2017 UAB Blazers football team

The 2017 UAB Blazers football team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the West Division of Conference USA (C-USA). They were led by second-year head coach Bill Clark and played their home games at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished the season 8–5, 6–2 in C-USA play to finish in a tie for second place in the West Division. They received an invitation to the Bahamas Bowl, where they lost to Ohio.

2017 UAB Blazers football
Bahamas Bowl, vs. L 6–41 Ohio
Conference	Conference USA
Division	West Division
2017 record	8–5 (6–2 C-USA)
Head coach	Bill Clark (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Les Koenning (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	David Reeves (1st season)
Home stadium	Legion Field (Capacity: 71,594)

2017 Conference USA football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
Florida Atlantic x$		8	–	0					11	–	3
FIU		5	–	3					8	–	5
Marshall		4	–	4					8	–	5
Western Kentucky		4	–	4					6	–	7
Middle Tennessee		4	–	4					7	–	6
Old Dominion		3	–	5					5	–	7
Charlotte		1	–	7					1	–	11
West Division
North Texas x		7	–	1					9	–	5
UAB		6	–	2					8	–	5
Southern Miss		6	–	2					8	–	5
Louisiana Tech		4	–	4					7	–	6
UTSA		3	–	5					6	–	5
Rice		1	–	7					1	–	11
UTEP		0	–	8					0	–	12
Championship: Florida Atlantic 41, North Texas 17
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 2017 season marked the return of UAB football after a two-year hiatus following the elimination of the program in December 2014 and its subsequent reinstatement in July 2015.[1]

Previous season

The Blazers last participated in a football season in 2014.[2] The Blazers finished the season 6–6, 4–4 C-USA play to finish in a tie for third place in the West Division. Following the season, the school stopped sponsoring football. However on June 1, 2015, the school announced they were beginning the process to reinstate football, and the program was reinstated for the 2017 season.[3][4]

Spring Game

The 2017 Spring Game took place at Legion Field, on April 1, at 1:00 p.m., and the Green team, composed of starters, defeated the Gold team 49–7 before 7,822 fans.[5][6]

Date	Time	Spring Game	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
April 1	1:00 p.m.	Green vs. Gold	Legion Field • Birmingham, AL	WABM MY68	Green 49–7	7,822

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	2:30 p.m.	Alabama A&M*	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	STADIUM	W 38–7	45,212
September 9	2:00 p.m.	at Ball State*	Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN	ESPN3	L 31–51	11,555
September 16	11:00 a.m.	Coastal Carolina*	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	WBRC-TV	W 30–23	24,789
September 23	5:30 p.m.	at North Texas	Apogee Stadium Denton, TX	beIN	L 43–46	20,142
October 7	3:00 p.m.	Louisiana Tech	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	CUSA.TV	W 23–22	27,213
October 14	5:30 p.m.	Middle Tennessee	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	beIN	W 25–23	25,309
October 21	5:30 p.m.	at Charlotte	Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC	beIN	L 24–25 ^OT	11,889
October 28	6:00 p.m.	at Southern Miss	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	CUSA.TV	W 30–12	19,101
November 4	2:00 p.m.	Rice	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	CUSA.TV	W 52–21	21,224
November 11	6:00 p.m.	at UTSA	Alamodome San Antonio, TX	CUSA.TV	W 24–19	20,076
November 18	3:00 p.m.	at Florida*	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	SECN	L 7–36	84,649
November 25	12:00 p.m.	UTEP	Legion Field Birmingham, AL		W 28–7	14,505
December 22	11:30 a.m.	vs. Ohio*	Thomas Robinson Stadium Nassau, Bahamas (Bahamas Bowl)	ESPN	L 6–41	13,585
*Non-conference game Homecoming All times are in Central time

[7][8]

Game summaries

Alabama A&M

	1	2	3	4	Total
ALA&M Bulldogs	0	7	0	0	7
Blazers	7	3	14	14	38

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
1–0	2014	UAB, 41–14

at Ball State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Blazers	3	14	7	7	31
Cardinals	7	14	17	13	51

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
First meeting

Coastal Carolina

	1	2	3	4	Total
Chanticleers	2	3	8	10	23
Blazers	13	3	7	7	30

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
First meeting

at North Texas

	1	2	3	4	Total
Blazers	7	7	15	14	43
Mean Green	10	20	7	9	46

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
2–0	2014	UAB, 56–21

Louisiana Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	7	3	0	12	22
Blazers	13	3	0	7	23

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
0–5	2014	LT, 40–24

Middle Tennessee

	1	2	3	4	Total
Blue Raiders	10	10	3	0	23
Blazers	9	13	0	3	25

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
2–3	2014	MTSU, 34–22

at Charlotte

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Blazers	0	14	3	0	7	24
49ers	0	0	7	10	8	25

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
First meeting

at Southern Miss

	1	2	3	4	Total
Blazers	7	0	6	17	30
Golden Eagles	9	3	0	0	12

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
5–10	2014	UAB, 45–24

Rice

	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	0	7	0	14	21
Blazers	21	21	7	3	52

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
2–3	2013	RICE, 37–34

at UTSA

	1	2	3	4	Total
Blazers	14	7	0	3	24
Roadrunners	3	3	0	13	19

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
0–1	2013	UTSA, 52–31

at Florida

	1	2	3	4	Total
Blazers	0	0	0	7	7
Gators	6	13	14	3	36

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
0–2	2011	UF, 39–0

UTEP

	1	2	3	4	Total
Miners	7	0	0	0	7
Blazers	3	11	14	0	28

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
3–1	2010	UAB, 21–6

vs. Ohio–Bahamas Bowl

	1	2	3	4	Total
Blazers	0	3	3	0	6
Bobcats	13	14	14	0	41

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
First meeting

References

1. "UAB to reinstate football for 2017 season". ESPN.com. July 21, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
2. "UAB shuts down its football program". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
3. "UAB reverses decision to drop football program". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
4. "Football never really died at UAB, even after it was killed, and now Blazers are back". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
5. "UAB's spring football game to air on TV in Birmingham". AL.com. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
6. "UAB starters dominate in spring football game". AL.com. April 1, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
7. Champlin, Drew (January 26, 2017). "UAB's 2017 football schedule released". AL.com. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
8. "2017 UAB Blazers Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved August 18, 2017.