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...And I have seen a few of them. The turnovers were a killer but again we cannot stop anyone and just can't adjust. You hoped we were past these type of butt whippings but clearly we are not. `I am not giving up but my enthusiasm about this season has really diminished. The rest of this season needs to be finding out about who can make plays. We need to regroup as a program. Something needs to change -- whatever we are doing isn't working. WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS!!! gmg

UAB (3-2, 1-1 in Conference USA) vs. North Texas (2-3, 0-1) When: Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Central Where: Legion Field, Birmingham, Ala. TV: American Sports Network (ASN) Radio: WUHT-FM 107.7 Line: UAB is a 6.5 favorite THIS GAME WILL DETERMINE It's a league game. So, it's crucial for both squads. UAB is a game behind Florida International, Marshall and Middle Tennessee in the conference's league standings. So, to fall behind any further would be extremely detrimental to the Blazers hopes at a conference crown. A loss for UNT, could knock the Mean Green out of contention for second place in the western division. THREE THINGS TO LOOK FOR 1. UNT quarterback Dajon Harris: The 6-foot-3, 202-pounder will the most athletic quarterback the Blazers have faced since Mississippi State's Dak Prescott. He's coming off his best performance as a passer, having thrown for 205 yards and three touchdowns 18-for-passing while being picked off in a 49-24 loss at Indiana. He's also had runs of 55 and 19 yards this season. Read more: http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/10/blazer_buzz_key_matchups_thing_4.html

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North Texas margin for error has pretty much vanished five games into Dan McCarneys fourth season. UNT lost its Conference USA opener to Louisiana Tech and dropped under the .500 mark last week with a loss to Indiana, a setback that left the Mean Green teetering on the edge of seeing their season spiral downhill heading into a game today at UAB. The good news for the Mean Green is they were in exactly the same spot last year same overall record, same 0-1 conference mark and responded with one of the more memorable runs in program history. UNT won seven of its last eight games and toppled UNLV in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. Read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/north-texas-headlines/20141011-football-unt-in-familiar-spot-with-season-on-line.ece

North Texas at UAB, 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Legion Field, Birmingham, Ala. Records: North Texas 2-3, 0-1 C-USA; UAB 3-2, 1-1 C-USA TV: TXA 21: Dave Collins (play-by-play), Jim Dorman (analyst) Radio: KHYI-FM 95.3, KNTU-FM 88.1, KGAF-AM 1580 On the line: Both UNT and UAB have one loss in Conference-USA play and can’t afford another, especially this early in the league season, if they expect to contend for a division title. C-USA has not had a team with two losses win a share of a division title since Southern Miss won the East Division outright in 2011 with a 6-2 mark. Both teams could also significantly boost their bowl hopes with a win. UAB hasn’t been to a bowl game since the 2004 Hawaii Bowl, while UNT broke a bowl drought that dated to that same season last year when it knocked off UNLV in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. The Blazers would have a pretty clear path to the magic six-win mark with a win over UNT that would push UAB’s win total to four. The Mean Green’s path would still have some obstacles, but getting to 3-3 would make the climb look a whole lot easier. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2014/10/prediction-unt-will-sneak-past-uab-mostly-because-it-has-to.html/

Line started at -3.5 now it is at -6.5 UAB... seems that the money is moving to UAB to win against us at home.

