You stated you wanted to do a two back system, does Scott now become the full time back with the type of game he had.
"Scott is a great athlete with speed, he can catch and more importantly he can pick up blitzes. He did some things out there most freshmen cant do. He certainly earned himself a few more plays but we're still grooming him so we'll still keep the two back system in play for us as he matures and can handle 20 plus touches we'll evaluate. Pryor had a ankle sprain but he'll still be out there when we travel to ECU, we went ahead and made Brooks our returner to take the load off of Pryor until he's 100% healthy."

You travel to East Carolina this weekend, the Pirates are 0-2 but have losses to #8 South Carolina and #14 Virginia Tech where they almost beat them losing 30-27. Is this a trap game, and what is the plan against them.
"Despite being 0-2 they look real good on film. They've play South Carolina and Virginia Tech really close and could easily be ranked and 2-0 with wins against them. They do a good job of getting their receivers the ball in space. The Lee kid is a big body and makes plays he'll go up and get the ball. The quarterback Hughes has no problem throwing it up to him so we need to do a great job of playing the ball. He's thrown for a lot of yards but he's already thrown six interceptions and we feel with the type of pressure we can bring up front we'll have some opportunities. Offensively we need to be aware of where corner Pat wolf is, they line him up everywhere and he makes plays on the ball. There small upfront so we'll try and take advantage.

Matchup Preview | September 24, 2011
	@
UAB Blazers (2-0 (1-0), 1-0 Away)		East Carolina Pirates (0-2, 0-2 Home)
Injury Report DT B. CHASE 1 week Game Notes East Carolina comes into the game having played against two top 15 teams. So experience is there despite their record. Quarterback R. Hughes will have an opportunity to put up some huge passing numbers as he's averging 315 yards a game and UAB is giving up 270 passing a game. His go to receiver Lee has a chance to be a game breaker. Defensively the Pirates have been good, but they'll be without nose tackle B. Chase who leads the team in sacks (2). They'll need to find away to not let this newly formed running game get away from them...............UAB comes into the game having beaten Florida and Tulane. With Florida's second loss last weekend that win doesn't look as impressive but they did however go on the road for that win. So these guys have confidence to play on the road. As they've been doing all year they need to get pressure on Hughes. Hughes is know to throw the ball up so pressure is key and it starts with defensive captain DJ Washington who leads the NCAA with four sacks. Offensively Sharpe has played flawless these first two games. He has 6 touchdown passes and only one interception. A mixture of the run and pass should see him have another good game......PREDICTION- UAB 27 ECU 20

[gorillapittpray]

Quote: Originally Posted by mm boost

randomly generated names? Congrats on the first 2 wins. Although it may be a bit easy if you're beating a ranked SEC team already haha.

Yea I dont really care about the names.......

But right now im on heisman and I havent tweeked the sliders just yet. I will say this that Florida game was hard as hell tho, they kept going up 14 on me. I found away to stop giving up the home run and have a nice little defense that gets me some good pressure now. That win isnt even that impressive anymore they're 1-2 right now with both losses at home...

Also for UAB to ranked 115th they have a good defense as far as the starters but after that they suck so if someone gets hurt ill definitely feel it...

[Deuce2223]

Congrats on the solid start to the season. The Florida win was huge.


Happy to see BSU 2-0 and moving up the polls. Looks like they got a big game this week against #22 Tulsa.

Looking at your recap, I assume they did not play Georgia in Week 1 in your dynasty?

As far as names go, I was going to start, but then work/life got busy and now there is a set out with names ready to go now. I do like having the real names, but to be honest have no clue when it comes to UAB, so for me it wouldn't matter. Plus you can always change the names to the real player in your writeup if you know them for the other team or when posting national news stuff

[gorillapittpray]

found my first major glitch, almost loss a damn game bc of it, ECU did a on side kick which hit my player and went out of bounds. They gave the ball to ECU who went down and scored to take the lead with 40 sec left smh.....

[gorillapittpray]

Deuce, they beat UGA 45-38 wk1 had a bye and beat Tol 66-30

[gorillapittpray]

ESPN CLASSIC 1356 PTS
BY A RAZORS EDGE!
BLAZERS LOSE 17 POINT 4TH QUARTER LEAD BUT FIND A WIN TO WIN.

~AP~ GREENVILLE, NC-- A Hughes 400 yard performance that led to a 21 point fourth quarter comeback overshadowed what was a great day for the UAB Blazer defense who grabbed four turnovers that included a fumble return and a safety. A stagnant offense woke up however on the last drive and Sharpe found reserve receiver Jackson for the game winning 32 yard touchdown grab in the back of the end zone.

