Georgia vs. UAB

Saturday, September 23^rd, 2023, 7:30 EST (ESPN)

Georgia pulled off a harrowing victory at home vs. South Carolina last week, and the Bulldogs are looking to defend Sanford Stadium again vs. The University of Alabama-Birmingham Blazers. UGA is 3-0 all time vs. UAB: 16-13 W in 2003, 34-0 W in 2006, and 56-7 W in 2021. In the 2021 matchup, Stetson Bennett went 10/12 for 288 yards and 5 touchdowns. The Dawgs ran for 163 on the ground with 4.3 YPC. Carson Beck had a stat line of 4/10, 88, 1-1. The Blazers only had 47 yards through the air with 127 more on the ground.

Yes, that is Super Bowl winning QB Trent Dilfer as the commander in chief for UAB. Dilfer was the HC for Lipscomb Academy (TN) from 2019-2022 where he went 39-8 with two state championships. Trent was offered the UAB job at the end of the 2022 season for his first collegiate position.

After opening the season 1-0 vs. North Carolina A&T, the Blazers dropped back-to-back games vs. Georgia Southern (35-49) and Louisiana (21-41). Just for an overview of UAB’s season thus far:

Offensively, the Blazers are much more pass oriented than years past, which can be expected with a former NFL QB at the helm. UAB will trot out a healthy amount of spread/ 11 personnel looks, and starting QB Jacob Zeno will be airing it out. Zeno is averaging over 40 attempts a game while hitting 80.3% of his passes with 956 yards and a 6-3 TD/INT ratio. Their running attack is something of a three-pronged approach with Jacob Zeno (30 atts.) and their two RB’s, Isaiah Jacobs (27 atts.) and Jermaine Brown Jr (22 atts.). I expect UAB to run a heavy dose of RPO’s and high percentage throws to ease Zeno into the game. The Blazers will have a difficult time getting the rushing game going, plain and simple. UAB’s offensive line is giving up 8.0 TFL per game which is tied for 120^th in the FBS. That unit is also giving up 2.67 sacks per game which is tied for 100^th. The Junkyard Dawgs could be in for another big game against the Blazer front. If the Dawgs do not get home, things could be interesting, as UAB is 10-2 when allowing less than 3 sacks since 2021.

Things don’t get much better for UAB on the defensive side of the ball. As mentioned above, they allow 32.0 PPG. They are also ranked 126^th in the nation with 3^rd Down Conversion Against (52.8%). Their passing defense does rank 36^th nationally (189.3 YPGa), but that does include NC A&T managing only 16 air yards in week one. UAB is giving up 190.0 YPG on the run, which is 116^th in the country. Their defensive scheme is primarily a 4-2-5 or a 3-3-5 with a lot of DB’s on the field. Two of the top four leading tacklers are secondary members. They have been able to generate pressure from blitzing, with 9 sacks coming from 8 players so far. This could be a big game for Georgia’s RB’s in terms of pass protection.

Impact Players to Watch

Jacob Zeno (QB #4) – Redshirt Junior. Former Baylor QB (2019-2021). 1,959 yards, 12 touchdowns, 7 INT’s in 18 career games. 4/9 for 23 yards and 1 INT in the Sugar Bowl vs. Georgia while at Baylor (2019).

Tejhuan Palmer (WR #19) – Redshirt Senior. 2022 All-C-USA Honorable Mention. 669 yards and 3 TD’s in 27 games played. Leads UAB in receiving yards and T-1^st in catches.

Keondre Swoopes (S #0) – Senior. 2022 All-C-USA Honorable Mention. 53 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 4 PBU’s, 1 FF, and 1 FR in 2022. Leading tackler for UAB in 2023 (17). 120 total tackles in 47 games played.

Betting Trends

The Bulldogs are favored by 42 points on Saturday against UAB. The game total is set at 53.5. UGA is 0-3 ATS this year while UAB is 1-2. The Blazers have hit 4 of their last 6 first half ML’s in road games. The Under has hit in 8 of UGA’s last 15 games.