UAB (2-7, 1-4 AAC) travels to take on Memphis (8-2, 4-2 AAC) in the “Battle for the Bones” on Saturday, November 16th. This game kicks off at 8:00 PM ET and can be seen live on ESPN2.
Memphis is favored in the contest by 16 points, with an over/under set at 62.5. The Tigers have played sluggish football lately against inferior competition, having failed to cover their last four games.
UAB seemed to be a team ready to mail it in after a 51-point loss against Tulane a couple of weeks back, but it has rallied the troops and played competitive football the last couple of weeks. This should be a fun one.
Read on for our UAB vs Memphis predictions and college football picks for this NCAAF Week 12 game.
UAB vs Memphis Prediction
- UAB vs Memphis Pick: UAB +16.5
My UAB-Memphis best bet is on the Blazers to cover the spread, with the best line currently available at Caesars, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
UAB vs Memphis Odds
| UAB Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+16 -110 | 62.5 -110o / -110u | +500 |
| Memphis Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-16 -110 | 62.5 -110o / -110u | -700 |
- UAB vs Memphis Point Spread: UAB +16 (-110) · Memphis -16 (-110)
- UAB vs Memphis Total: Over/Under 62.5 (-110o / -110u)
- UAB vs Memphis Moneyline: UAB +500 · Memphis -700
UAB vs Memphis Preview
UAB Blazers Betting Preview: Playing Solid Football
UAB comes in off of yet another competitive performance at home last week in a 31-23 loss against UConn.
The Blazers and their backers experienced a horrific bad beat as UAB was catching +7.5 points and led the game 20-3 at the half.
UAB was up 23-10 halfway through the fourth quarter before UConn scored back-to-back-to-back touchdowns sandwiched between two UAB fourth-quarter turnovers to seal the victory.
Despite the bad result, UAB was the right side in the contest and outgained and out-first-downed UConn for the game.
I like how this team has responded to heavy criticism and poor play early in the season, as the Blazers have played very competitive football the last three weeks.
Memphis Tigers Betting Preview: Riding High After Win
Memphis is fresh off a Friday night home win against Rice last week.
The Tigers continued a concerning trend of sluggish first-half starts and were down 6-0 after the first quarter.
Memphis' defense took control in the second and third quarters and built a 27-13 lead before allowing a backdoor cover with two minutes remaining in the final frame to “only” win by seven.
It also has a bye week before its season finale on Thanksgiving night at Tulane and should be fully focused here in this rivalry battle.
UAB vs Memphis
Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how UAB and Memphis match up statistically:
UAB Offense vs. Memphis Defense
 |  Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 21 | 36 | |
| Line Yards | 9 | 13 |  |
| Pass Success | 79 | 72 | |
| Havoc | 116 | 16 | |
| Finishing Drives | 109 | 76 | |
| Quality Drives | 87 | 44 | |
Memphis Offense vs. UAB Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 48 | 123 | |
| Line Yards | 54 | 134 | |
| Pass Success | 89 | 55 | |
| Havoc | 15 | 118 | |
| Finishing Drives | 24 | 109 | |
| Quality Drives | 28 | 114 | |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 80 | 90 |
| PFF Coverage | 54 | 76 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 31 | 43 |
| Middle 8 | 90 | 95 |
| Seconds per Play | 24.9 (23) | 27.6 (80) |
| Rush Rate | 47% (113) | 46% (111) |
UAB vs Memphis Pick & Prediction
I am going to take UAB in this matchup, catching 16 points. UAB has been playing much better football as of late and the metrics show that this game should be much more competitive than we would have thought a couple of weeks back.
Memphis has struggled to put a full gameplan together over its past four games, having failed to cover the betting number in each of those contests. The Tigers have hung their hat on explosive plays in recent years, but this year, the explosiveness is down significantly. The team ranks just 61st nationally in Offensive Explosiveness and 68th in Offensive Success Rate.
At times, the offense has looked as though they are operating in slow motion, and this group has had to work more methodically all season. UAB, defensively, is not overly great, but it has done well in recent weeks. For the season, the Blazers stop unit ranks 21st nationally in Defensive Explosiveness allowed, along with 37th in Defensive Success Rate.
UAB has been solid against the pass this year and has a very underrated secondary. For the season, the Blazers are allowing just 158.7 passing yards per game against, with only 12 passing touchdowns given up. UAB also went long stretches early in the season without being able to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks but has registered eight sacks in the last three weeks to go along with substantially improved rush defense numbers.
Memphis has not seen the explosiveness in the passing game you would expect and the season numbers for quarterback Seth Henigan are down about 25% from last year.
Offensively, UAB is finding its footing with quarterback Jalen Kitna at the helm. Kitna has thrown for 1,041 yards in the last three weeks with a 9:3 touchdown to interception ratio over that stretch. Memphis has been susceptible to surrendering explosive pass plays this season and ranks just 74th nationally in this metric. I can see the Blazers doing enough to move the ball and giving themselves chances in the red zone.
Success in the red zone for UAB will be critical. The Blazers have done well to move the ball into the red zone this season but far too frequently have settled for short field goals. In a rivalry game, usually, coaching tendencies change and I would not be surprised to see Trent Dilfer empty the clip here and fire away in scoring position rather than settling for 3.
UAB has been playing much more inspired football on both sides of the ball in recent weeks, while Memphis has been going through the motions. Grab the points in this rivalry game where I suspect UAB to show up and play their best game of the season.
Pick: UAB +16.5 | Play to +14.5
UAB vs Memphis Start Time, Channel, Streaming, How To Watch
| Location: | Liberty Stadium, Memphis, TN |
| Date: | Saturday, Nov. 16 |
| Kickoff Time: | 8 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ESPN2 |
UAB vs Memphis will be played at Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee, on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. ET. You can stream the game live on ESPN2.
UAB vs Memphis Betting Trends
UAB vs Memphis Weather
