UAB BLAZERS / MEDIA RELATIONS 2007 Norm Reilly, Associate AD/Media Relations • [email protected] Aaron Jordan, Associate Director • [email protected] UAB Football Michelle Cunningham, Assistant Director • [email protected] Mark Vellek, Assistant Director • [email protected] Game Notes Colin Waters, Media Relations Assistant • [email protected] Week 5 (205) 934-0722 • (205) 934-7505 (Fax) • www.uabsports.com Bartow Arena-West Tower, 1530 3rd Ave. S., Birmingham, AL 35294 GAME 5 • UAB at MISSISSIPPI STATE Blazer Bits Records: UAB (1-3, 0-1) at Mississippi State (3-2, 1-2) For the fourth time in the first five games, Date/Time: Saturday, Oct. 6 at 1:30 p.m. CDT UAB will be playing on the road when it Location: Starkville, Miss. (Davis Wade Stadium ventures to Mississippi State Saturday ... This at Scott Field, 55,082) is the Blazers’ final non-conference game of Radio: Blazers ISP Sports Network (David Crane - PxP, the season ... This is UAB’s 12th all-time Kevin Drake - Color Analyst, Jake Arians - Sideline game against a Southeastern Conference foe Reporter) — Affiliates include flagship station WUHT ... The Blazers are 2-9 vs. SEC competition 107.7 FM in Birmingham, WIQR 1410 AM in with the two wins coming over LSU (2000) Montgomery / Prattville, WTRP 98.3 FM in Ashland / and Mississippi State (2004) ... UAB is play- Talladega and WACT 1420 AM in Tuscaloosa ing only its 17th year of football at the inter- Coaches: Neil Callaway (Alabama, ’78) is in first year as head coach at UAB (1-3) and Sylvester Croom (Alabama, collegiate level with the start of the 2007 sea- ’75) is in his fourth year as the head coach at Mississippi son ... The Blazers are playing their 12th sea- State (12-27). son at the Division I-A level (now called the Series History: Tied, 1-1 Football Bowl Subdivision) ... The Blazers UAB-Mississippi State Series Notes: UAB won in have a new head coach this season for the Starkville in 2004 (27-13) while MSU won in first time since the 1995 season as Watson Birmingham in 2006 (16-10, OT) Brown coached UAB from 1995-2006 ... Last Game: UAB dropped its Conference USA opener Neil Callaway was announced as UAB’s third last Saturday, falling 38-30, at Tulsa ... The Blazers rallied head football coach on December 17, 2006 with two fourth quarter TDs to close the gap to a single ... PK Swayze Waters ranks No. 1 nationally score but it was the potent Golden Hurricane offense in FGs made per game (3.00) and has made (695 yards) that gave UAB problems throughout the three FGs of 50 yards or more ... UAB has a Swayze Waters of Jackson, Miss. has had a game ... Mississippi State saw its three-game win streak second NCAA statistical leader in safety Will remarkable season thus far, hitting 12x13 snapped as South Carolina defeated the Bulldogs, 38-21 Dunbar ...Dunbar leads the country in tack- field goals, including three from 50+ yards. ... Saturday’s game is MSU’s 2007 Homecoming. les per game (13.67) with 41 in three games. UAB Plays Final Non-Conference Game Of Season, Travels To Mississippi State UAB (1-3, 0-1 C-USA) ventures out of conference for the final time this regular season this weekend when the Blazers travel to Starkville, Miss. to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs (3-2, 1-2 SEC). The Blazers and Bulldogs have met twice before with each winning on the other’s home- field. Saturday’s meeting will be the third in a five-game series with MSU. Remaining games will be at Starkville in 2010 and in Birmingham in 2011. UAB ran up 403 yards of offense against Tulsa Saturday in its C-USA opener, but the problem was slowing down the the potent TU offensive attack. The Golden Hurricane, who lead C-USA in offense, had 695 yards vs. the Blazers. Still, UAB had opportunities in the game, but miscues were abundant as the Blazers fell by a 38-30 margin. Mississippi State traveled to South Carolina Saturday hoping to extend its three-game win streak. The Bulldogs trailed just 24-21 after three quarters before the Gamecocks added a pair of fourth quarter scores to secure a 38-21 victory. 