Where: Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium (15,023), Nassau, Bahamas.
Television/Radio: ESPN/980, 1450
Series: First meeting.
Coaches: UAB’s Trent Dilfer will be coaching his first game at the collegiate level after being named the Blazers’ coach on December 2; Miami’s Chuck Martin is 45-58 in nine seasons at Miami and 119-64 in 15 overall season.
UAB: Rushing – 5-foot-11, 215-pound RB DeWayne McBride, 233 carries, 1,713 yards, 19 TD; Passing – 6-2, 215-pound redshirt-junior QB Dylan Hopkins, 120-191, 1,709 yards, 9 TD, 3 INT; Receiving – 6-3, 195 senior WR Trea Shropshire, 35 catches, 740 yards, 5 TD; Tackles – 6-0, 240-pound redshirt-senior LB Noah Wilder, 102 tackles, 53 solo.
Miami: Rushing – 6-1, 203-pound redshirt-freshman quarterback Aveon Smith, 101 carries, 503 yards, 6 TD; Passing – Smith 93-of-190, 1,137 yards, 9 TD, 5 INT; 5-11, 190-pound redshirt-senior WR Mac Hippenhammer, 52 catches, 726 yards, 8 TD; Tackles – 6-2, 221 senior MLB Ryan McWood, 121 tackles, 50 solo.
Quote: Dilfer at Tennessean.com, after leaving his high school team at Nashville’s Lipscomb Academy for the UAB job: “I’m going to figure this out. I’m going to hire great people like I did here (at Lipscomb Academy). I’m going to hire people smarter than me. It will be just like this. We’ll figure it out as we go. I’ve got a lot of juice left. I joke about being old. I’m only 50 years old. I’ve got some juice. I want the people of the Southeast to recognize that I’ve got a lot of juice, and I’m about to breathe some fire.”
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