Sportingham knows there are always questions in the wake of a loss and for what it’s worth, here’s our take:

1. Why did UAB lose?

UAB lost today for the same reasons they lost last week at Troy. First, they committed comically ill-timed mistakes (turnovers) that swung momentum away from them and over to the opposite sideline. Second, they failed once again to establish some sort of offensive identity.

Last week, the combination of quarterback Jonathan Perry’s pick and a poorly-timed defensive penalty handed Troy the go-ahead touchdown and, eventually, the win. This week, Pat Shed’s fumble early in the third quarter ended a crucial drive for the Blazers deep in Bulldog territory, as they were marching down the field to answer MSU’s first touchdown of the game. State took over possession and immediately scored on a 57-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Russell to Chad Bumphis. UAB’s final chance to establish themselves in the game was ended on the subsequent drive, when Perry was intercepted by State’s Jonathan Banks.

Today, the Blazer defense played well enough to win, as they did last week. The problem is the UAB offense, which hasn’t really decided what it’s good at yet. With much of their offense returning from last season, you’d think the Blazers would follow the trend they set in 2010 and put the ball in the air frequently. They certainly can’t do that now, what with starting quarterback Bryan Ellis on the sidelines and the uneven play of back-up Perry. But even when Ellis was healthy, the Blazers’ pass offense was anything but.

In his first two-and-a-half games (before his injury at East Carolina), Ellis averaged roughly 150 yards passing per game and had a 3-0 interception-to-touchdown ratio. Perry’s numbers are similar through five games. So…UAB isn’t a passing team.

That leaves the door open for Pat Shed, Greg Franklin and the rest of the running backs, right? Wrong. Shed had 16 carries for 73 yards against State in what was really the first game he was healthy for this season. In his place though four games, Perry did most of the running from the quarterback spot, while primary back-up Greg Franklin averaged just over three carries a game. Franklin, it should be noted, rolled up a 6.7 yard-per-carry average through those first four games, but again, touched the ball only three times a game…leading Sportingham to conceive a question so obvious that I won’t even bring it up. But you know what it is.

So, to recap, the Blazers can’t really throw the ball, regardless of who’s under center. They have the ability to run the ball, but have struggled to get their backs healthy this season and, for some reason, they don’t want to give the ball to Greg Franklin. Until UAB figures out what they want to do on offense (zone read, anyone) they won’t be able to keep up, despite improved defensive play.

2. What’s next?

Well, next week, the Blazers travel to Tulsa…a team that is 2-3 overall, but still capable of scoring points in bunches, as always. You think your team has played a tough schedule? You haven’t played one as tough as the Golden Hurricane. Tulsa began the season with Oklahoma and Tulane on the road, home against Oklahoma State (the game didn’t kick off until after midnight), then at Boise State and finally, home against North Texas. They face UAB off a bye week; a richly deserved bye week, to be sure.

3. Can Neil Callaway’s job be saved at this point?

Probably not, unless he finishes the season 7-0 or 6-1. Look, this was the year for UAB football to capitalize on some legitimate fan exuberance and palpable momentum. The on-campus stadium looks like a go, commitments from Shelby County football stars were rolling in and Tommy West was on-board to fix the defense (which was, at the time, the only piece missing from UAB being a complete team, aside from the new kicker). Fans expected bowl or bust. This season, to this point at least, has been bust. Big-time bust.

If indeed a stadium is imminent, then UAB has to do something drastic to stop the bleeding and prime fans (not to mention, donors) for the next phase of Blazer football. The most drastic thing they can do is hand the reigns of the program over to another guy.

4. If Callaway is not retained, who gets the job?

Well, that’s the $64,000 question. You can make a splashy hire (anyone with the last name Bowden, a Nick Saban castaway, Larry Coker, etc.), you can make a solid hire (an under-the-radar coordinator from a BCS school with great credentials but an anonymous name), or a solid and splashy hire (your guess is as good as mine for the salary he’s probably going to get.) One thing we know is that Callaway will likely be safe through the end of the season, as athletic director Brian Mackin indicated earlier in the week.