FACTS & STATS: Site: Legion Field (71,594) -- Birmingham, Alabama. Television: Sinclair, ASN. Home Record: NT 2-1, UAB 2-1. Away Record: NT 0-2, UAB 1-1. Neutral Record: NT 0-0, UAB 0-0. Conference Record: NT 0-1, UAB 1-1. Series Record: UAB leads, 1-0. GAME NOTES: Two up-and-down Conference USA foes will face off at Legion Field on Saturday afternoon, as the UAB Blazers play host to the North Texas Mean Green. Since losing its one and only C-USA game at home to Louisiana Tech on Sept. 11 (42-21), North Texas easily dismissed Nicholls State on Sept. 20 (77-3) before dropping a road contest at Indiana last Saturday (49-24). The Mean Green are 2-3 overall and have yet to win on the road in two tries. Just like North Texas, UAB has neither won nor lost two straight games this season, settling in at 3-2 overall and 1-1 in league play. The Blazers are coming in on a high note after capturing a 42-39 triumph at Western Kentucky last weekend. In the only previous meeting between these programs back in October of 1995, UAB came away with a 19-14 win. On the season, North Texas has been very efficient in scoring a lot of points (34.4 ppg) while generating only 320.0 ypg. It only scored 24 points a week ago, with most of that production coming late in the game already down by four touchdowns. The Mean Green only throw for 141.0 ypg and employ two quarterbacks under center. Dajon Williams has been the more effective passer, completing 61.8 percent of his throws for 479 yards, eight touchdowns (two rushing) and two picks, while Josh Greer (.480, 171 yards, two INTs) has struggled. In the backfield, Reggie Pegram (228 yards, three TDs) and Antoinne Jimmerson (224 yards, two TDs) earn the majority of the work, although Erick Evans (19 carries, 157 yards, three TDs) has arguably been the most efficient runner. Carlos Harris (24 receptions, 262 yards, two TDs) is the unquestioned top target for the quarterbacks, as he has more than twice as many catches and yards as anyone else. Defensively, North Texas has performed solid yet unspectacularly, allowing 27.6 ppg and 364.8 ypg while forcing 12 turnovers. Derek Akunne leads the squad with 34 tackles. James Jones (24 tackles) has two interceptions and a fumble recovery, while Chad Polk (4.5 sacks) and Tillman Johnson (3.0 sacks) have generated a strong pass-rush. UAB's offense exploded in the second half last week, overcoming a 13-point deficit and finishing with 591 yards. Moving the ball up and down the field has come easily for the Blazers, as they average 37.0 ppg and 498.4 ypg. Jordan Howard and D.J. Vinson make up a potent running back duo. Howard has turned 103 carries into 564 yards and five touchdowns, and while Vinson's rush totals are modest (84 carries, 346 yards), he has a nose for the end zone with seven scores. Cody Clements has been stellar under center by completing just shy of 70 percent of his passes for 1,035 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions. He's also a threat outside the pocket with 105 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/10/08/4216678/north-texas-2-3-at-uab-3-2-et.html Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/10/08/4216678/north-texas-2-3-at-uab-3-2-et.html#storylink=cpy

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB football team was back on the practice field for over two hours on Wednesday afternoon as it focuses on another talented Conference USA foe in North Texas. UAB is preparing for a North Texas team that is known for its defense, but has shown it is dangerous on offense as well. This week head coach Bill Clark has been challenging the team in preparation for challenges on both sides of the ball. "I think we had a solid day," Clark said after Wednesday's practice. "There were some things we didn't do great on, but that is what practice is for and why you do it. You try to put them in tough situations and we know we have a huge challenge this week." "You see people scoring 70 points and more, so you stay worried when you are on the defensive side of the ball." Read more: http://www.uabsports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/100814aab.html

Birmingham, Ala. ---- Following a Conference USA victory over WKU last Saturday, 42-39, UAB head coach Bill Clark and the Blazers look to carry that momentum into this Saturday's matchup against North Texas at Legion Field. "The WKU win showed us a lot of things," said Clark. "It showed how we could fight, overcome adversity, win on the road and come together. Those are all different things we can draw on later in the season. You should want to continue that feeling of success." The Mean Green enters this weekend with the fifth-best scoring offense in the conference, ranked just below the Blazers with 34.4 point per game. UAB's defense will have face another top quarterback in North Texas freshman Dajon Williams, who leads all C-USA passers with a 163.7 passing efficiency rating. "(Dajon) Williams and (Brandon) Doughty are totally different quarterbacks except for the fact they both have good arms," Clark said. "This guy is a tailback playing quarterback. They base their offense on letting him run the zone read, but he can still throw it a mile. His control over the offense is getting better every week. They are super talented and do things with a big offense line, good running backs and tall receivers to compliment him." Read more: http://www.al.com/uab/index.ssf/2014/10/uab_looks_to_take_momentum_int.html

DRC: Development of promising QB vital, but defensive struggles, lack of playmakers other than Harris concerning: http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/sports-headlines/20141005-football-williams-masking-different-problems.ece

Are we interpreting one bad performance as indicative of an entire season. Hear me out. We had some nasty defensive performances last season. Ohio comes to mind but Tulane was right up there. I tend to think Skladany, Patrick and the other coaches will help these guys rebound or find others who are more willing to make plays. Bottomline -- I have not yet given up on this defense. If UAB schools us I reserve the right to change my mind. GMG PS Kenny Buyers and James Jones are better than what they showed against IU. There are others.

BTW - if you didn't know, we are playing UAB this season.... The Blazer offense will be an improved group and could approach putting up 30 ppg. The defense is another story, as they were so bad last year that even if the improve, they will still probably allow 35+ ppg. The Schedule is tough with their tough, with North Texas, La Tech and Marshall at home, while having to travel to MTSU, FAU and WKU, in the conference and Miss State and Arkansas out of the conference. They should bag wins vs FIU and Alabama A&M at home, which means the only way they get to 3 wins will be by beating Southern Miss on the road to end the year. This is an improved team, but it will not show up in their record. KEY TREND: 1-7 ATS on the road vs a .500 or better opponent. Read more: http://pregame.com/sports/stories/b/news/archive/2014/07/28/uab-blazers-2014-football-schedule-amp-preview.aspx