2009 UAB Blazers football team

The 2009 UAB Blazers football team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They played their home games at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama and competed in the East Division of Conference USA (C-USA). The Blazers finished the season 5–7 and 4–4 in C-USA play.

2009 UAB Blazers football
Conference	Conference USA
Division	East Division
2009 record	5–7 (4–4 C-USA)
Head coach	Neil Callaway (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Kim Helton (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Eric Schumann (3rd season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Legion Field (Capacity: 71,594)

2009 Conference USA football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
East Carolina x$		7	–	1					9	–	5
UCF		6	–	2					8	–	5
Southern Miss		5	–	3					7	–	6
Marshall		4	–	4					7	–	6
UAB		4	–	4					5	–	7
Memphis		1	–	7					2	–	10
West Division
Houston xy		6	–	2					10	–	4
SMU x		6	–	2					8	–	5
Tulsa		3	–	5					5	–	7
UTEP		3	–	5					4	–	8
Rice		2	–	6					2	–	10
Tulane		1	–	7					3	–	9
Championship: East Carolina 38, Houston 32
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 5	3:00 p.m.	Rice	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	CSS	W 44–24	14,316[1]
September 12	3:00 p.m.	SMU	Legion Field Birmingham, AL		L 33–35	18,082[2]
September 19	2:30 p.m.	at Troy*	Movie Gallery Stadium Troy, AL	CSS/WABM	L 14–27	21,182[3]
September 26	6:00 p.m.	at Texas A&M*	Kyle Field College Station, TX		L 19–56	74,656[4]
October 1	7:00 p.m.	Southern Miss	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	CBS C	W 30–17	26,871[5]
October 17	6:00 p.m.	at Ole Miss*	Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS	FSN	L 13–48	47,612[6]
October 24	11:00 a.m.	at Marshall	Joan C. Edwards Stadium Huntington, WV	CSS	L 7–27	18,878[7]
October 31	3:00 p.m.	at UTEP	Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, TX		W 38–33	23,063[8]
November 7	1:00 p.m.	Florida Atlantic*	Legion Field Birmingham, AL		W 56–29	17,283[9]
November 14	12:00 p.m.	at Memphis	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (Battle for the Bones)	CSS	W 31–21	18,031[10]
November 21	2:30 p.m.	at East Carolina	Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC	MASN	L 21–37	43,056[11]
November 28	12:30 p.m.	UCF	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	CBS C	L 27–34	13,381[12]
*Non-conference game All times are in Central time

[13]

Game summaries

Rice

1 2 3 4 Total Rice 0 3 14 7 24 • UAB 7 20 14 3 44 Location: Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama Game start: 3:07 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:05 Game attendance: 14,316 Game weather: 77°F, Cloudy, humid Referee: Bill Athan Television network: CSS

See also: 2009 Rice Owls football team

To open the 2009 season, UAB quarterback Joe Webb would have a record setting day in leading the Blazers to this 44–24 victory over the Owls. For the game, Webb would set both a school and Conference USA record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game with 194.[14] For the game, Webb would also complete 12 of 15 passes for another 221 yards and a pair of touchdowns in gaining 415 yards of total offense on the afternoon.[14] For his efforts, Webb was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week.[15]

SMU

1 2 3 4 Total • SMU 14 14 0 7 35 UAB 0 7 20 6 33 Location: Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama Game start: 3:00 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:27 Game attendance: 18,082 Game weather: 84°F, Partly sunny, muggy Referee: Claur Gausman

See also: 2009 SMU Mustangs football team

Following an opening week win, the Blazers would fall by a final score of 33–35 to the Mustangs of SMU. After falling behind by a score of 28–7 at the half, the Blazers would rally to within a point of SMU by the end of the third quarter.[16] The Blazers would fall late in the fourth following a failed two-point conversion that would have tied the game at 35 with 00:13 remaining in the game. For the game Webb would rush for 97 yards and a single touchdown in addition to throwing for 226 yards and a pair of touchdowns.[16]

Troy

1 2 3 4 Total UAB 0 0 6 8 14 • Troy 3 7 14 3 27 Location: Movie Gallery Stadium, Troy, Alabama Game start: 2:36 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:20 Game attendance: 21,182 Game weather: 84°F, Overcast Referee: Jeff Roberson