  ∞

Now I’m not for kicking a man when he’s down, nor am I a big fan of the whole Fire-blank-.com concept, but…really? Has Blazer fan apathy reached the point that not even the die-hards have the energy to set up a digital protest?

I mean, remember this? That was epic. Come on UAB fans, your creativity is in question.

  ∞

After all, the Wildcats are the all-time winningest college basketball program on the planet. No school has more NCAA Tournament appearances and only one program (UCLA) has more national championships. Their current coach, John Calipari, is considered by many to be one of, if not the best coach in the game today.

Contrary to popular opinion however, Kentucky does have a football team…albeit not a very good one. In fact, most UK fans see football as little more than an hors d’oeuvre for basketball season. Since 1881, the Wildcats’ football team has competed in just 15 bowl games. The last — and only — time they claimed a national championship, Bear Bryant was their coach and Harry Truman was President. Their current coach, Joker Phillips, could not have a more apropos first name.

So when it comes to each team’s annual revenue, you can pretty much figure out which program pulls down more dough, right? The illustrious, tradition-swollen basketball team, right?

Wrong.

In 2010, Kentucky basketball banked a $15.56 million profit. Kentucky football earned a $25.7 million profit. View UK Athletics budget (PDF)

How is this possible? Well, the revenue ceiling for college basketball is lower than it is for college football. Go on, take a variable and work out the numbers. Here’s one to get you started:

Kentucky basketball had 15 home games in 2010, with an average of 23,603 fans per game. That totals out to 354,046 fans for the season. Kentucky football had seven home games with 66,070 fans per game. That totals out to 462,490 fans for the season. Given that football tickets are generally more expensive than basketball tickets, and not to mention that operating a sporting venue 15 times per year exceeds the cost of operating one seven times per year and well, you can see how the disparity grows.

The question for you locally is: What does this matter? Well, if you’re a UAB Blazer fan, it matters a whole heck of a lot.

You see, UAB has a pretty darn good basketball program. It’s not on Kentucky’s level, by any stretch, but it’s certainly on the level of every other SEC program out there. Since 1981, the Blazers have made 14 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, better than half of the SEC’s 12 programs over the same period of time.

Now, UAB also has a football team, albeit a pretty bad one. In its relatively short existence as a major college football program, the Blazers claim a 72-104 record, three winning seasons and one bowl appearance. Their coach, Neil Callaway, finds himself on the hottest of hot seats with an 0-3 record thus far this season.

Though things may be pretty bleak presently for the Blazer football program, the athletic department realizes that UAB football is a lot like the hydrogen-powered car. Right now, it’s a mystery, perhaps volatile, but undoubtedly it’s the future. The revenue ceiling for football at UAB is, pardon the pun, through the roof. But three things need to happen before the Blazers can begin to rely on a steady stream of pigskin profit.

First, they need a new stadium. UAB’s plays it’s home games at Legion Field, which bears a somewhat shocking resemblance to the sarcophagus encapsulating Chernobyl’s burned-out reactor core. It’s old, it’s nowhere near walking distance from campus and it’s size undermines the ticket department’s efforts to create product demand.

Separated at birth, right? Am I right?

Earlier this month, the university unveiled a plan for a horseshoe-shaped, on-campus stadium with seating for nearly 30,000 fans. The cost is expected to top out around $75 million. It is currently awaiting approval from the University of Alabama board of trustees.

Second, the Blazers need to do a better job of communicating the value of their product to the rest of the community.

If local talk radio has taught us anything, it’s that very few people in this town seem to want UAB to have a competitive football program. You can pin that mindset on a number of factors, from Tuscaloosa’s superiority complex to the fact that the Blazers haven’t proven much on the field recently. But the idea of UAB building a solid football program and having a stadium of their own should be a cause the community gets behind.

