# 2020 UAB Blazers football team

The 2020 UAB Blazers football team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Blazers played their final home games at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, and competed in the West Division of Conference USA (C-USA). They were led by fifth-year head coach Bill Clark.
After compiling a 6–3 record (3–1 in conference play), the team accepted a bid to the Gasparilla Bowl. However, on December 22, the Blazers' bowl opponent, South Carolina, had to withdraw from the bowl due to COVID-19 issues within their program. As no replacement team was available, the bowl was subsequently canceled.

## Preseason
### Death of Jamari Smith

On May 28, 2020, it was announced that incoming freshman Jamari Smith, from Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery, Alabama, had drowned while swimming with friends.

### Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
| TBD ||||

### CUSA media days

The CUSA Media Days will be held virtually for the first time in conference history.
Media poll (West Division) :
| Predicted finish | Team |
| 1 | Louisiana Tech |
| 2 | North Texas |
| 3 | Rice |
| 4 | Southern Miss |
| 5 | UAB |
| 6 | UTEP |
| 7 | UTSA |
Media poll (CUSA Championship) :
| Rank | Team | Votes |
| TBD |||

### Preseason All-CUSA teams

To be released

## Schedule

UAB announced its 2020 football schedule on January 8, 2020. The 2020 schedule was originally planned to consist of 6 home and 6 away games in the regular season.
The Blazers had games scheduled against Alabama A&M, New Mexico State, Old Dominion, UTEP, and Middle Tennessee but were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | 7:00 p.m. | Central Arkansas* | Legion FieldBirmingham, AL | ESPN3 | W 45–35 | 12,716 |
| September 10 | 8:00 p.m. | at Miami (FL)* | Hard Rock StadiumMiami, FL | ACCN | L 14–31 | 8,153 |
| September 24 | 6:30 p.m. | at South Alabama* | Hancock Whitney StadiumMobile, AL | ESPN | W 42–10 | 5,766 |
| October 3 | 11:30 a.m. | UTSA | Legion FieldBirmingham, AL | Stadium | W 21–13 | 12,547 |
| October 17 | 12:30 p.m. | Western Kentucky | Legion FieldBirmingham, AL | Stadium | W 37–14 | 11,098 |
| October 23 | 7:00 p.m. | Louisiana* | Legion FieldBirmingham, AL | CBSSN | L 20–24 | 11,610 |
| October 31 | 2:30 p.m. | at Louisiana Tech | Joe Aillet StadiumRuston, LA | Stadium | L 34–37 $^{2OT}$ | 7,140 |
| December 12 | 11:00 a.m. | at Rice | Rice StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN3 | W 21–16 | 2,000 |
| December 18 | 6:00 p.m. | at Marshall | Joan C. Edwards StadiumHuntington, WV (C-USA Championship Game) | CBSSN | W 22–13 | 8,324 |
| December 26 | 11:00 a.m. | vs. South Carolina* | Raymond James StadiumTampa, FL (Gasparilla Bowl) | ABC | CANCELLED | |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 24 released prior to gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV* | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Coaches | — | —* | — | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | Not released |

## Game summaries
### Central Arkansas

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 7 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 35 |
| #24 Blazers | 14 | 14 | 3 | 14 | 45 |
at Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama
* Date: Thursday, September 3, 2020
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 84 °F (29 °C) • Wind: SSW 5 mph
* TV announcers (ESPN3): Curt Bloom (play-by-play), Chad Pilcher (analyst)
* Pregame line: UAB –21.5 • Odds to win: UAB 93.1% • Game summary: ESPN NCAA
| Statistics | UCA | UAB |
| First downs | 20 | 29 |
| Plays–yards | 66–293 | 83–459 |
| Rushes–yards | 21–100 | 49–233 |
| Passing yards | 193 | 226 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 25–46–1 | 24–34–1 |
| Time of possession | 22:55 | 37:05 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Central Arkansas | Passing | Breylin Smith | 25/46, 193 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Central Arkansas | Rushing | Kierre Crossley | 10 carries, 59 yards |
| Central Arkansas | Receiving | Lujuan Winningham | 6 receptions, 53 yards, 2 TD |
| UAB | Passing | Tyler Johnston III | 17/25, 143 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| UAB | Rushing | Spencer Brown | 24 carries, 127 yards, 1 TD |
| UAB | Receiving | Austin Watkins | 7 receptions, 72 yards |

