UAB Blazers at No. 18 Florida Gators (-23.5), Total 53.5 |
UAB will begin its 2011 season Saturday, as it was one of two programs that didn’t open up the year last week. The Blazers bring back 16 starters, seven on offense, nine on defense from a team that finished with a 4-8 record.
Offensively, the squad is led by quarterback Bryan Ellis, who passes for 2,940 yards and 25 touchdowns in only nine starts. The Blazers are hoping he can pull off a massive upset and move the team’s record to 7-14 all-time in season openers.
The program is no stranger to facing SEC opponents, entering with a 2-15 mark against such foes, with the two wins coming in 2000 and 2004.
UAB will get the attention of the Gators during the week, especially with an offense that has posted 5,111 and 5,074 total yards the past two seasons.
college football betting players will also find that the Blazers are 11-3 ATS as a road underdog of 21.5 or more points, while the ‘under’ is 4-3 in that situation.
Florida opened up with a 41-3 win over the Florida Atlantic Owls as 34-point favorites and staying below the posted total of 49.5. The Gators finished with an overwhelming 331-yard advantage in the contest.
It was the school’s 22nd-consecutive season-opening win, as Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps combined for five touchdowns, combining for 271 yards of offense in the process.
Starting quarterback John Brantley should be confident heading into Week 2, connecting on 21-of-30 passes for 229 yards and a touchdown. He was highly-efficient on third down opportunities, hitting on all six pass attempts.
Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis has already displayed that the passing game should greatly improve on last year’s numbers, as the team averaged just 184.3 passing yards a game.
The Gators were dominating, finishing with a 468-137 edge in yardage, gaining 197 yards on the ground and 271 through the air.
The football betting public will find that the Blazers are 5-1 ATS versus SEC competition, while the Gators are 0-4 ATS after scoring 40 or more points.