If the Blazers were smart, they’d talk themselves hoarse about Kentucky football and revenue ceilings and such. They’d be talking about the staggering amount of money UAB generates within the University of Alabama system, and how little they get in return when it comes to matters of athletics. People love to cheer for the underdog, you know.

But third, and perhaps most importantly, UAB has to start proving that they can be competitive on the field…regardless of how much their stadium looks like the No. 4 reactor at Chernobyl.

You can talk about Troy, South Florida and Connecticut all you want, but those young programs have all made huge strides on the field under the glare of the Klieg lights. Troy’s only been playing FBS football since 2001, but they’ve got five bowl appearances and two wins. UConn began playing Division I-A football in 1997, and have also competed in five bowl games, including a BCS bowl game last season. South Florida has six bowl appearances and four bowl victories since joining the big boys in 2001.

The point being, UAB has a lot of potential. Every one of the impediments blocking its path to football viability are conquerable. Right now, it looks like the easiest hurdle to clear may be the stadium, which could win trustee approval in a matter of weeks. But the perception problem, not to mention the on-field shortcomings, are tougher to overcome. Presently, the Blazers appear to be at a tipping point in determining whether the program is a sleeping giant or a perpetual underachiever.

This story appears in print in this week’s edition of Weld

CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION

What do you think the future holds for UAB football? Are you in favor of an on-campus stadium? Visit Sportingham on Facebook and interact with Matt Hooper on Twitter and give me your take. The best opinions will end up here on the blog.

For more on the UAB stadium plan, check out these links:

UAB Kaleidoscope story (with new renderings)

AL.com piece on UAB stadium ∞

  ∞

The Blazers’ home opener was pretty awful, especially when you consider that UAB was a 13.5 point favorite to beat the Green Wave. But hey, that didn’t stop Sportingham from being there and filming the goings on for your pleasure. Watch it here!

West Georgia 23, Miles 20

Miles did their best Auburn impersonation on Thursday night, scoring a late touchdown and recovering the subsequent onside kick attempt, before running out of clock on their final drive against West Georgia, falling 23-20.

The Golden Bears got a solid effort from QB David Thomas, who finished with 176 yards on 16 of 21 passing and scored two touchdowns. Miles is 1-2 thus far; they will host Albany State on Saturday.

BSC 43, Ave Maria 7

Score one for the Protestants. Birmingham-Southern crushed the Ave Maria Gyrenes, 43-7, in Naples, Fla., on Saturday. The Panthers improved to 3-0 with the victory.

Since there are no stats to report, let’s devote the remaining space to Ave Maria and its peculiar football situation.

First of all, the dictionary says that “gyrene” is slang for a member of the U.S. Marine Corps. Your guess is as good as mine as to why a Catholic college is using a marine as its mascot. On the Web site, the logo includes a bulldog.

And speaking of the Web site… just check this out.

Maryland’s uniforms aren’t nearly that hideous. Also, congratulations to Fall 2011 Male Athlete and Fall 2011 Female Athlete for their selections as athletes of the week. Well done.

Futbol update:

If you are not paying attention to what’s happening with the UAB men’s soccer program…you need to start doing that. The Blazers are 6-0-3 thus far this season, picking up two overtime victories this weekend (VCU, Milwaukee) to claim the UAB “Soccer for a Cure” Classic title. And did I mention that the 2011 NCAA College Cup is going to be played in Hoover this year? How neat would it be for UAB to win a national title in its own backyard… ∞

Classic.

Anyway, big week for Sportingham. We’re covering our first live-site event on Saturday: UAB’s first home football game of the season. The Blazers host Tulane at Legion Field, kickoff is at 3 p.m. There will be tweets aplenty, so follow along now, @hoopermatt.

There will also be video, post-game news and information…the whole deal. So, on Saturday afternoon, you’d better be on Sportingham like stink on a monkey.

