Getty Tyler Johnston III will be under center for UAB against Alabama State on Thursday.
Following their best season in school history, UAB begin the 2019 campaign against in-state FCS foe Alabama State on Thursday night.
The game (8 p.m. ET start time) won’t be on regular TV anywhere, but you can watch it right here via ESPN+, the digital streaming service from ESPN that includes most UAB and C-USA football games this season, tons of other college football and live sports, all the 30-for-30 documentaries and additional original content (both video and written) all for $4.99 per month.
You can sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then watch Alabama State vs UAB live on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the ESPN app.
Alabama State vs UAB Preview
Last season marked a number of firsts for the relatively young UAB football program, as the Blazers won double-digit games (11-3) for the first time in school history, won their first Conference USA championship and took home their first bowl victory after a 37-13 thumping of Northern Illinois in the Boca Raton Bowl.
It was a massive step in the right direction for Bill Clark, who has now led the Blazers to the school’s two best seasons since being reinstated in 2017, but 2019 will perhaps mark his biggest challenge. UAB returns just eight starters from last year’s squad, tied for the lowest in the country.
The most concerning part of that is that just four starters return from a defense that carried UAB, finishing ninth in America in yards allowed per game (308.5) and 12th in points allowed per game (18.3). Of the team’s top 10 players in tackles last season, only three (Fitzgerald Mofor, Kris Moll and Brontae Harris) are back, and one of them (Harris) is out with a foot injury. Of the team’s top six players in sacks, only one (Garrett Marino) is back.
Offensively, Tyler Johnston III returns under center after finishing last season with 373 yards, four touchdowns and an interception against Northern Illinois, and running back Spencer Brown is a preseason first-team all-conference selection, so they should be able to put up points as long as the offensive line (four new starters around senior center Lee Dufour) holds up.
Whatever question marks UAB has, they should still have little trouble with Alabama State on Thursday night.
The Hornets went 4-7 last year, winning three of those in overtime. They managed just 15.36 points per game and gave up a staggering 37.0 per contest, but they’re an experienced squad, and UAB isn’t going to take them for granted.
“They will have some really good players that are well-coached,” Clark said. “It’s the opening game and going to be a huge game for them. They have 10 offensive starters returning, and seven on defense. We’re replacing 35. We will see what happens there. We are expecting a great game from them. They are going to be ready to play and we need to do the same.”
Nevertheless, while Alabama State may have the advantage in experience, the Blazers have superior talent at nearly every position on the field. They’re 42.5-point favorites at home.