College Football Nation: Greg Irvin
UAB hasn’t been to a bowl game since 2004 and though they were close last year, they didn’t have enough weapons to sustain any consistency.
Departed quarterback Joe Webb was everything offensively for the Blazers. He led the team in passing, rushing and total offense. He accounted for 32 of the team’s 39 touchdowns. Picking up his slack will not be easy.
Here’s a look at the strongest and weakest positions for the Blazers heading into spring football:
Strongest position: Wide receiver
Key returners: Senior Frantrell Forrest (34 catches, 558 yards, nine touchdowns), senior Jeffery Anderson (26 catches, 398 yards, five touchdowns), junior Nick Adams (15 catches, 277 yards, one touchdown), senior Roddell Carter (14 catches, 225, one touchdown)
Key departures: Mark Ferrell (23 catches, 320 yards, one touchdown)
The skinny: The Blazers return four of their top five receivers this season. And while the passing game ranked 83rd in the country with just 196 yards per game, it wasn’t because the receivers couldn’t catch. The offense was geared around the playmaking ability of quarterback Joe Webb and most of the playmaking was done with his feet. With Webb gone and David Isabelle, a more proficient passer, in, the wide receiving corps should be a lot more effective.
Weakest position(s): Secondary and linebackers
Key returners: Junior cornerback Marquis Coleman (26 tackles, three interceptions), senior strong safety Hiram Atwater (89 tackles, two tackles for loss), junior cornerback Terrell Springs (68 tackles, 10 passes defended), junior corner back Andre Hicks (34 tackles, one interception), sophomore middle linebacker Marvin Burdette (43 tackles, one sack), junior weakside linebacker Lamanski Ware (71 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss), sophomore strongside Greg Irvin (16 tackles)
Key departures: Free safety Brandon Carlisle (57 tackles, nine passes defended)
The skinny: The UAB secondary was the worst in the country allowing 311.50 yards per game, but it didn’t get a whole lot from a young linebacking corps. Hiram Atwater and Terrell Springs led the team in tackles, which means there were a lot of missed assignments all over the field. This group loses just one player, so it has a chance to grow and bond, but it’s going to take some work to catch the Blazers up with the rest of the conference.
Departed quarterback Joe Webb was everything offensively for the Blazers. He led the team in passing, rushing and total offense. He accounted for 32 of the team’s 39 touchdowns. Picking up his slack will not be easy.
Here’s a look at the strongest and weakest positions for the Blazers heading into spring football:
Strongest position: Wide receiver
Key returners: Senior Frantrell Forrest (34 catches, 558 yards, nine touchdowns), senior Jeffery Anderson (26 catches, 398 yards, five touchdowns), junior Nick Adams (15 catches, 277 yards, one touchdown), senior Roddell Carter (14 catches, 225, one touchdown)
Key departures: Mark Ferrell (23 catches, 320 yards, one touchdown)
The skinny: The Blazers return four of their top five receivers this season. And while the passing game ranked 83rd in the country with just 196 yards per game, it wasn’t because the receivers couldn’t catch. The offense was geared around the playmaking ability of quarterback Joe Webb and most of the playmaking was done with his feet. With Webb gone and David Isabelle, a more proficient passer, in, the wide receiving corps should be a lot more effective.
Weakest position(s): Secondary and linebackers
Key returners: Junior cornerback Marquis Coleman (26 tackles, three interceptions), senior strong safety Hiram Atwater (89 tackles, two tackles for loss), junior cornerback Terrell Springs (68 tackles, 10 passes defended), junior corner back Andre Hicks (34 tackles, one interception), sophomore middle linebacker Marvin Burdette (43 tackles, one sack), junior weakside linebacker Lamanski Ware (71 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss), sophomore strongside Greg Irvin (16 tackles)
Key departures: Free safety Brandon Carlisle (57 tackles, nine passes defended)
The skinny: The UAB secondary was the worst in the country allowing 311.50 yards per game, but it didn’t get a whole lot from a young linebacking corps. Hiram Atwater and Terrell Springs led the team in tackles, which means there were a lot of missed assignments all over the field. This group loses just one player, so it has a chance to grow and bond, but it’s going to take some work to catch the Blazers up with the rest of the conference.
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