Two schools that prefer to keep it on the ground, Head Coach Bill Clark and the UAB Blazers (-17) are set to take on their conference foe UTEP Miners at Sun Bowl. The opening kickoff for this matchup is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET and fans can catch it live by tuning in to ESPN+.
Betting Preview: UAB Blazers vs. UTEP Miners
In this Saturday Conference USA game, UAB is getting picked as the big favorite and is currently giving up 17 points. In order to take the favorite, moneyline bettors would currently have to lay down $1,400 to net $100 back on the Blazers (-1400). The Miners are getting +780 moneyline odds. Oddsmakers have determined the over/under (O/U) to be 48 points. If UAB starts trailing early, it will likely produce a decent in-game betting opportunity.
The opening line was 17.5 while the total hasn’t changed after it was set initially at 48.
The profitable Blazers are 6-1 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 3.4 units so far. They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an O/U mark of 1-5.
The Miners have lost 3.0 units this season. The team is 4-3 ATS and has an even O/U record of 3-3.
The Blazers have gone 6-1 straight up (SU), including 4-0 SU against conference opponents. The Miners are 0-7 SU overall and 0-3 SU in conference play.
The Blazers hope to keep it going after a 29-21 victory over North Texas last week. A.J. Erdely completed 14 passes for only 189 yards. Spencer Brown (100 rushing yards on 25 attempts, three TDs) and the signal-caller Erdely (23 yards on 14 carries) led the ground attack. Andre Wilson (two receptions, 39 yards) and Donnie Lee (two catches, 35 yards) shared the receiving duties in the win.
A week ago, Louisiana Tech took care of this UTEP crew by a score of 31-24. As a group, the team collectively completed 19-of-33 passes for 284 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Ryan Metz went 11-for-17 for 164 yards, one touchdown and one interception while Brandon Jones was seven-of-15 for 98 yards. Metz (28 rushing yards on 12 attempts) spearheaded the running game as Keynan Foster (four receptions, 84 yards, one TD) and Warren Redix (three catches, 48 yards) led all UTEP pass-catchers in the loss.
UAB has run the ball on 66.0 percent of its offensive possessions this year while UTEP has an overall rush percentage of 59.8 percent. The Blazers have produced 228.0 rush yards/game (including 189.0 per game against Conference USA opponents) and have 21 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Miners are putting up 146.7 rush yards per game (110.0 in conference) and have 10 total rushing TDs.
It appears that the Blazers might have the advantage when it comes to efficiency in the ground game, since their backfield has generated 5.0 yards per carry while their defense is allowing a YPC of 3.8 to opponents. The Miners have rushed for 3.7 yards per carry and allowed a YPC of 5.3 to opponents.
The Blazers offensive scheme has averaged 200.7 yards through the air overall (203.3 per game against conference opposition) and has seven passing scores so far. The Miners have put up 174.7 pass yards per outing (247 in the CUSA) and have five total pass TDs.
Defensively, UAB should have the upper hand in both facets. The team has allowed 136.9 rush yards and 163.6 pass yards per game. The UTEP defense has allowed 184.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 202.1 yards per game on the ground. The Blazers are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 4.45 to opponents, while the Miners have given up a 7.48 ANY/A.
Erdely likely has the edge over Metz in this matchup, as his adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at 6.09for the season (and 10.61 over the last two games). Metz’s ANY/A is 2.48 for the year and 6.91 across his last two outings.
When these two teams met last year, UAB won by three touchdowns 28-7.
UAB Blazers at UTEP Miners Free Pick
SU Winner: Blazers, ATS Winner: Blazers, O/U: Under
