Preview and prediction for UAB vs Miami

By all accounts, the Miami Hurricanes are going to have a new offensive look this season, which is a good thing because as BetOnline customers are well aware, the old look was all wrong.

Will this new approach start working smoothly right away? The UAB Blazers may be in a position to test them.

This Thursday night game will start at 7 PM ET at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

Many NCAA football bettors are aware of UAB's rise from the ashes. They have made it to the Conference USA title game two years in a row. But last season did not end well for them. They were buried 49-6 in the C-USA championship game, then lost 31-17 to Appalachian State in the New Orleans Bowl.

UAB's best shot this season rides with Tyler Johnston, who threw for 2250 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. He is a little mistaken-prone, however, as he tossed 15 interceptions while missing five starts.

The Blazers would love to get Spencer Brown back to his former self in the backfield, but after Jermaine Brown's freshman season, when he gained 446 yards from scrimmage, they aren't as worried. Austin Watkins (1092 yards last year) provides a nice hookup for Johnston. All told, ten starters return on offense.

Eight starts come back for a defense that ranked eighth in the nation. They have the best linebacker duo in C-USA in Jordan Smith and Kristopher Moll. Brontae Harris, a big talent, is back at one of the corners after missing last season with an injury. He makes this secondary (8th in the nation vs. the pass) even better.

In the NCAA football betting odds posted on this game at BetOnline, the 'Canes are laying quite a few points:

Miami Hurricanes -16
UAB Blazers         +16

Over 48.5 points -110
Under 48.5 points -110

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Miami stumbled through a 6-7 season under Manny Diaz in 2019, and things degenerated to the point where they rolled over and played dead in the Independence Bowl, losing 14-0 to Louisiana Tech.

That wasn't a one-off; Miami lost to teams like neighboring FIU (30-24) and Georgia Tech (28-21), and there were times when Diaz admitted he and his staff were unprepared for games. Nobody protected; the Hurricanes gave up 51 sacks , which was more than any other Power 5 squad.

They get four offensive linemen back, and will also use Houston transfer Jarrid Williams, a sixth-year grad transfer. But the most important former Cougar coming on board is quarterback D'Eriq King, one of the more dynamic signal-callers in the country, who immediately changes the character of this attack. And Diaz hopes that he works well with new offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee, who's been at SMU the last four years, with an offense that really exploded.

Lashlee brings the spread, which should exploit what King can do. And it will get receivers into space; one of those receivers is Brevin Jordan, a tight end who was a finalist for the John Mackey Award last year. Cam'Ron Davis (5.1 ypc last year) heads up the backfield, and could be a force.

Miami will defend; that's for certain. They were 13th in the nation in total defense in 2019, playing higher-level competition than UAB. And they were third in defensive "efficiency." They might be able to get to the quarterback like no one else; Gregory Rousseau had 15.5 sacks last year, second only to Chase Young. And Quincy Roche, on the other side, had 13 sacks. Both of them are legitimate All-America candidates.

And wouldn't it be interesting if Jose Borregales, who helped FIU embarrass Miami last season with two field goals of 50 yards or longer, led Miami to a few wins with his foot?

We respect UAB's defense, but they probably don't know what to expect here. And though they have had success over the last few years, they haven't done very much when encountered with Power 5 teams with Power 5 talent. If Miami gets into sync here, this could be a runaway, and we submit that they will.

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