BlazerFan11
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Rotoworld C-USA West Preview
They picked UAB to win the West.
Quote:Conference USA West
UAB (8-4; 6-2 in conference)
North Texas (8-4; 5-3 in conference)
Louisiana Tech (7-5; 5-3 in conference)
Southern Miss (7-5, 4-4 in conference)
UTSA (4-8, 2-6 in conference)
Rice (3-9; 2-6 in conference)
UTEP (2-10 (0-8 in conference)
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UAB Blazers
NFL Draft prospect to watch: DT Anthony Rush (Round 5)
How should I think of this team? Bill Clark is here to make U A Believer. Sorry.
The case for: Respect to Scott Frost, but Bill Clark was our guy for Coach of the Year in 2017. Frost took a moribund UCF program and turned it into an offensive chainsaw in a few short years, but Clark took a program which literally didn’t exist in 2016 and led it to eight wins and a trip to the Bahamas for bowl action. We’re not discounting a second lightning strike . With a silly easy schedule -- CFB matrix-dweller Phil Steele grades theirs as the second-easiest in the FBS landscape -- there’s a very foreseeable path. .
Marching down that path will be one Spencer Brown, who piled up 1,329 yards (5.3 YPC) and 10 touchdowns as a true freshman in leading UAB to an FBS ranking of 43rd in rushing last year. We’re intrigued to see what he does as a an encore with an experienced offensive line paving the way. He’s not the most explosive of backs, but we’ll take dependency over flashiness every day of the week. Apologies to Tavien Feaster. We’d also keep an eye on Kingston Davis, formerly of Michigan. The 240-pound JUCO transfer was receiving steady and consistent reps in the spring while the team took the expected easier approach with Brown. He could be a notable presence in goal-line packages for the Blazers.
We do like UAB as a passing team, too, even if the upside there is somewhat more muted. A.J. Erdely took big steps forward in his development as the season progressed last year, hitting on 65-percent of his passes over the second half of the season while finishing with 2,331 passing yards and a 16/4 TD/INT ratio. He also rushed for 13 touchdowns, but it was apparent that the Blazers trusted Erdely to make decisions downfield as the season progressed, and he mostly delivered. South Alabama transfer Dallas Davis complicates matters by degrees -- he’s reuniting with former Jaguars OC Bryant Vincent, hired to his former post under Clark this winter -- but we were never particularly impressed with his work in the Sun Belt and like Erdely to retain his gig. Heck, we’d like upside redshirt freshman Tyler Johnston more than Davis.
The case against: One cool thing about playing quarterback against the Blazers last year is that they were kind enough to keep the jersey clean, finishing 110th in the country in average sacks per game. That was Texas Tech bad. Want to feel even more nervous? UAB’s leading returner in sacks is DE Stacy Keely, who made all of three last year. Somewhat remarkably, the the Blazers still finished ranked 22nd in the FBS in passing yardage allowed. As any military historian would tell you, it’s incredibly difficult to hold ground without artillery, so tip of the hat to UAB’s secondary. It’s also not necessarily something that we view as sustainable.
That exalted passing defense mark isn’t the only one which we see dropping. There was quite a bit of fortune involved in their strong season last year. They were able to score touchdowns on nine of 10 journeys into the red zone,, a number that will be very hard to replicate even with the strong offensive line and tailbacks. Factor in a tendency to eek out the close win last year (they had four games decided by a touchdown or less), and there’s reason to believe they might take a step back. What to look for early in the season -- if the Blazers start bouncing between starting quarterbacks. Consider Dallas Davis to be a walking, talking red flag.
Bovada win total over/under: 7.5
Prediction: OVER
Projected record: 8-4 (6-2 in Conference USA)
http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cfb/81...o:cfb:gnav
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07-24-2018 08:26 PM |
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Blazer4Life14
One of “Kent’s People”
Posts: 4,841
Joined: Jul 2010
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I Root For: UAB, Pro Sports
Location: Springfield
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RE: Rotoworld C-USA West Preview
Those top 4, possibly 5, are gonna be real similar I think.
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07-25-2018 09:27 PM |
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