CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2021 UAB

9–⁠4 (6–⁠2 Conference USA), coached by Bill Clark.

Schedule and results

UAB in 2021, game by game: won vs. Jacksonville State 31–0; lost at No. 2 Georgia 7–56; won at North Texas 40–6; won at Tulane 28–21; lost vs. Liberty 12–36; won vs. Florida Atlantic 31–14; won at Southern Miss 34–0; lost vs. Rice 24–30; won vs. Louisiana Tech 52–38; won at Marshall 21–14; lost at No. 15 UTSA 31–34; won vs. UTEP 42–25; won vs. No. 12 BYU 31–28+34−49Won 31–0 vs. Jacksonville State+31Jacksonville St…Lost 7–56 at No. 2 Georgia-49No. 2 GeorgiaWon 40–6 at North Texas+34North TexasWon 28–21 at Tulane+7TulaneLost 12–36 vs. Liberty-24LibertyWon 31–14 vs. Florida Atlantic+17Florida AtlanticWon 34–0 at Southern Miss+34Southern MissLost 24–30 vs. Rice-6RiceWon 52–38 vs. Louisiana Tech+14Louisiana TechWon 21–14 at Marshall+7MarshallLost 31–34 at No. 15 UTSA-3No. 15 UTSAWon 42–25 vs. UTEP+17UTEPWon 31–28 vs. No. 12 BYU+3No. 12 BYU
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below; orange marks an upset win.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 1vsJacksonville StateW 31–⁠071%
Sep 11at2GeorgiaL 7–⁠5626%
Sep 18atNorth TexasW 40–⁠662%
Sep 25atTulaneW 28–⁠2152%
Oct 2vsLibertyL 12–⁠3658%
Oct 9vsFlorida AtlanticW 31–⁠1461%
Oct 16atSouthern MissW 34–⁠073%
Oct 23vsRiceL 24–⁠3083%
Nov 6vsLouisiana TechW 52–⁠3877%
Nov 13atMarshallW 21–⁠1440%
Nov 20at15UTSAL 31–⁠3438%
Nov 26vsUTEPW 42–⁠2575%
Dec 18Bowls & playoffvs12BYUIndependence BowlW 31–⁠2837%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat BYU 31–⁠28 in the Independence Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; 3rd in the Conference USA.

In program history: The best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 31 on file).

Led the nationTrea Shropshire: yards per catch (26.0)

Record
9–⁠4
Conference
6–⁠2 3rd in Conference USA
AP final
Unranked
Points
384–⁠302
Coach
Bill Clark
Elo
1621 +68 this season
SP+ rating
9.1 No. 43 of 130; offense No. 47, defense No. 30
SRS
3.1 No. 57 of 130 in FBS
Returning
63% of last season’s EPA, No. 82 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 116 roster talent No. 92 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Bryant Vincent
Defensive coordinator
David Reeves
Offense
Spread option
Defense
3–⁠3–⁠5

How good, play by play

  • Offense25th of 130
  • Defense24th of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted22nd of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted23rd of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.2343%1.3825th of 130
Defense0.0639%1.2424th of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.22 off
0.07 def		44% off
40% def		—22nd off
23rd def
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense4.3own 3018% allowed
Defense4.0own 2919% caused

CORE rating 18.9, 7th of 130 (offense 13.6, defense -5.3).

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsDylan Hopkins QB2,274 yds
Passing touchdownsDylan Hopkins QB18 TD
Rushing yardsDeWayne McBride RB1,371 yds
Rushing touchdownsDeWayne McBride RB13 TD
Receiving yardsTrea Shropshire WR703 yds
Receiving touchdownsGerrit Prince TE10 TD
TacklesNoah Wilder LB90 tkl
SacksAlex Wright LB6 sacks
InterceptionsGrayson Cash S3 INT

Top recruits in the 2021 class

Tim Burns Jr. CB★★★No. 1009
Eli Richey OL★★★No. 1310
Boaz Saint-Vil DL★★★No. 1589
Jordan Palmer WR★★★No. 1607
Fred Farrier II WR★★★No. 1750

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2021 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.815
Receivers33.00.825
Offensive line23.00.822
Defensive line23.00.827
Linebackers23.00.820
Defensive backs23.00.835
Whole class123.00.825

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Drafted in 2022

The 2022 draft
Rd 3Alex Wright DECleveland Browns

Roster 133

The 2021 roster

133 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2021 line; 65 have a stat line. See the roster

Transfers in 5

The 2021 portal
Justin Thomas DL★★★from LSU
Charlie Benton LB★★★from West Virginia
Jalen Mayala DE★★★from Indiana
Lee Witherspoon RB★★★from Mississippi State
T.J. Jones WR★★★from Penn State

Transfers out 7

Jarrion Street S★★★no new school on file
Jayme Simmons OT★★★no new school on file
Kevin Davis WR★★★no new school on file
Tony Fair DL★★★to Auburn
Jordan Jones LB★★no new school on file
Mike York TE★no new school on file
Keilan Knight CBno new school on file

2021 Conference USA standings

TeamConf.OverallAP final
UTSA7–⁠112–⁠2
Western Kentucky7–⁠19–⁠5
UAB6–⁠29–⁠4
Marshall5–⁠37–⁠6
North Texas5–⁠36–⁠7
Old Dominion5–⁠36–⁠7
Middle Tennessee4–⁠47–⁠6
UTEP4–⁠47–⁠6
Charlotte3–⁠55–⁠7
Florida Atlantic3–⁠55–⁠7
Rice3–⁠54–⁠8
Southern Miss2–⁠63–⁠9
Louisiana Tech2–⁠63–⁠9
Florida International0–⁠81–⁠11

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.