UAB at Akron NCAA Football Game Picks 9/7/2019

Saturday, September 7, 2019

InfoCision Stadium

Tyler Johnston and the UAB Blazers head to InfoCision Stadium on Saturday where they'll take on the Akron Zips. Akron opens this game as 10-point underdogs. The over/under is set at 50.5.

The last time they took the field, the UAB Blazers took on the Alabama State Hornets and notched a win by a score of 24-19. Spencer Brown paced the team in rushing for that contest. He broke a long run for 19 yards but he never crossed the endzone by way of the rush. He ran for 77 yards by way of 23 carries which had him averaging 3.3 yards per carry. Austin Watkins led the team in receiving yardage by racking up 51 yards on 2 catches. He earned an average of 25.5 yards per reception for that contest. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Blazers was Tyler Johnston III who went 8/19 with 114 yards through the air and completed 1 touchdown. He ended the game without an interception.

The Blazers come into this matchup with a record of 1-0 this season. In terms of scoring, they are one of the marginal teams in the country with an average of 24 points per contest, putting them 89th in D-1. As a team, they are averaging 176 rushing yards per contest which is 8th in Conference USA. For total yards, they sit in 11th in Conference USA and 109th in D-1 with 290 yards. When it comes to scoring touchdowns, the Blazers currently have a total of 1 passing touchdown and 1 rushing touchdown. They are a team that has the capability to score points in C-USA and I wouldn't expect things to change too much in this game.

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The Blazers have one of the top tier defenses in the country giving up 19 points per contest, which has them at 5th in Conference USA and 53rd in D-1. When it comes to passing yards, the Blazers have conceded 114 yards. Opponents are completing 59.4% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 3.6 yards per try. They have allowed 2 passing TDs and 1 rushing touchdown. In terms of rushing yards, UAB is giving up 145 yards per contest putting them 7th in C-USA and 77th in Division 1. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 4.5 yards per carry ranking them 9th in Conference USA and 90th in D-1 overall. In total, they have allowed 145 yards rushing through 1 game.

In their last outing, the Akron Zips played the Illinois Fighting Illini and added a loss to their record by a score of 42-3. Leading the way at QB for the Zips was Kato Nelson who went 10/24 with 122 yards by way of the pass but wasn't able to throw a ball for a TD. He threw 1 interception on this day. Deltron Sands led the team in rushing for that game. He tore off a long run of 11 yards but he wasn't able to rush for a TD on this day. He ran for 47 yards on 14 carries which meant he was running for 3.4 yards per run. Nate Stewart was the receiving yardage leader with a total of 79 yards on 5 catches. He notched an average of 15.8 yards per reception for that game.

The Zips come into this game with a record of 0-1. In terms of offensive proficiency, the Zips have one of the worst offenses in the country. In discussing their scoring prowess, the Zips sit in 12th in the Mid-American Conference and 128th out of all the teams in the nation averaging 3 points per contest. Akron is having a year to forget in the ground game by averaging 64 yards per contest, which has them at 120th in college football. As a team, they have compiled a total of 64 yards rushing through 1 game, so they are going to want to make some changes to the ground game if they want to make teams respect them. The Zips average 192 yards per game overall which has them at 126th in D-1 and 12th in the Mid-American Conference.

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The Zips are conceding 42 points per contest which puts them at 12th in the Mid-American Conference and 118th in college football. In terms of points allowed, they have given up 42 total points. In regard to yards on the ground, they are giving up 207 yards per contest ranking them 107th in the country and 11th in the Mid-American Conference. In 2019, they have allowed 207 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns. Their passing defense is one of the elite groups in D-1. They are conceding 194 passing yards per game. For passing yards allowed per game, the Zips sit in 4th in the conference. They have allowed 3 passing touchdowns this year.

Who will win tonight's Blazers/Zips college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Zips +10

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