Photo by Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
UAB Blazers (7-4) vs UTEP Miners (7-4)
Game Info: Friday, November 26, 2021 at 2:00 pm (Protective Stadium)
Betting Odds: UAB Blazers -13.5 -- Over/Under: 48.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
Where to Watch: ESPN+ Stream live sports and exclusive originals on ESPN+. Sign up now! 
The UTEP Miners will travel to Protective Stadium to take on the UAB Blazers this Friday afternoon in College Football action.
The UTEP Miners snapped a 3-game losing streak and improved to 7-4 on the season after defeating the Rice Owls, 38-28, this past Saturday. UTEP trailed by a 21-14 margin at halftime, however, the offensive was outstanding throughout the 2nd half and the Miners had no trouble securing the victory after 24-unanswered points gave UTEP a 38-21 lead with 9:02 left in the 4th quarter. UTEP outgained Rice by a 488-390 margin and committed just 1 turnover in the victory. Leading the way for the Miners was QB Gavin Hardison who completed 23 of 35 passes for 366 yards, 2 TD, & 1 INT.
On the season, UTEP is averaging 25.2 ppg on 399.5 total yards per game (251.9 passing yds/g; 147.5 rushing yds/g). Offensively, UTEP has been led by RB Ronald Awatt who had 801 rushing yards & 5 TD on 139 carries. QB Gavin Hardison has completed 55.4% of his passes for 2767 yards, 16 TD, & 11 INT. The top receiving threats for the Miners have been Jacob Cowing (62 rec, 1280 yards, 6 TD), Justin Garrett (45 rec, 615 yards, 4 TD), & Tyrin Smith (25 rec, 471 yards, 4 TD).
Defensively, UTEP is holding their opponents to an average of 23.2 ppg on 339.3 total yards per game (212.4 passing yds/g; 126.9 rushing yds/g).
The UAB Blazers had their 2-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 7-4 on the season after being defeated by the 22nd UTSA Roadrunners, 34-31, this past Saturday. UAB looked like they were going to pull off the upset victory after taking a 31-27 lead with just over five minutes left in regulation, however, UTSA was able to keep their undefeated after a 7 play, 77-yard drive that was capped off by a game-winning 1-yard TD reception by Oscar Cardenas with just :03 seconds left in 4th quarter. UAB outgained UTSA by a 474-375 margin, however, lost the turnover battle by a 1-0 margin in the loss. Leading the way for the Blazers was RB DeWayne McBride who had 144 rushing yards & 1 TD on 24 carries.
On the season, UAB is averaging 28.3 ppg on 389.5 total yards per game (216.8 passing yds/g; 172.6 rushing yds/g). Offensively, UAB has been led by RB DeWayne McBride who has 1089 rushing yards & 11 TD on 169 carries. QB Dylan Hopkins has completed 63.0% of his passes for 1978 yards, 13 TD, & 5 INT. The top receiving threats for the Blazers have been Trea Shropshire (24 rec, 669 yards, 6 TD), Gerrit Prince (30 rec, 635 yards, 7 TD), RaJae’ Johnson-Sanders (18 rec, 370 yards, TD), & Hayden Pittman (17 rec, 174 yards).
Defensively, UAB is holding their opponents to an average of 22.6 ppg on 324.9 total yards per game (220.4 passing yds/g; 104.5 rushing yds/g).
UTEP was able to pick up a much-needed win against Rice and it was encouraging to see the further development of Gavin Hardison who, along with WR Jacob Cowing, has added a much-needed passing attack to go along with RB Ronald Awatt. UAB is a tough team as they showed last week against UTSA, however, I think it’s going to be hard for the Blazers to bounce back after that lose and that their offense doesn’t matchup well as most of their success comes on the ground while the Miners come into this game ranked 29th in rushing defense. UTEP is going to have trouble putting up many points on the board against UAB, however, this is the same Blazers team that lost to Rice not too long ago and as I think the Miners could give the UAB offense some trouble, I think the play here is to take UTEP and the points. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick UTEP Miners +13.5
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Mitch's Take...
