Over the next several weeks, BleedTechBlue.com will preview each of Tech’s 12 opponents for the upcoming season.

Up next, UAB.

Louisiana Tech and UAB will square off on November 23rd in Birmingham. Kickoff time will be announced at a later date.

Head Coach: Bill Clark (36-18 overall in 5 years, 25-14 at UAB in 4 years)

2018 Record: 11-3 (7-1) Conference USA Champions

Key Returners: QB Tyler Johnston III (1,323 yards, 11 TDs), RB Spencer Brown (1,227 yards, 16 TDs), WR Kendall Parham (14 catches, 197 yards), LB Fitzgerald Mofor (74 tackles, 7.5 TFL), LB Kris Moll (54 tackles, 7.5 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 INT), CB Brontae Harris (34 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 INTs), DT Garrett Marino (19 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks)

Key Losses: QB A.J. Erdely (1,539 yards, 7 TDs), WR Xavier Ubosi (35 catches, 837 yards, 8 TDs), WR Collin Lisa (33 catches, 462 yards, 1 TD), WR Andre Wilson (32 catches, 529 yards, 5 TDs), LB Chris Woolbright (83 tackles, 13.5 TFL, 2 sacks, 2 INTs), S Broderick Thomas (69 tackles, 3 TFL), CB Mar’Sean Diggs (60 tackles, 2 INTs), DT Anthony Rush (43 tackles, 11 TFL, 2 sacks), DE Jamell Garcia-Williams (43 tackles, 15.5 TFL, 9.5 sacks), OLB Tre Crawford (42 tackles, 12.5 TFL, 8 sacks), DL Quindarius Thagard (37 tackles, 7 TFL, 4 sacks)

2019 UAB Schedule:

· August 29th – Alabama State

· September 7th -- @ Akron

· September 21st – South Alabama

· September 28th -- @ Western Kentucky

· October 5th – Rice

· October 12th – @ UTSA

· October 19th -- ODU

· November 2nd -- @ Tennessee

· November 9th -- @ Southern Miss

· November 16th -- UTEP

· November 23rd – Louisiana Tech

· November 30th – @ North Texas

BleedTechBlue.com caught up with Evan Dudley of AL.com to preview the 2019 UAB Blazers.

UAB won 11 games and the Conference USA championship in 2018. I know 30+ seniors have departed due to graduation, what are Bill Clark’s goals for his team in 2019?

The goal is simple: repeat as champions.

Clark rebuilt the program from dust, with only a handful of players from his 2014 squad and won 19 games and the program’s first conference title and bowl game in the two years since returning to the field.

A total of nine starters return – along with both specialists – in crucial positions on both sides of the ball which proves valuable to a hungry group of talented underclassmen ready to step into new roles this season.

Most coaches would talk rebuilding year with the losses UAB incurred but that pales in comparison to the effort it took in accomplishing what this program has done the past two seasons. Not to mention Clark was more than prepared for this scenario and even benefited from the new redshirt rule, creating depth where there might not have been.

A.J. Erdely had some success at QB a season ago, but Tyler Johnston really took over the QB job late in the year. Johnston will enter his first season as the starter in 2019. What are Johnston’s strengths? What are his weaknesses?

In an effort to save space: Johnston is a winner and thrives in being a leader.

An injury cut short Johnston’s junior season of high school but that didn’t keep him from accumulating a 35-0 record, two state titles (2014,2016) and the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s annual Mr. Football award, which is given to the top high school player in the state.

Johnston has the arm to make all the throws – the confidence to do it as well – and enough speed and tread on his wheels to make him a problem in the running game. He threw for less than 200 yards only once and scored a passing and rushing touchdown in three of five starts while passing for more than 300 yards twice.

Johnston, who seems to have a gunslinger mentality at times, made the usual freshmen mistakes – he threw nine picks against 11 touchdowns – but improved throughout his five starts and ended the season with a 4-1 record, including the Blazers’ division-clinching win over Southern Miss, the 2018 CUSA title game win over Middle Tennessee, and UAB’s blowout of MAC Champion Northern Illinois in the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl.

Everyone knows about the talent of running back Spencer Brown, but the offensive line will have some new faces up front in 2019. What will this unit need to do in order for the dominant ground game to continue churning along?

Four starters, who helped pave the way for Brown and UAB’s dominant rushing attack the past two seasons, have graduated and take 98 overall starts with them. Fortunately, two-year starter at center, Lee Dufour, returns to anchor the line and expedite the process.

Coming out of the spring game, it looks as though Colby Ragland will take over at left tackle while David Galten fits in at the left guard position. On Dufour’s right is Andrew Smith at guard and Patrick Nuss at tackle. Ragland seems to have entrenched himself at the tackles position while the other positions are far from settled going into fall camp.

The offensive line needs to find the true group of five early in fall camp but the early schedule does allow time for cohesion before entering the conference slate.

Ten of the top 14 tacklers are gone from a defense that allowed fewer than 300 yards per game. That said, DT Garrett Marino, CB Brontae Harris, and LB Kris Moll are all back. What’s the defensive outlook for the Blazers this season?

The UAB defense is not exactly low of experience, with five returning starters, and many of the players stepping into starting roles this season earned valuable game experience last year. A light first-half schedule should give the Blazers enough time to return to last year’s form but a tough backstretch will certainly test their development.

Although Marino is the only returner along the defensive line, position coach Kyle Tatum was pleased with the group coming out of spring practice and spoke highly of redshirt freshman Fish McWilliams and sophomore Antonio Moultrie, who were former high school teammates at West Florida High School in Pensacola. Be sure to keep an eye on redshirt freshman Michael Fairbanks II and Pima CC transfer Tony Fair as well.

It should be noted that Clark said that “we’ll see Garrett Marino at another level” while at CUSA Media Days in July which, alone, should strike fear into many a quarterback and offensive linemen in the league.

Moll split time between linebacker and the ‘star’ position last season but makes the move to fulltime linebacker this year and should excel at his natural position. A returning starter that seems to be overlooked is redshirt senior Fitzgerald Mofor, who started 24 out of 27 games the past two seasons for the Blazers and was the third leading tackler in 2017 and second leading tackler last season.

Along with Harris, the defensive backfield also returns Dy’jonn Turner and adds former running back Jarrion Street into the safety and ‘star’ position mix. Will Boller and Grayson Cash made huge strides in the spring at safety and earned the praise of coaches and teammates, and that’s not to mention CD Daniels and Starling Thomas V, both of whom saw plenty of action in their true freshman seasons.

The 2019 UAB Blazers season will be a success if…??

The success of this coming season ultimately falls upon the rebuilt offensive line, but there are a few other keys for the Blazers to repeat as conference champions.

Spencer Brown is a legitimate CUSA Player of the Year contender, who only gets stronger and more powerful throughout each contest but will need a balanced approach from the offense in order to keep defenses from keying in on him. If Johnston picks up where he left off in the bowl game, the offensive line should have no problem in protection and opening running lanes for Brown.

The defense returns five starters spread across all three position groups but UAB employs a good bit of rotation which allows for a respectful amount of returning experience. It’ll be imperative for last year’s backups to take on more responsibility and keep the Blazers in games on the defensive side of the ball as the offensive line gels and Johnston finds rhythm with a bevy of new receivers.

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