### At Miami

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Blazers | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Hurricanes | 7 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 31 |
at Hard Rock Stadium • Miami Gardens, Florida
* Date: Thursday, September 10, 2020
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C) • Wind: ENE 5 mph
* TV announcers (ACC Network): Dave O'Brien (play-by-play), Tim Hasselbeck (analyst), Katie George (sideline)
* Pregame line: Miami –14
| Statistics | UAB | MIA |
| First downs | 14 | 25 |
| Plays–yards | 61–285 | 78–495 |
| Rushes–yards | 26–80 | 52–337 |
| Passing yards | 205 | 158 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 19–35–0 | 18–27–0 |
| Time of possession | 29:04 | 30:56 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UAB | Passing | Tyler Johnston III | 15/23, 150 yards, 1 TD |
| UAB | Rushing | Spencer Brown | 16 carries, 74 yards, 1 TD |
| UAB | Receiving | Myron Mitchell | 8 receptions, 117 yards |
| Miami | Passing | D'Eriq King | 16/24, 144 yards, 1 TD |
| Miami | Rushing | Cam'Ron Harris | 17 carries, 134 yards, 2 TD |
| Miami | Receiving | Brevin Jordan | 3 receptions, 51 yards, 1 TD |

### At South Alabama

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Blazers | 14 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 42 |
| Jaguars | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| UAB −6.5 | 47.5 |
| Statistics | UAB | South Alabama |
| First downs | 22 | 18 |
| Total yards | 509 | 315 |
| Rushing yards | 190 | 147 |
| Passing yards | 319 | 168 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 35:00 | 25:00 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UAB | Passing | Bryson Lucero | 18/28, 319 yards, 2 TDs |
| UAB | Rushing | Spencer Brown | 20 carries, 105 yards, 3 TDs |
| UAB | Receiving | Austin Watkins | 7 receptions, 183 yards, 1 TD |
| South Alabama | Passing | Chance Lovertich | 14/29, 168 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| South Alabama | Rushing | Carlos Davis | 17 carries, 105 yards |
| South Alabama | Receiving | Jalen Tolbert | 3 receptions, 59 yards, 1 TD |

### UTSA

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Roadrunners | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| Blazers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| UAB –21.5 | 55 |
| Statistics | UTSA | UAB |
| First downs | 17 | 21 |
| Total yards | 280 | 409 |
| Rushing yards | 190 | 214 |
| Passing yards | 90 | 195 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 26:53 | 33:07 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UTSA | Passing | Jordan Weeks | 7/19, 57 yards, 1 INT |
| UTSA | Rushing | Sincere McCormick | 22 carries, 150 yards, 1 TD |
| UTSA | Receiving | Joshua Cephus | 3 receptions, 42 yards |
| UAB | Passing | Bryson Lucero | 18/29, 195 yards, 3 TDs, 3 INTs |
| UAB | Rushing | Spencer Brown | 26 carries, 144 yards |
| UAB | Receiving | Myron Mitchell | 6 receptions, 64 yards, 1 TD |

### Western Kentucky

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Blazers | 10 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 37 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| UAB –11.5 | 44 |
| Statistics | Western Kentucky | UAB |
| First downs | 15 | 17 |
| Total yards | 250 | 358 |
| Rushing yards | 88 | 217 |
| Passing yards | 162 | 141 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 28:33 | 31:27 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Kevaris Thomas | 16/35, 162 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Jakairi Moses | 6 carries, 41 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Joshua Simon | 6 receptions, 81 yards, 1 TD |
| UAB | Passing | Bryson Lucero | 15/31, 141 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| UAB | Rushing | DeWayne McBride | 10 carries, 131 yards, 1 TD |
| UAB | Receiving | Austin Watkins | 7 receptions, 55 yards, 1 TD |