2007 UAB Schedule/Results (1-3, 0-1 C-USA) 2006 Date Opponent Location TV Result/Time Record Series Game Notes Sept. 1 at Michigan State East Lansing, Mich. ESPN2 L, 55-18 4-8 0-1 UAB’s inexperience shows early in lopsided defeat Sept. 8 at Florida State Tallahassee, Fla. ESPNU L, 34-24 7-6 0-2 Blazers lead 17-3 in second quarter before ’Noles rally Sept. 15 Alcorn State Birmingham, Ala. W, 22-0 6-5 0-0 Swayze Waters kicks record five field goals in victory Sept. 29 at Tulsa* Tulsa, Okla. L, 38-30 8-5 0-0 UAB has 403 offensive yards but can’t slow TU attack Oct. 6 at Mississippi State Starkville, Miss. 1:30 p.m. 3-9 1-1 Blazers won 27-14 at Starkville (2004) in previous trip Oct. 13 Tulane* (HC) Birmingham, Ala. 6:00 p.m. 4-8 2-3 First meeting since 2004 shootout (59-55 TU victory) Oct. 20 Houston* Birmingham, Ala. 6:00 p.m. 10-4 4-1 UAB meets defending C-USA champion Oct. 27 at East Carolina* Greenville, N.C. MASN 3:00 p.m. 7-6 4-2 Blazers have won four of last five over the Pirates Nov. 3 Southern Miss* Birmingham, Ala. CSS 6:00 p.m. 9-5 0-7 Always a tight battle, UAB looks for first win over USM Nov. 10 UCF* Birmingham, Ala. CSTV 6:30 p.m. 4-8 0-4 Blazers lost 31-22 at UCF in 2006 season finale Nov. 17 at Memphis* Memphis, Tenn. CSS 2:30 p.m. 2-10 7-2 UAB has won seven in a row against UM, leads series 7-2 Nov. 24 at Marshall* Huntington, W.Va. 4:30 p.m. 5-7 0-2 Blazers close regular season with trip to Huntington * - Conference USA Game HC - Homecoming ESPNU = ESPN University MASN = Mid-Atlantic Sports Network CSS = College Sports Southeast 2007 UAB Football • Game Notes • Week 5 UAB at Mississippi State • Oct. 6, 2007 Blazers Face Challenging Schedule In 2007 UAB UAB will face another difficult schedule this fall as the Blazers have road games at schools from the Big Ten, Atlantic Coast and Southeastern Conferences. UAB has already HEAD COACH faced back-to-back games away from Legion Field in opening the season at Michigan State and Florida State. The Blazers then played its home opener Sept. 15 against Alcorn State. NEIL After an open date, UAB began its Conference USA slate against Tulsa, one of the teams many observers are projecting to contend for the league title in 2007. The Blazers wrap up CALLAWAY their non-league schedule this week, again playing on the road, against Mississippi State. UAB resumes conference play a week later when it plays host to Tulane in the Blazers’ 2007 Homecoming game. The finish to the regular season schedule is much like the start Neil Callaway, who has been a part of successful in that UAB will be facing a pair of road games. The Blazers conclude their regular season football programs throughout his playing and schedule at Memphis and Marshall in late November. coaching careers, was named the head coach at UAB on December 17, 2006. Notes On This Week’s Opponent — Mississippi State Callaway is 1-3 after the Blazers’ 38-30 defeat at Here are some facts on this week’s opponent, the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Conference USA opponent Tulsa last Saturday. ■ Mississippi State head coach Sylvester Croom is a native of Tuscaloosa and is a graduate Callaway, who most recently had been the offen- of Alabama, sharing the same alma mater as Blazers’ head coach Neil Callaway. sive coordinator at the University of Georgia for the ■ MSU has been member of the Southeastern Conference since 1933. past six seasons, became the third head coach in the ■ Mississippi State has had a player chosen in the NFL draft 21 times in the last 22 years. history of the UAB football program. Antonio Johnson (Tennessee Titans, 5th round, 2007 draft) was the most recent. During his six years at UGA, he was part of a ■ MSU played its first football game in 1892 when the school was called Mississippi A&M staff that helped lead Georgia to 61 victories, two College. SEC championships, three SEC Eastern Division titles, four bowl victories, and four top 10 finishes All-Time Series With Mississippi State in the final national polls. In 2002, the Bulldogs Saturday’s meeting between UAB and Mississippi State will be the third all-time finished as the SEC's top scoring (32.14 ppg) and matchup between the two schools in football. The series is currently tied at 1-1 with each pass efficiency (138.91) offense and the ’Dogs team winning on the other’s homefield. The Blazers were 27-13 winners in 2004 in were second in scoring offense in 2005. Starkville with MSU avenging the loss in 2006 with a 16-10 overtime win at Legion Field. In addition, Callaway helped develop numerous UAB-Mississippi State Series (Tied 1-1) outstanding offensive linemen for the Bulldogs. While under Callaway’s tutelage, six different 2004 - UAB won 27-13 at Starkville Georgia O-linemen earned All-Southeastern 2006 - Mississippi State won 16-10 (OT) at Birmingham Conference honors on 10 occasions.