See also: 2009 Troy Trojans football team

For the second week in a row, the Blazers would fall, and this time it was by a final score of 14–27 on the road to the Trojans of Troy. For the game, UAB only scored on a pair of Josh Zahn field goals and a single, 17-yard Joe Webb touchdown pass in the fourth.[17]

Texas A&M

1 2 3 4 Total UAB 3 3 6 7 19 • Texas A&M 7 21 14 14 56 Location: Kyle Field, College Station, Texas Game start: 6:05 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:05 Game attendance: 74,656 Game weather: 87°F, Fair Referee: C. Castleberry

See also: 2009 Texas A&M Aggies football team

Traveling to College Station to face the Aggies in the evening, the Blazers would fall by a final score of 56–19. For the game, UAB scored on a pair of Josh Zahn field goals, a 10-yard Joe Webb touchdown run in the third and on a 60-yard David Isabelle run in the fourth.[18]

Southern Miss

1 2 3 4 Total Southern Miss 0 10 0 7 17 • UAB 10 0 7 13 30 Location: Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama Game start: 7:04 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:07 Game attendance: 26,871 Game weather: 72°F, Clear Referee: R.G. Detillier

See also: 2009 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

Following three consecutive losses in addition to coming off a short week, the Blazers would defeat Southern Miss for the first time in school history on a Thursday night by a final score of 30–17. UAB would open the scoring with a 27-yard Josh Zahn field goal and a 31-yard Joe Webb touchdown run in the first, only to have the Golden Eagles score 10 in the second to tie the game at the half.[19] In the third, Webb would hit Anderson for a 21-yard touchdown in the third to take a 17–10 lead into the fourth.[19] Zahn would hit a pair of field goals (51 & 32 yards) and Hiram Atwater would seal the game late following a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown.[19]

Personnel

Roster

2009 UAB Blazers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 5 Joe Webb Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Neil Callaway Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster

Coaching staff

• Neil Callaway – Head Coach
• Kim Helton – Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends
• Eric Schumann – Defensive Coordinator/Safeties
• Corey Barlow – Cornerbacks
• Tim Bowens – Receivers
• Lorenzo Costantini – Defensive Line
• Steve Davenport – Running Backs
• Will Friend – Offensive Line
• Tyson Helton – Quarterbacks/Recruiting Coordinator
• Tyson Summers – Linebackers
• Steve Martin – Strength and Conditioning/Football & Baseball
• Josh Lee – Director of Football Operations

References

1. "Rice Owls vs. UAB Blazers Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
2. "Southern Methodist Mustangs vs. UAB Blazers Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
3. "UAB Blazers vs. Troy Trojans Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
4. "UAB Blazers vs. Texas A&M Aggies Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
5. "Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs. UAB Blazers Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
6. "UAB Blazers vs. Mississippi Rebels Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
7. "UAB Blazers vs. Marshall Thundering Herd Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
8. "UAB Blazers vs. UTEP Miners Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
9. "Florida Atlantic Owls vs. UAB Blazers Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
10. "UAB Blazers vs. Memphis Tigers Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
11. "UAB Blazers vs. East Carolina Pirates Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
12. "UCF Knights vs. UAB Blazers Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
13. "2009–2010 Schedule". University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics Media Relations – UABSports.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2009. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
14. "UAB Opens Season With 44–24 Win Over Rice". University of Alabama at Birmingham Sports Information. Archived from the original on September 30, 2009. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
15. Irvine, Steve (September 7, 2009). "Joe Webb earns a pair of honors". The Birmingham News.
16. "SMU vs UAB (Sept 12, 2009)". University of Alabama at Birmingham Sports Information. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
17. "UAB vs Troy (Sept 19, 2009)". University of Alabama at Birmingham Sports Information. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
18. "UAB vs Texas A&M (Sept 26, 2009)". University of Alabama at Birmingham Sports Information. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
19. "Southern Miss vs UAB (Oct 1, 2009)". University of Alabama at Birmingham Sports Information. Archived from the original on September 30, 2009. Retrieved October 11, 2009.