Independence Bowl: BYU vs UAB 12/18/21 College Football Picks, Predictions, Odds

The BYU Cougars and UAB Blazers clash Saturday afternoon in the college football Independence Bowl at Independence Stadium in Shreveport. The UAB Blazers look for a win after winning five of their last seven games. The BYU Cougars look to build on their five-game winning streak.

The UAB Blazers have won four of their last five non-home games. Dylan Hopkins is completing 64.2 percent of his passes for 2,085 yards, 15 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Gerrit Prince and Trea Shropshire have combined for 1,338 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns, while RaJae’ Johnson-Sanders has 23 receptions. The UAB Blazers ground game is averaging 176.7 yards per contest, and Dewayne McBride leads the way with 1,188 yards and 12 touchdowns. Defensively, UAB is allowing 22.8 points and 323.9 yards per game. Noah Wilder leads the UAB Blazers with 86 tackles, Alex Wright has 6 sacks and Grayson Cash has 3 interceptions.

The BYU Cougars have won three straight non-home games. Jaren Hall is completing 63.9 percent of his passes for 2,583 yards, 20 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Puka Nacua and Gunner Romney have combined for 1,335 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns, while Neil Pau’u has 46 receptions. The BYU Cougars ground game is averaging 187.6 yards per contest, and Tyler Allgeier leads the way with 1,414 yards and 20 touchdowns. Defensively, BYU is allowing 24.3 points and 386.3 yards per game. Ben Bywater leads the BYU Cougars with 93 tackles, Pepe Tanuvasa has 3 sacks and Malik Moore has 3 interceptions.

The Blazers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog and 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 games overall. The Cougars are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games in December and 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The over is 4-1 in Blazers last 5 games overall. The over is 4-1 in Cougars last 5 games on grass.

The BYU Cougars are the more talented team here and have the ability to win comfortably, but they’ve also been shaky defensively as of late, and it’s resulted in a lot of close games and failed covers. The UAB Blazers are a scrappy bunch that stops the run defensively and is 15th in total defense. I’d also assume UAB is more motivated for this game, a program that’s often overlooked. BYU started the season 5-0 and was top-10 in the country with possible playoff hopes. A middle of the day bowl game against a program that took a hiatus a few years ago isn’t what they had in mind. Give me UAB and the free touchdown.