INSIDE SLANT

Given the program’s history of November collapses, it’s understandable that UAB coaches and players are taking a wide berth around any bowl discussions.

The Blazers (5-5, 4-2 C-USA) can gain conditional bowl eligibility with a victory Saturday against East Division-leading East Carolina (6-4, 5-1), and can punch a ticket to the C-USA title game with wins against the Pirates and UCF on Nov. 28.

In 2005, UAB was 5-5 and dropped its last game. In 2003, the Blazers were 5-6 and lost their final game. And in 2002, they were 5-5 and lost their last two contests.

“Every team’s different,” Blazers head coach Neil Callaway told the Birmingham News. “The leadership on your team is the deciding factor.”

Callaway’s team is in a three-way tie for second in the East, one game behind East Carolina.

“We’ve been really trying to be very adamant about staying focused and trying to play one game at a time and not be distracted by anything else,” said Callaway, whose team has won three straight games for the first time in his three-year tenure.

The “one game at a time” mentality may be a cliché, but it seems to be working at UAB.

“Last week, there was so much focus on Memphis that I forgot about who we played this week,” defensive end Bryant Turner said. “I didn’t even think about it. Hopefully it will be the same this week where everybody is so focused on East Carolina that we forget about who we play next week.”

NOTES, QUOTES

• UAB ranks eighth nationally in turnover margin and leads C-USA in that category (plus-1.0 per game). The Blazers have 20 takeaways and just 10 turnovers (four fumbles, six interceptions) in 10 games. Seven of those turnovers came in the first two games of the season.

• UAB head coach Neil Callaway’s first coaching job was at East Carolina. He was a part-time assistant coach for the Pirates in 1978-79 under head coach Pat Dye.

• SERIES HISTORY: Series tied 4-4 (last meeting, 2008, 17-13 East Carolina).

Scouting The Offense:   In his last two games, QB Joe Webb has accounted for 845 yards of offense and 10 touchdowns. The Blazers are still ranked ninth in the nation in rushing (228.1 yards per game) despite gaining a season-low 111 yards on the ground at Memphis. The team’s average of 5.97 yards per carry is second only to Nevada (7.54).

Scouting The Defense:   UAB ranks last in C-USA in total defense (470.2) and passing defense (325.8). Opponents have converted 47.6 percent of their third-down chances and scored on 79.1 percent of their red-zone penetrations. SS Hiram Atwater leads the Blazers with 71 total tackles (42 solo).

Quote To Note:   “They do an excellent job of winning football games. Going back to our game last year, it was a nip-and-tuck game, but they won it at the end. I think they’ve consistently done that better than probably anybody else in our league over the last three years that I’ve been here.”—UAB head coach Neil Callaway on East Carolina.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

This Week  ‘S GAME: UAB at East Carolina, Nov. 21—The Blazers have won four of their last five C-USA road games. They are 1-3 all-time at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, with the lone victory coming back in 2000 (16-13). East Carolina is in sole possession of first place in the C-USA East standings.

Keys To The Game:   Sooner or later, the Blazers’ penchant for penalties is probably going to cost them. UAB ranks 112th nationally out of 120 schools with 8.2 penalties per game. Only seven teams average more penalty yards per game than the Blazers (72.8). If they can reduce the flags and continue to protect the football (two turnovers in the last eight games), they could push their winning streak to four.

Players To Watch:  

QB Joe Webb—The C-USA Offensive Player of the Week passed for a career-high 378 yards and three touchdowns at Memphis and extended his streak to 95 consecutive passes without an interception. The nation’s 12th-leading rusher is tied for the FBS lead with 41 runs of 10 or more yards this season (Mark Ingram, Alabama).

TE Jeffery Anderson—He is the only UAB player with at least one reception in all 10 games this season, including two or more catches in eight contests.

DE Bryant Turner—The junior leads the Blazers in tackles for loss (10.5) and sacks (six) and ranks in the Top 10 in the conference in both categories.

Roster Report:  

• With a school-record 1,158 rushing yards, senior QB Joe Webb needs 314 more to break the all-time FBS record for a quarterback set by Air Force’s Beau Morgan in 1996. Webb is the only player in UAB history with multiple 1,000-yard campaigns.

• UAB has received seven verbal commitments for the 2010 recruiting class, according to Scouts, Inc. That includes a trio of transfers from Trinity Valley (Texas) Community College: LB Dan Jackson, WR Darnell Williams and RB Chad Winbush.