2018 UAB Blazers football team
American college football season
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The 2018 UAB Blazers football team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) as a member of the West Division in Conference USA (C-USA) during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by third-year head coach Bill Clark, the Blazers compiled an overall record of 11–3 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, winning C-USA's West Division title. UAB advanced to the C-USA Championship Game, where the Blazers defeated Middle Tennessee to capture the program's first conference championship. They were then invited to the Boca Raton Bowl, defeating Northern Illinois to claim the first bowl game victory in program history. The team played home games at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama.
| 2018 UAB Blazers football | |
|---|---|
 | |
C-USA champion C-USA West Division champion Boca Raton Bowl champion | |
C-USA Championship Game, W 27–25 vs. Middle Tennessee | |
Boca Raton Bowl, W 37–13 vs. Northern Illinois | |
| Conference | Conference USA |
| West Division | |
| Record | 11–3 (7–1 C-USA) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Bryant Vincent (2nd season) |
| Offensive scheme | Spread option |
| Defensive coordinator | David Reeves (2nd season) |
| Base defense | 3–3–5 |
| Home stadium | Legion Field |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Middle Tennessee x | 7 | – | 1 | 8 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIU | 6 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marshall | 6 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Charlotte | 4 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida Atlantic | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Old Dominion | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Kentucky | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UAB x$ | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Texas | 5 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana Tech | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Miss | 5 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UTSA | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UTEP | 1 | – | 7 | 1 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rice | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: UAB 27, Middle Tennessee 25 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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On November 11, the Blazers made their first appearance in the Coaches Poll at No. 25, marking the first time since 2004 they were ranked in any of the major polls.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 30 | 7:00 p.m. | Savannah State* | ESPN+ | W 52–0 | 27,124 | |
| September 8 | 6:00 p.m. | at Coastal Carolina* | ESPN+ | L 24–47 | 9,776 | |
| September 15 | 12:00 p.m. | Tulane* |
| Stadium | W 31–24 | 21,991 |
| September 29 | 6:00 p.m. | Charlotte |
| ESPN3 | W 28–7 | 25,395 |
| October 6 | 6:00 p.m. | at Louisiana Tech | Stadium | W 28–7 | 18,983 | |
| October 13 | 12:00 p.m. | at Rice | ESPN+ | W 42–0 | 18,916 | |
| October 20 | 6:30 p.m. | North Texas |
| beIN | W 29–21 | 28,014 |
| October 27 | 6:30 p.m. | at UTEP | ESPN+ | W 19–0 | 10,787 | |
| November 3 | 6:30 p.m. | UTSA |
| beIN | W 52–3 | 17,605 |
| November 10 | 6:30 p.m. | Southern Miss |
| beIN | W 26–23 OT | 25,618 |
| November 17 | 6:00 p.m. | at Texas A&M* | ESPN2 | L 20–41 | 97,584 | |
| November 24 | 2:00 p.m. | at Middle Tennessee | ESPN3 | L 3–27 | 14,411 | |
| December 1 | 1:30 p.m. | at Middle Tennessee |
| CBSSN | W 27–25 | 15,806 |
| December 18 | 6:00 p.m. | vs. Northern Illinois* | ESPN | W 37–13 | 22,614 | |
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Rankings
Preseason
Award watch lists
Listed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rimington Trophy[4] | Lee Dufour | C | JR |
| Maxwell Award[5] | Spencer Brown | RB | SO |
| Doak Walker Award[6] | Spencer Brown | RB | SO |
| John Mackey Award[7] | Logan Scott | TE | SR |
| Wuerffel Trophy[8] | Craig Kanyangarara | LB | SR |
| Walter Camp Award[9] | Spencer Brown | RB | SO |
| Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award[10] | A.J. Erdely | QB | SR |
| Manning Award[11] | A.J. Erdely | QB | SR |
Preseason All-CUSA team
Conference USA released their preseason all-CUSA team on July 16, 2018, with the Blazers having one player selected.[12]
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Offense Spencer Brown – RB
|
Preseason media poll
Conference USA released their preseason media poll on July 17, 2018, with the Blazers predicted to finish in third place in the West Division.[13]
Game summaries
Savannah State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Blazers | 7 | 21 | 10 | 14 | 52 |
At Coastal Carolina
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blazers | 14 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Chanticleers | 7 | 13 | 7 | 20 | 47 |
Tulane
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Wave | 0 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 24 |
| Blazers | 7 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 31 |
Charlotte
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49ers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Blazers | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
At Louisiana Tech
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blazers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
At Rice
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blazers | 14 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 42 |
| Owls | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
North Texas
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean Green | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Blazers | 3 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 29 |
At UTEP
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blazers | 10 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 19 |
| Miners | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
UTSA
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roadrunners | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Blazers | 21 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 52 |
Southern Miss
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Eagles | 7 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 23 |
| Blazers | 0 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 26 |
At Texas A&M
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blazers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 20 |
| Aggies | 14 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 41 |
At Middle Tennessee
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blazers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Blue Raiders | 0 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
At Middle Tennessee (C-USA Championship game)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blazers | 3 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 27 |
| Blue Raiders | 13 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 25 |
Vs. Northern Illinois (Boca Raton Bowl)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huskies | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| Blazers | 10 | 17 | 10 | 0 | 37 |
