UAB Outdistances Rice

UAB started the season with what could be considered an impressive victory over Rice. They outdistanced Rice 44-24, but when you get right down to it, just how impressive was it.

In what can only be described as a one-man-show, senior quarterback Joe Webb set a Conference USA record for rushing by a quarterback gaining 194 yards on 20 carries. Webb also passed for 221 yards giving him 415 total yards while accounting for four touchdowns.

The problem is that UAB was playing Rice. While Webb had a great day, the rest of the offense was not impressive. If you subtract the offense attributed to Webb, the rest of the offense only accounted for 98 yards. When the Blazers encounter a team with a real front seven on defense, Webb will not be able to put up anywhere near those numbers on the ground, and when he does not have a week to throw the ball, his passing game may come into question.

With that being said, it does not mean that UAB is not going to have a great season. My point to UAB is to take the game for what it was and not the way it appears on paper.

The only way they will have a chance during the meat of their schedule is to realize this game was a disappointment. Rice should never have scored 24 points against the Blazers. As stated earlier, the offense had a very lackluster performance with the exception of a solid quarterback having a fantastic day against very suspect opposition.

For the Blazers to be successful this year, the entire team is going to have to play up to Webb's level. While next week against SMU looks to be more of the same, the following weeks against Troy, Texas A&M, Southern Miss, Ole Miss, Marshall, etc... will be, pardon the pun, a whole new ballgame.

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