The UAB Blazers put on a clinic last night in defeating the Northern Illinois Huskies in the Boca Raton Bowl, 37-13, before 22,614 fans at FAU Stadium.

Quarterback Tyler Johnston III completed 17-of-29 passes for 373 yards, 4 TDs and 1 int. Tyler was superb. MVP Xavier Ubosi was beyond phenomenal, catching 7 passes for 227 yards and 3 TDs including a 70 yarder with just 18 seconds elapsing in the first quarter, the 14:42 mark. Ubosi also caught a 46 yarder from Johnston III with 5:11 to go in the second quarter, and a 66 yarder with 5:15 to go in the 3rd quarter. It was a spectacular performance from the senior who may have just earned himself a lot of money with that performance. The National Football League should be very interested in Xavier now. Johnston III is a sophomore. Spencer Brown ran for 78 yards on 25 carries and Collin Lisa caught 4 passes for 64 yards. On a tenacious defense, defensive back Mar’Sean Diggs led the team with 10 tackles. Zac Williams posted 2 sacks and Anthony Rush added another. The UAB defense was swarming and aggressive and laid some serious wood.

There were some quality seniors on this team including 4 outstanding starting offensive linemen led by senior right tackle Justice Powers, Ubosi and receiver Andre Wilson and some key defensive players. But Bill Clark has excellent players returning, including Johnston III and Brown, a very good recruiting class, including 2 quality dual threat quarterbacks, and a ton of momentum heading into 2019.

Clark is a hot commodity. Auburn and Ole Miss could be interested in the future. Maybe the near future. But this is an awesome situation for Clark. He’s got a tremendous football facility, a phenomenal stadium on the way, which will be completed in 2021, players who’ll run through brick walls for him, recruiting is about to skyrocket, he’s making $1.4 million and that’ll increase to $1.6 M in 2 years with a chance for more, a community that will also run through brick walls for him, and an incredible city where he can live a very comfortable life in an extremely nice place with people who are serious about football and a city that offers a very reasonable cost of living. Clark can live very well here on his salary. And, maybe as importantly as anything, a team that can be the best in the Group of 5 and go to New Year’s Six bowl games and, who knows, maybe even better than that with the brand UAB is putting out there nationally. It’s a winning situation for Clark. He most likely will be sought after in the future, but why would he want to leave? This can be as good as it gets. He seems to be a loyal guy, loves Birmingham, and is passionate about his team and winning championships. He could very well be here for the duration. Some teams might be coming after him, but why would he want to leave.

Regardless, the UAB story is an epic. it’s a book or a movie. Both. And it keeps getting better. I know UAB fans and people throughout the city are proud of Clark and his football team. A lot of our community leaders, Tommy Brigham, Hatton Smith and Craft O’Neal, made it happen. They streamlined the effort to bring football back to UAB. They should be applauded for their efforts. And with UAB a rapidly growing organization medically and as a university, not only in the south but nationally, it doesn’t get any better than this. It’s a story of success. And it’ll only get better if Clark commits to being the coach for his entire career. He’s got all he needs right here to excel. Hopeful he makes that commitment. People sure are excited about this program, as they should be. UAB football is here to stay and it’s here to excel. The Blazers complete the 2018 season 11-3 overall and 7-1 in C-USA, and are conference champions and Boca Raton Bowl champions. And there is major momentum going forward. The sky is the limit on the Southside.

Tonight

DXL Frisco Bowl

San Diego State (7-5-4-4 Mountain West) vs. Ohio (8-4, 6-2 MAC)

Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas, 37 miles from Dallas, 20,500

7 PM

ESPN

Kevin Brown, Andre Ware, Kris Budden

Whistles: Sun Belt, Jason Autrey, lead Aladdin

Ohio by 2 1/2

Ohio quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 155 of 253 passes, 61%, for 2,225 yards, 22 TDs and 7 ints. Running back A.J. Ouellette rushed for 1,142 yards and 12 TDs, Maleek Irons added 831 yards and 8 TDs and Rourke rushed for 816 yards and 13 TDs. Papi White is the leading receiver with 58 receptions for 897 yards and 9 TDs. Andrew Meyer added 34 receptions for 445 and 4 TDs. On defense, linebacker Evan Croutch led the team with 75 tackles, 11 1/2 for loss and added 4 sacks. Defensive tackle Kent Berger was the team leader in sacks with 5. Ohio intercepted 14 passes this season. Four guys posted 2 ints, Croutch, safety Javon Hagan, linebacker Jared Dorsa and safety Kylan Nelson.

San Diego State quarterback Christian Chapman completed 50-of-87 passes, 58%, for 774 yards, 4 TDs and 1 int. He took over from Ryan Agnew who was hurt during the season. Agnew completed 104-of-199, 52%, for 1,525 yards, 10 TDs and 5 ints. Both will be available but it looks like Chapman will get the start. He’s good with his arm and his wheels. Juwan Washington is an excellent running back. Despite being injured some this season, Washington rushed for 870 yards and 10 TDs. He’s explosive. Chase Jasmin added 592 yards and 5 TDs. Fred Trevillion was the Aztecs leading receiver with 22 receptions for 598 yards and 3 TDs. Kahale Warring registered the most receptions with 31 for 372 yards and 3 TDs. Timothy Wilson Jr. added 19 receptions for 372 yards and 3 TDs. On defense, Kyahva Tezino a 6’0”, 230 pound junior middle linebacker, posted 119 tackles, 14 1/2 TFLs and 8 1/2 sacks. Safety Tariq Thompson, a 6’0”, 200 pound sophomore, added 101 tackles, 3 ints and a fumble recovery. He led the team in ints. The Aztecs intercepted 7 passes on the season.

Final Decision

These 2 teams are pretty evenly matched up, though Ohio can really move the football.But I see Tezino being a big factor on defense and Washington running well for the Aztecs. I am also bullish on the Mountain West after Utah State bulldozed North Texas in the New Mexico Bowl, 52-13, and Fresno State defeated Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl, 31-20. And the MAC’s champion, Northern Illinois, got bulldozed last night by the Blazers, 37-13. So I’m taking the Aztecs in an upset.

San Diego State 35, Ohio 30