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The UAB Blazers and South Alabama Jaguars each come in with 1-1 record heading into their showdown on Thursday, Sept. 24.
UAB beat Central Arkansas in the opening night of college football 45-35 before falling to Miami 31-14 on Sept. 10. The Blazers had the week off last week as it prepares for their third Thursday night game of the season. Redshirt freshman quarterback Bryson Lucero is set to make his first start of his career, filling in for an injured Tyler Johnston III, who hurt his shoulder in the loss to Miami. Lucero appeared in both games this season and completed 11 of 21 passes for 138 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions.
South Alabama also began its season on the opening Thursday night of college football season with a 32-21 win over Southern Miss, which underwent the first coaching change of the season with Jay Hopson and the team parting ways shortly after the game. The Jaguars fell short in a 27-24 loss to Tulane at home on Sept. 12. Just like UAB, South Alabama will turn to a new quarterback with Chance Lovertich getting the start over Desmond Trotter, who has been battling a shoulder injury. In two games, Lovertich completed 20 of 32 passes for 311 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions.
In the only previous meeting between these teams, UAB beat South Alabama 35-3 at home in 2019.
Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming
Thursday’s game will start at 7:30 p.m. ET at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. This game will appear on ESPN. You can watch via live stream at WatchESPN or fuboTV.
Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends
Point spread: UAB (-7) vs. South Alabama
Point Total: O/U 47.5 (-110)
Money line: UAB (-265), South Alabama (+210)
- UAB is 7-0 straight up in its last seven games as the favorite.
- UAB is 3-6 against the spread in its last nine games.
- South Alabama is 6-1 against the spread in its last seven games.
- South Alabama is 5-0 against the spread in its last five home games.
The Best Bet
It’s tough to predict a game between two first-time starting quarterbacks, but both are likely to be better than the previous signal callers. In the four combined games these two teams have played so far, only once has the final score dipped below the point total of 47.5 in this one. Let’s trust the new starters. Both have plenty of game experience already this season, and they should be ready to show out in their first starts. Let’s take the over.
Pick: Over 47.5
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