### Louisiana

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Ragin' Cajuns | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Blazers | 3 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| LA −2.5 | 50.5 |
| Statistics | Louisiana | UAB |
| First downs | 17 | 17 |
| Total yards | 286 | 285 |
| Rushing yards | 134 | 175 |
| Passing yards | 152 | 110 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 30:37 | 29:23 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisiana | Passing | Levi Lewis | 12/20, 152 yards, 2 TDS |
| Louisiana | Rushing | Elijah Mitchell | 21 carries, 67 yards |
| Louisiana | Receiving | Kyren Lacy | 2 receptions, 43 yards |
| UAB | Passing | Bryson Lucero | 10/23, 110 yards, 2 INTs |
| UAB | Rushing | Spencer Brown | 28 carries, 128 yards, 2 TDs |
| UAB | Receiving | Ryan Davis | 2 receptions, 34 yards |

### At Louisiana Tech

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | Total |
| Blazers | 0 | 14 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 34 |
| Bulldogs | 3 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 37 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| UAB –13 | 47.5 |
| Statistics | UAB | Louisiana Tech |
| First downs | 20 | 20 |
| Total yards | 485 | 381 |
| Rushing yards | 338 | 49 |
| Passing yards | 147 | 332 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 32:44 | 27:16 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UAB | Passing | Tyler Johnston III | 4/9, 81 yards |
| UAB | Rushing | Spencer Brown | 29 carries, 140 yards, 2 TDs |
| UAB | Receiving | Austin Watkins Jr. | 6 receptions, 95 yards |
| Louisiana Tech | Passing | Aaron Allen | 18/26, 191 yards, 2 TDs |
| Louisiana Tech | Rushing | Israel Tucker | 17 carries, 54 yards |
| Louisiana Tech | Receiving | Adrian Hardy | 7 receptions, 101 yards, 2 TDs |

### At Rice

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Blazers | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| Owls | 3 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 16 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| UAB –7 | 42.5 |
| Statistics | UAB | Rice |
| First downs | 13 | 20 |
| Total yards | 354 | 232 |
| Rushing yards | 137 | 66 |
| Passing yards | 217 | 166 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 22:42 | 37:18 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UAB | Passing | Tyler Johnson III | 9/18, 217 yards, 2 TDs |
| UAB | Rushing | Tyler Johnson III | 7 carries, 41 yards |
| UAB | Receiving | Myron Mitchell | 1 reception, 63 yards, 1 TD |
| Rice | Passing | JoVoni Johnson | 17/23, 139 yards, 1 TD |
| Rice | Rushing | Khalan Griffin | 14 carries, 34 yards |
| Rice | Receiving | Jake Bailey | 7 receptions, 72 yards |

### at Marshall (Conference USA Championship)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Blazers | 3 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 22 |
| Thundering Herd | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 13 |
at Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, West Virginia
* Date: Saturday, December 18, 2020
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 34 °F (1 °C) • Wind: W 3 MPH
* Game attendance: 8,324
* Referee: Jon Noli
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Rich Waltz (play-by-play), Aaron Taylor (analyst) and Jenny Dell (sideline)
| Statistics | UAB | MRSH |
| First downs | 21 | 10 |
| Plays–yards | 74–468 | 51–268 |
| Rushes–yards | 52–216 | 27–130 |
| Passing yards | 252 | 138 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 12–22–0 | 8–24–1 |
| Time of possession | 41:26 | 18:34 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UAB | Passing | Tyler Johnston III | 12/22, 252 yards, 2 TD |
| UAB | Rushing | Spencer Brown | 30 carries, 149 yards |
| UAB | Receiving | Trea Shropshire | 5 receptions, 180 yards, TD |
| Marshall | Passing | Grant Wells | 8/23, 138 yards, 2 TD |
| Marshall | Rushing | Brenden Knox | 17 carries, 67 yards |
| Marshall | Receiving | Xavier Gaines | 1 reception, 70 yards, TD |

## Players drafted into the NFL

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Club |
| 4 | 121 | Jordan Smith | DE | Jacksonville Jaguars |