The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Play Host To East Carolina In 2008 Home Finale
11/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 22, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- For the first time in more than a month, the UAB football team will play a home game as the Blazers play host to the East Carolina Pirates Saturday night at Legion Field.
The Conference USA contest is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. start and will be televised regionally by CSS (Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast).
Fourteen Blazer seniors will suit up at Legion Field for the final time and be recognized during pregame festivities.
The Blazers (3-7, 2-4 C-USA) enter Saturday's game coming off a 41-27 victory over Tulane last weekend as they rushed for 272 yards. Quarterback Joe Webb accounted for 130 of those yards on the ground yards while also recording three rushing touchdowns.
Webb is fourth in Conference USA in rushing (86.6 avg.) and is tied for the league lead in rushing touchdowns with 10.
UAB will have a more difficult test Saturday going against an East Carolina defense that ranks No. 1 in C-USA in scoring defense, No. 2 in pass defense (193.3), No. 3 in rushing defense (139.2) and No. 2 in total defense.
The Pirates (6-4, 4-2) will come into the game with the Blazers after a 21-3 loss at Southern Miss last Saturday. ECU began the season with impressive wins over Virginia Tech and West Virginia and enters the contest at Legion Field with a one-game lead over Memphis and Marshall in the C-USA East Division standings.
Defensive end C.J. Wilson leads the conference in tackles for loss with 15.5 and is second in sacks with 7.5. Safety Van Eskridge and linebacker Pierre Bell each have a team-leading 73 tackles for the Pirates.
"They got off to a really good start and have a fine football team," said UAB head coach Neil Callaway. "I think their defense is as good a defense as we will play. Their entire defense is outstanding. They are very strong, physical up front. In the back end, they can run extremely well. They have two outstanding cover corners, and they have a couple safeties that are very physical players."
UAB hopes to continue the winning ways it has enjoyed over East Carolina at Legion Field. The Blazers lead the overall series with the Pirates, 4-3, but are 3-0 all-time against ECU in Birmingham. However, East Carolina handled UAB, 41-6, last season in Greenville in what Callaway called one of his team's two poorest games of the season.
With a win last week over Tulane, the Blazers will look to post a second straight victory, something that has evaded them in the last two seasons.
"One thing that concerns me about this football team is that in the last two years I have been here," Callaway said, "when we have won, we haven't played very well the next week. We need to learn how to win and learn how to prepare after we win to win another one. We have tried this week as coaches and as players to make sure we are prepared and focused to try and win two in a row."
Saturday's game will be carried on the Blazers ISP Sports Network. It can be heard locally on WWMM 100.5 FM radio in Birmingham.
