The UAB Blazers will travel to Independence Stadium in Shreveport, LA on Saturday afternoon to take on the 13th-ranked BYU Cougars in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl.
This season, the Blazers are 8-4 and are coming off a 42-25 home win over the UTEP Miners. Junior quarterback Dylan Hopkins went 15-of-20 for 108 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
The Cougars are 10-2 this year, are riding a five-game winning streak, and are coming off a 35-31 road win over the USC Trojans. Sophomore quarterback Jaren Hall finished 20-of-32 for 276 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
UAB at BYU Stats
Looking at the UAB Blazers stats
Junior wide receiver Trea Shropshire has been playing well for the UAB Blazers as he has 25 catches for 682 yards (27.3 yards per reception) with six receiving touchdowns this season. In his last game against UTEP, Shropshire finished with a 12-yard reception.
The UAB Blazers have been playing well defensively as they are giving up 22.8 points per game. In their previous game against the UTEP Miners, UAB allowed 25 points on 303 total yards of offense (204 passing, 99 rushing).
The Blazers forced three turnovers (two fumble recoveries, one interception). The Miners struggled, going 3-of-13 on third down tries and converted their only fourth down attempt.
Looking at the BYU Cougars stats
The BYU Cougars have been playing well behind sophomore running back Tyler Allgeier this year as he has 249 rushing attempts for 1,414 yards (5.7 yards per carry) with 20 rushing touchdowns and 26 catches for 187 yards (7.2 yards per reception).
In his last game against USC, Allgeier finished with 21 carries for 111 yards (5.3 yards per attempt), two rushing touchdowns, and five receptions for 35 yards (seven yards per catch).
The defense of the BYU Cougars has been doing pretty well this season as they are allowing 24.3 points per game. In their previous game against the USC Trojans, BYU gave up 31 points on 458 total yards of offense (248 passing, 210 rushing).
The Cougars need to defend the run better as they allowed the Trojans to run for 4.8 yards per carry. USC Trojans was able to pass the football well in the game as they went 23-of-36 for 248 yards with a passing touchdown.
Betting Trends for UAB Blazers at BYU Cougars
- Blazers are 3-0-1 ATS in their last four games
- Blazers are 4-0 ATS vs. a team with a winning record
- Blazers are 4-1 ATS in their previous five games as an underdog
- Cougars are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games
- Cougars are 2-7 ATS in their last nine December games
Who to Bet Blazers at Cougars
According to the top sportsbooks across the United States, the Brigham Young Cougars are favored by a touchdown. These two programs have been playing similarly this season despite one being ranked while the other is unranked.
The Blazers are giving up 28.2 points in their previous five games while the Cougars are struggling as they are allowing 27.8 points in their last four games.
All in all, go with the UAB Blazers to cover the spread getting more than a handful of points in this game.