Behind enemy lines: an inside look at UAB football from a Blazer
Editor’s note: Before Saturday evening’s game between North Texas and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the North Texas Daily went behind enemy lines with William Harris (WH), assistant sports editor of the Kaleidoscope, to get an inside scoop on the Blazers. Here are some highlights.
How much excitement is there surrounding the UAB football team since it has been brought back on campus?
WH: It has been unbelievable. If I’m in a UAB shirt I get stopped a lot in public by people that just want to talk about how happy they are that UAB football is back. The buzz has been even bigger with the team starting on a good note.
Who is UAB’s most important player, and why?
WH:
Offense: A.J. Erdely, we call him ‘The General’. He has quickly shown that he is a dual-threat quarterback (5 rushing touchdowns, 2 passing touchdowns).
Defense: Tevin Crews, who has been a great leader on the field. He has 29 total tackles and 1 interception so far this season.
What is UAB’s biggest weakness?
WH: Special teams. Field goals have been great, but we have fumbled on kickoffs in our last two games, we allowed a kick return for a TD against Ball State and last week we had an extra point blocked that got returned for two points.
What are the keys to Saturday’s game for UAB?
WH: 1.The offensive line has to establish the run early to get us into a rhythm.
2. It sounds cliche, but if we can cut down on pointless penalties and turnovers we can compete with anyone in this conference.
3. Get off the field on third down. Mason Fine has thrown a lot already this year and UAB has had a problem of allowing first downs on third and long situations so far this year.
Game Prediction?
WH: It’s going to be a tight game. UAB needs that first road win to gain some confidence, but North Texas needs to bounce back after hard losses to Iowa and SMU. I’m going to take UAB, in a game that comes down to the wire, 38-31.
Feautred Image: Senior running back Jeffery Wilson runs the ball in a game against Southern Methodist University on Sept. 9. The Mean Green fell to SMU 54-32. Sara Carpenter
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