~RECAP~

Coming into the game it was evident ECU quarterback R. Hughes was gonna throw the football, averaging 315 yards passing a game it was no secret. UAB was ready for that and on the games second possession Free Safety Nate Williams picked of a Hughes pass to end a promising ECU drive. UAB came out sporting their two back look with D. Pryor getting the bulk of the carries. Pryor would carry the ball four times for 20 yards on the drive. Facing a third and 8 from the 31 freshmen M. Scott took a counter and broke away from a sure loss to gaining 9 yards and first down. The next play would be Sharpe and UAB's first pass and it was a good one as he hit the teams leading receiver I. Wilson for a 22 yard touchdown giving the Blazers a 7-0 lead. The quarter would end with ECU notching three points with a B. Lawson field goal.

#6 N. Williams interception lead to a #15 I. Wilson 22 yard touchdown catch

The second quarter was mentally physically and just better coached by the Blazers. Coach Travis Rhatigan put together a stellar gameplan and the Blazers came after Hughes sacking him a total of three times during the quarter. The play of the game to this point came midway through the second quarter when strong safety E. Jackson stripped ECU's tailback J. Johnson, Linebacker Tom Slaughter reminiscent to the Florida Gator game was there to scoop it and score as he returned it 57 yards. UAB would squib the next kickoff that bounced over returner Lee's head he would recover and get tackled at the 12. A holding penalty moved them to the 6. UAB brought the house as Linebacker D. McCray grabbed the sack and safety giving the Blazers a 16 to three lead heading into the half.

#43 T. Slaughter returns this fumble 57 yards for a score/ DE #79 Bowser celebrates with #51 Washington after a D. McCrary sack resulting in a safety

The third quarter started where the second quarter left off. The Blazers grabbed two more sacks, this time it was by the corner B. Walker who snuck off the edge untouched blind siding Hughes. The pressure led ti Hughes throwing balls up for grabs as corner K. Evans grabbed a pick in the end zone. UAB would go on to have a very solid drive. Up to this point the offense would generate succes but stall out, this would come back to hunt them. During the drive a mixture of pass and run kept ECU off balance and a 43 yard pass to Ross set up D. Pryor 6 yard touchdown run. The Pirates would go on to add three more points to end the quarter. After three it was 23-6 UAB.

#8 K. Evans picked off a R. Hughes pass in the endzone/ Pryor puts the Blazers up 23-6 heading into the 4th quarter with this 6 yard touchdown run

The stagnant offense would come back to hunt the Blazers as the fourth quarter started. Despite getting stops and turnovers the UAB defense was constantly on the field. After a very quick three and out ECU took a shot on their first play. A seemingly easy pass break up turned in to a miss timed jump by cornerback K. Evans and ECU receiver S. Humphrey grabbed the 58 yard touchdown. With the Pirates down 23-13 there was a chance of a comeback. Strong safety G. Quinn would come up with a huge play for ECU picking off Sharpe and giving ECU the ball back. The tide was turning, UAB seemed a step slower just missing the sack or missing the routine tackle turning into a big gain. Hughes started to prove why he averaged over 300 yards a game easily eclipsing that on the 4 play 68 yard drive (all pass) that ended with J. Johnson 6 yard touchdown run with 2 min remaining putting ECU down 20-23.

#22 S. Humphrey starts off the 21 point 4th quarter run with this amazing 58 yard touchdown catch

The games most exciting play had a very controversial call to it. ECU lined up for the onside. Lawson kicked the ball and it hit a UAB defender, it then bounced off a ECU defender and went out of bounds. After further review the Official awarded ECU the ball Three quick plays got ECU down the field. On the drive Hughes went over 400 yards. He then threw his second touchdown of the quarter when he hit Ball who broke a Nate Williams tackle and dove into the end zone igniting the crowd and Giving ECU their first lead of the day with 40 seconds remaining in the game.

#12 Ball breaks a tackle and puts ECU a field goal back with this touchdown catch and run

The game seemed all but over for UAB as the offense just haven't been able to muster any big plays all day. For the most part they used a take what they give you approach and ECU wasn't giving up much. A very bad interception on their last possession had reason to question. But Sharpe the senior and vocal leader of the offense got instructions from the staff and headed on to the field. Down 27-23 with 40 seconds left and needing 65 yards. To this point he was only 5-12 passing. He immediately hit rawls for 26 yard gain down the sideline putting them at the 39 yard line. With only one timeout left he used a no huddle hitting receiver I. WIlson on a quick out for 7 yards Wilson however didnt get out of bounds and with 22 seconds left they used their last timeout. A near interception by Quinn who almost had his second interception and a win for ECU gave UAB another opportunity with 15 seconds. Sharpe made the most of the second chance, reserve red shirt freshmen receiver Vince Jackson made the play of thegame for UAB, He streaked down the seem and was wide open as Sharpe threw the ball. Jackson would somehow keep his feet in and catch the 32 yard touchdown with only 7 seconds remaining as UAB held on for the win.

