Is it time to pull plug on UAB football?

Before the UAB-Troy football game last Saturday, The Birmingham News ran a story asking the question: Who’s No. 3 in State?

Obviously, Alabama and Auburn are the top two college football programs in the state, while UAB and Troy are trying their hardest to be taken seriously at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level.

Troy has a much longer and richer football history. The Trojans are celebrating their 100th season this fall. Most of that was spent at the small-college level before they made the jump to NCAA Division I-A status, now FBS, in 2001. They are members of the Sun Belt Conference.

UAB didn’t have a football program until 1991 and made the move to FBS in 1996. The Blazers are members of Conference USA.

After the Trojans’ 27-14 spanking of the Blazers on Saturday, the more legitimate question might be:

Is it time to pull the plug on the UAB football program?

As I wrote before the season started, the Blazers did little in their first 18 years to make themselves relevant. They created a buzz several years ago when quarterback Darrell Hackney was throwing passes to wide receiver Roddy White (Atlanta Falcons), but the buzz has been silent the past three years.

With current coach Neil Callaway in his third season, UAB desperately needed a good 2009 season to renew interest in the program, but after a rousing 44-24 victory against Rice to kick off the season, the Blazers have fallen flat. They lost at home to double-digit underdog SMU 35-33 in their second game and last week fell at Troy, which came in 0-2.

Now, UAB might not win another game until November. Their next five games are at Texas A&M on Saturday, at home against Southern Miss, at No. 4 Ole Miss, at Marshall and at UTEP. It’s conceivable the Blazers could win at Marshall or UTEP, but I doubt it because frankly they are not a good road team.

In other words, UAB is facing a 1-7 start and staring at its fifth consecutive losing season. And their shrinking fan base – the Blazers drew fewer than 20,000 spectators to their first two home games – probably will shrink some more.

UAB is still a part of the University of Alabama System, which includes the Crimson Tide, and is governed by the UA System Board of Trustees. With their schools in financial straits because of state budget cuts, the board could decide to save some money by axing football at UAB. The Blazers do not have a self-sustaining program as The Birmingham News story pointed out.

A friend of mine who is a UAB supporter, booster and friend of Gene Bartow, the former UAB basketball coach and athletic director who started the football program, told me he has heard some talk to that effect.

So, UAB football might not be around to celebrate its 20th birthday in two years.

At this point, I don’t think it will be missed.

Must-win looms for UAB, Troy

The college football season is heading into just its third full weekend, but already the UAB Blazers and Troy Trojans face a must-win situation when they kick off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Troy.

UAB (1-1) desperately needs a win after its clunker last week at home against SMU when the Blazers fell behind 28-7 at halftime and lost 35-33 in a Conference USA game. Junior quarterback Joseph Webb, after his sensational 415-yard, four-touchdown performance in UAB’s season-opening 44-24 victory against Rice, was less so against the Mustangs. Webb passed for 226 yards, ran for 97 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, but he threw four interceptions, lost a fumble and was stopped short of the goal line on a two-point conversion attempt with 13 seconds remaining that would have tied the game and forced overtime.

What a come down for a program in search of some attention.

Troy desperately needs a win because the Trojans don’t have one. Their 56-6 thumping at Florida was expected, but blowing a 14-0 lead and losing 31-14 at Bowling Green in their season-opener was a total surprise, especially after the Trojans’ defense was touted as one of the team’s strength. It’s one thing to get run over by quarterback Tim Tebow and the Gators, but quite another to get stomped by the Falcons (Bowling Green, not Atlanta) and their quarterback Tyler Sheehan. Troy’s defense (what defense?) has allowed more than 1,000 yards in two games.

Now, the Trojans get set to play their home opener at Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium against an in-state rival, trying to avoid a 0-3 start. Talk about a blockbuster.

The significance of game is not lost on the coaches and the players. Just listen to some of their comments.

• Troy head coach Larry Blakeney: “It’s an opportunity for us to play in a game where we have a chance to win, and certainly a chance to lose. It’s the next game for us. It’s our home opener, and we need to put our best effort out there in all facets of the game to get a win.”



• UAB head coach Neil Callaway: “It'll be interesting to watch us play in someone else's house. I'm just anxious to see this team play again Saturday after what we did last Saturday. We better have a chip on our shoulder because Troy is the most talented team we've played to this point. They've won three (Sun Belt) conference championships in a row, and we're going to their house, so we better be ready to play.”



