The details:
WHAT: UAB (8-3, 5-2 CUSA) @ North Texas (4-7, 3-4 CUSA)
WHEN: Saturday at 3 p.m. CT
WHERE: Apogee Stadium in Denton, Texas
SERIES: UAB leads, 3-1
TV: Stadium
LINE: UAB at -3
THIS GAME WILL DETERMINE…
The first half of the equation that leads to consecutive division titles. With a win over North Texas and a Southern Miss loss to FAU, the Blazers would clinch the division after holding the head-to-head tie-breaker over Louisiana Tech.
THREE THINGS TO LOOK FOR
1. Man in the Mirror. Dylan Hopkins has started the last three games for UAB at quarterback as Tyler Johnston was less than 100 percent heading into the home finale last week against Louisiana Tech. With an additional week to rest, Johnston could make his return this week at North Texas – UAB head coach Bill Clark hasn’t exactly tipped his hand – but Hopkins is sure to factor into the gameplan going forward.
2. Into the Void. The Mean Green have the third-best passing offense in the league but are only ninth in the running game. That does not bode well in facing a UAB defense allowing 169.3 ypg through the air and less than 100 yards on the ground. If the Blazers shut down the North Texas rushing attack, the front seven and secondary will feast on the Mean Green’s one-dimensional offense.
3. We Are The Champions. Interestingly, kickoff between Southern Miss and FAU is scheduled to begin approximately 30 minutes before UAB and North Texas get started in Apogee Stadium. By the time the fourth quarter rolls around, the fate of the division could be settled or to be determined in the final 15 minutes of the regular season.
KEY MATCHUP
UAB’s secondary vs. North Texas’s Mason Fine: It’s senior day for North Texas and the Mean Green would love nothing more than to send Fine out a winner while preventing the Blazers from clinching back-to-back division titles. Fine has been one of the more successful quarterbacks in the league and had no trouble in picking apart UAB’s pass defense in the last two meetings.
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