It’s really a big weekend for sports in general at UAB. Men’s soccer hosts VCU on Friday at 7:30 p.m., and Milwaukee on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Women’s soccer hosts Ole Miss at 7 p.m. on Saturday evening. All soccer matches will take place at West Campus Field.

Meanwhile, Birmingham-Southern’s campus gets a bit of a breather this weekend – SIDs and marketing staffs LOVE that – with only one home athletic event to host: Women’s soccer welcomes Emory at 6 p.m. on Friday at the BSC Soccer Park.

Same deal over at Samford this weekend…not a whole lot happening on campus. Football has a bye week, volleyball is in a tournament at Daytona Beach, Fla., and women’s soccer is battling Vandy in Nashville (9/18, 2 p.m.).

At Miles, the Golden Bears football team will try and build on last week’s win over Concordia. Miles travels to Carrollton, Ga., to face West Georgia on Thursday night at 6 p.m. (CST).

So that’s about it, folks. We’re lining up some really interesting features to debut on the site in the coming weeks. Remember to check in with us frequently on Saturday afternoon, as we bring you live information from UAB-Tulane at Legion Field. The fun starts at 3 p.m.

Follow Sportingham on Facebook

Follow Sportingham on Twitter

  ∞

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — John Brantley completed 12 of 19 pass attempts and Florida scored four rushing touchdowns on their way to a 39-0 victory over the UAB Blazers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

The game marked the first time that the Blazers have been shutout since Sept. 16, 2006, when UAB lost 34-0 at Georgia. Ironically, Florida had not forced a shutout since 2006 as well.

Playing without star running back Pat Shed, the Blazers had little success on the ground, piling up just 70 yards on 23 carries. The Gators, on the other hand, methodically moved the ball through the air and on the ground. Brantley’s solid effort, combined with Chris Rainey’s 16 carries for 120 yards, carried Florida to a quick 13-0 first quarter lead and, eventually, a 25-0 halftime lead.

Defensively, the Gators bottled UAB up at every turn, allowing only one third down conversion on 11 attempts and only 210 yards of total offense.

UAB quarterback Bryan Ellis completed 15 of 28 pass attempts for 140 yards. Jackie Williams was the Blazers’ top wideout, pulling down five catches for 41 yards.

UAB, 0-1, hosts Tulane next Saturday at Legion Field.

BSC 35, Huntingdon 29

BIRMINGHAM — The Panthers rallied from a 21-2 second half deficit, scoring on the final play of regulation to force overtime, before beating Huntingdon in two extra periods, 35-29. Southern claimed the Wesley Cup — the rivalry prize — for the second straight year.

BSC quarterback Jimmy Stainback had an amazing outing, completing 20 of 31 pass attempts for 233 yards and a couple of touchdowns. He added 120 yards on 14 carries. In total, the Panthers out-gained the Hawks in total offense, 540 to 430. On defense, BSC’s Andrew Shannon collected a school-record 19 total tackles.

The Panthers are now 2-0 on the season and will travel to Naples, Fla., next week to face Ave Maria.

Samford 48, Stillman 6

BIRMINGHAM — The fast-paced, high-flying Bulldogs offense was clicking on all cylinders on Saturday night, cruising to a 48-6 victory over Stillman at Seibert Stadium.

Bulldogs quarterback Dustin Taliaferro completed 14 of 19 passes for 126 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Wideout Kelsey Pope hauled in both of those scores on his way to 52 yards receiving on six catches.

Stillman managed two first quarter field goals, but failed to add any additional points through the remainder of the game. Hampered by penalties (15 for 96 yards) and two turnovers, the Tigers could not sustain any offensive momentum. In all, Samford piled up 473 total yards on offense, to just 231 for Stillman.

With the win, the Bulldogs even their record at 1-1. Samford takes next week off before playing at Wofford on Sept. 24.