RS- Freshmen #84 V. Jackson points to the scoreboard after his game winning touchdown catch

PLAY OF THE GAME

#82 V. Jackson sneaks beind the defense for the game winning touchdown


TOP PERFORMERS
UAB
A. SHARPE 8-15 164 YARDS 2 TOUCHDOWNS 1 INT
#5 N. WILLIAMS 6 TACKLES 2 INTERCEPTIONS
#34 D. MCCRAY 6 TACKLES 2 SACKS

ECU

R. HUGHES 27-38 422 2 TOUCHDOWNS 3 INT
S. HUMPHREY 4 REC 131 YARDS 1 TOUCHDOWN
SS G. QUINN 4 TACKLES 1 INT

Sep 24, 2011 - UAB at ECU
TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
UAB (3-0)	7	9	7	7	30
ECU (0-3)	3	0	3	21	27

Team Stats Comparison
UAB		ECU
229	Total Offense	393
65	Rushing Yards	-29
164	Passing Yards	422
6	First Downs	15
	Punt Return Yards
	Kick Return Yards
399	Total Yards	519
2	Turnovers	4
2-8	3rd Down Converstion	5-12
1-1	4th Down Conversion
	2-Point Conversion
1-1-0	Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	3-2-2
3-35	Penalties	1-6
14:48	Posession Time	13:12

[gorillapittpray]

YOUR HOME FOR NCAA NEWS!

BLUE MAGIC!
BOISE COMPLETES 21 POINT COMEBACK TO BEAT TULSA 28-27

MOMENTUM CRUSHED:
#11 OREGON HANGS ON TO BEAT
WILDCATS FROM ARIZONA 38-30

MAKING A RUN:
#15 FIGHTING IRISH WIN 4TH STRAIGHT
THIS TIME AGAAINST PITT 45-18

BIG WIN:
JOHNSON GRABS TWO TOUCHDOWNS AND 173 YARDS
RECEIVING AS #2 BAMA SCOOTS PAST RAZORBACKS 28-17

MAKING A STATEMENT:
#1 SOONERS THRASH MIZZOU AS THE DEFENSE HOLDS
THE TIGERS TO JUST 51 YARDS PASSING

TOP SCORES
#16 MICHIGAN STATE SHUTS OUT CENTRAL MICHIGAN 62-0
#6 AUBURN STRUGGLES BUT BEATS FLORIDA ATLANTIC 25-16
#7 LSU HANDLES WEST VIRGINIA 45-28
IDAHO BEATS FRESNO 6-3
USC ESCAPES SUN DEVILS 30-27

TOP TEN

1. OKLAHOMA 3-0
2. ALABAMA 4-0
3. OHIO STATE 4-0
4. BOISE STATE 3-0
5. TEXAS A&M 3-0
6. AUBURN 4-0
7. LSU 3-1
8. SOUTH CAROLINA 4-0
9. TCU 4-0
10. STANFORD 2-1

SPORTING NEWS NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSE
QB STEVE HARRELL (NIU) 19-32 380 YDS, 16 CAR 167 YDS 5 TOTAL TD IN A WIN OVER FCS WEST

DEFENSE
LB TONY TOWNSEND (OH) 9 TACKLES (4 TFL) 2 SACKS 2 FORCED FUMBLES IN A WIN OVER RUTGERS

TOP GAMES:
*** #6 AUBURN @ #8 SOUTH CAROLINA
(AUBURN SLUGGISH PLAY COULD CATCH UP)

#13 NEBRASKA @ WISCONSIN
(HUSKER PLAY THEIR FIRST EVER BIG 10 CONFERENCE GAME)

#16 MICHIGAN @ OHIO STATE
(62 POINT TUNE UP WIN SHOULD HAVE THE SPARTANS READY)

KENTUCKY @ #7 LSU
(KENTUCKY IS 4-0 AND HAS A CHANCE TO GET THE UPPER HAND IN SEC PLAY)

#19 NEVADA @ #4 BOISE STATE
(NEVADA RUINED BOISE'S UNDEFEATED SEASON A YEAR AGO, CAN THEY DO IT IN BOISE THIS YEAR)

[gorillapittpray]

CONFERENCE USA NAMES UAB FREE SAFETY NATE WILLIAMS DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK


~CONFERNCE USA~ #5 NATE WILLIAMS TURNED IN A SOLID EFFORT AGAINST EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY LAST WEEK IN A DRAMATIC WIN FOR THE BLAZERS. DESPITE HIS DEFENSE SQUANDERING A 17 POINT LEAD WILLIAMS REGISTERED 6 TACKLES INCLUDING TWO INTERCEPTIONS STOPPING TWO PROMISING DRIVES. tHE HARD HITTING SAFETY SHOWED HE COULD COVER AS WELL KNOCKING DOWN THREE PASSES