Florida Atlantic Owls vs Alabama-Birmingham Blazers Preview

Another season begins in the life of Alabama-Birmingham football. It’s a season in which this middling Conference USA program has to get off the porch and run with the big dogs.

Located in one of the cradles of Southern football (the team plays its home games at hallowed Legion Field in its city of residence), the Blazers have not been able to reach a bowl game under current coach and former Georgia offensive coordinator Neil Callaway. UAB has won only 11 of the 36 games that have come and gone in Callaway’s first three seasons at the helm. This was not what university administrators expected when they tabbed this highly-credentialed man.

Callaway played for Bear Bryant in the mid-1970s at Alabama. He began coaching in 1980 as an assistant at Wyoming. He coached the offensive line for 11 years at Auburn under Pat Dye, and he later assumed the same duties while also serving as offensive coordinator for three separate SEC championship teams: Alabama in 1999, Georgia in 2002, and Georgia again in 2005. When UAB hired Callaway to replace Watson Brown in 2007, the veteran coordinator had 27 years of coaching experience under his belt… and a lot of SEC rings as well. This seemed like a natural fit in Birmingham, but the project hasn’t worked out so far.

That makes this season so crucial for Callaway and the Blazers.

Talking about Thursday’s game against Florida Atlantic, a new signal caller will have to get it done for Mr. Callaway. Sophomore David Isabelle (6-of-14, 39 yards, 1 touchdown last season) is UAB’s new quarterback, replacing Joe Webb, who now plies his trade for the Minnesota Vikings.  Isabelle is the top returning passer for the Blazers – that’s one thing; however, he’s also the leading returning rusher with 288 yards on 32 attempts in 2009.  That isn’t good. Not at all. 

Working in Isabelle’s and UAB’s favor is the fact that he’ll be protected by two of the best tackles in C-USA and the FBS at large: junior Matt McCants and sophomore Chris Hubbard. They figure to neutralize an anemic Florida Atlantic pass rush, thereby giving Isabelle plenty of time to develop a rhythm with receivers Frantrell Forrest and Roddell Carter. 

UAB nose tackle Elliott Henigan and defensive end Bryant Turner will be tasked with ensuring that FAU’s star running back, Alfred Morris (1,392 yards on 263 carries, 11 touchdowns in 2009), doesn’t spend the evening running through, over and around the Blazers’ defense.  The homestanding Blazers will also have to collapse the pocket if UAB is to prevent Florida Atlantic senior quarterback Jeff Van Camp (109-184, 1,372 yards, 12 touchdowns last year) from picking apart UAB’s porous secondary.

With Howard Schnellenberger’s Owls traveling to Michigan State the following week, expect the Owls to pull out all the stops to win this one.  Whether or not that unnerves UAB’s new starting quarterback could very well decide this game.