**NOTE: As of 10 p.m. Saturday evening, there was no score update from Miles/Concordia.**

Men’s Soccer:

HOME vs. Oral Roberts, 9/9/11, 7 p.m.

HOME vs. Georgia State, 9/11/11, 7 p.m.

Women’s Soccer:

AWAY at Alabama, 9/9/11, 7 p.m.

AWAY at Kennesaw State, 11 a.m.

Volleyball:

AWAY at Owls Classic at Kennesaw State (Ga.)

–vs. Troy (4 p.m., 9/9/11), vs. Eastern Kentucky (9/10/11, 11 a.m.), vs. Kennesaw State (9/10/11, 6 p.m.)

Football:

AWAY at Florida, 9/10/11, 6 p.m.

Cross Country:

AWAY at Auburn Invitational, 9/9/11, 5:45 p.m.

AT BSC…

Football:

HOME vs. Huntingdon, 9/10/11, 1 p.m.

HOME vs. Huntingdon, 9/11/11, 1 p.m. (Junior Varsity)

Volleyball:

AWAY vs. Faulker, 9/9/11, 11 a.m.

AWAY at Wheaton, 9/9/11, 1:30 p.m.

AWAY at Eastern, 9/10/11, 10:30 a.m.

AWAY at Emory, 9/10/11, 1 p.m.

Men’s Soccer:

AWAY at Greensboro, 9/10/11, 12 p.m.

AWAY at Huntingdon, 9/11/11, 2 p.m.

Women’s Soccer:

AWAY at Thomas More, 9/10/11, 11 a.m.

AWAY at Hanover, 9/11/11, 11 a.m.

AT SAMFORD…

Football:

HOME vs. Stillman, 9/10/11, 6 p.m.

Women’s Soccer:

HOME vs. Auburn, 9/9/11, 7 p.m.

Volleyball:

AWAY at Georgia Tech Tournament

– Mercer (9/9/11, 3:30 p.m.), Georgia (9/10/11, 9:30 a.m.), Georgia Tech (9/10/11, 6 p.m.)

Cross Country

AWAY at Auburn Invitational (Women), 9/9/11, All Day

AT MILES…

Football

HOME vs. Concordia-Selma College, 9/10/11, 6 p.m.

THE BARONS…

The Birmingham Barons host Mobile on Thursday and Friday (9/8-9/9, 7:05 p.m.) for a two-game home series to close out the regular season slate at Regions Park.

  ∞

AT UAB:

Men’s Soccer…Beat Mercer (2-0), tied Illinois-Chicago (1-1)

Women’s Soccer…Beat Belmont in OT (3-2), lost to Florida State (0-4)

Volleyball…At the First State Skyhawk Invitational: Split with UT-Martin (3-1, 2-3), lost to Stephen F. Austin (2-3)

AT Birmingham Southern:

Football…Beast LaGrange (28-7)

Men’s Soccer…Beat Blackburn (9-0), lost to Mississippi College (1-2)

Women’s Soccer…Lost to Roanoke (1-2), beat Lynchburg in OT (2-1)

Volleyball…Beat LaGrange (3-0), beat Piedmont (3-1), beat Huntingdon (3-0), beat Stillman (3-0)

AT Samford:

Football…Lost to Georgia-Southern (17-31)

Women’s Soccer…Lost to Memphis (0-2), beat Kennesaw State (4-1)

Volleyball…Beat Arkansas State (3-2), beat Alabama (3-2), beat Alabama A&M (3-0), beat Louisiana Tech (3-0), beat SE Louisiana (3-1)

AT Miles:

Football…Lost to Morehouse College (9-47)

AND finally, the Barons:

The Barons took the series at Tennessee, three games to two.

9/1 – BHM, 5-3 | 9/2 – TN, 3-2 | 9/3 – BHM, 5-0 | 9/4 (DH) – BHM, 5-1 and TN 1-5