• Troy linebacker Boris Lee: “I wouldn’t say I’m mad (about being 0-2) … well, yeah I am mad. I’m more disappointed. We had a lot of expectations coming in to this season. It’s going to take a lot of hard work and believing in one another.”



• Troy receiver Cornelius Williams: “Everybody wants to win. We’ve lost two games in a row, and it’s just a bad feeling. Everybody is anxious for a win. You can tell by how we started workouts (Monday) that there is a sense of urgency there.”



• UAB defensive end Derek Slaughter: "This is a big game because Troy is 0-2 and they're hungry for a win. We are coming off a loss too, so we're both going to go at it and it's going to be hard. They don't want to be 0-3 and we sure don't want to be 1-2, so everybody's going to want to win."

So, although there’s still a lot of football to be played, it’s must-win time indeed.

Blazers' Webb worth watching

OK, UAB football fans. Get off your duffs and head out to Legion Field on Saturday for the Blazers’ Conference USA game against SMU.

You have something – or somebody – worth watching.

I know you are skeptical, especially after Neil Callaway’s first two seasons as the Blazers’ head coach resulted in a 6-18 record. But you have to admit, he walked into a tough situation after the program nosedived in 2006, Watson Brown’s final season at the helm.

At any rate, senior quarterback Joe Webb is worth the price of admission. A dual threat, he is the most talented quarterback in the state at a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) school and that includes Alabama’s Greg McElroy and Auburn’s Chris Todd.

Jacksonville State’s Ryan Perrilloux, playing for a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) school after transferring from LSU, might be better, but you never know if he’s going to be playing, given his penchant for being suspended.

If you can’t take my word that Webb is the must-see QB in the state, then listen to what Rice head coach David Bailiff had to say before Webb torched the Owls for 415 yards total offense, setting a C-USA record for rushing yards (194 on 20 carries) by a quarterback and accounting for four touchdowns (two rushing and two passing) in the Blazers’ 44-24 season-opening victory.

“You remember Rocky I, where he went and got the chickens?,” Bailiff said. “I told our d-line coach he better go buy a couple of chickens to see if we can't catch them. (Webb) is amazing. You watch the tape and there are times eight people miss him and then he completes a big pass down the field or he scrambles for a long yardage touchdown. He is definitely a threat."

Then, after Webb’s spectacular game, including a nifty 71-yard touchdown run, against an experienced Rice defense that returned eight starters, Bailiff said, “He put us on our heels, and instead of risking to be great we turned passive.”

Only 14,316 of you bothered to show up last Saturday to witness Webb average 9.7 yards per carry and complete an astounding 80 percent of his passes (12-of-15).

You should have already known about Webb. After all, during his junior season in 2008 he set a C-USA record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,021 and also ran for 11 touchdowns. He passed for 2,367 yards and 10 touchdowns, but did throw 16 interceptions.

"Joe is by far our best playmaker offensively," Callaway said. "And we've asked him to do an awful lot."

Remember the UAB glory days – that shouldn’t be hard since it was only a few years ago – when you flocked to Legion Field to watch quarterback Darrell Hackney’s amazing feats (and those of wide receive Roddy White). Well, Webb is a bigger (6-foot-4, 225 pounds), faster and stronger version of Hackney, although he doesn’t have anyone like White to throw to. Junior Frantrell Forrest has emerged as Webb’s go-to receiver – he caught both of Webb’s TD passes against Rice, including an acrobatic grab late in the first half – but he’s not on White’s level.

I know it was rainy last Saturday and that probably kept some of you away. I overheard a guy in the press box say the crowd was so small you could hear the rainfall. He was right.

I have checked the forecast for this Saturday and there isn’t any rain in the forecast, so you can’t use bad weather as an excuse. It will be a little cloudy, but pleasant for the 3 p.m. kickoff.

Besides, neither Alabama nor Auburn is playing anyone worthwhile and their games are at night. The Tide plays Florida International, while Auburn plays Mississippi State, which is picked to finish last in the SEC West.

The most compelling national game – USC at Ohio State (not Notre Dame at Michigan) – also is at night and you’ll have plenty of time to get home to watch it on TV.

So, get on out there and watch Webb weave more magic.