Houston @ Alabama-Birmingham preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 9, 2008 ) Alabama-Birmingham 20, Houston 45

THE STORY: Case Keenum broke the NCAA record for career touchdown passes in No. 14 Houston’s 73-34 blowout of Rice last week, and the senior quarterback needs only 267 passing yards Saturday at Alabama-Birmingham to break the all-time record of 17,072 held by Hawaii’s Timmy Chang. On paper, it doesn’t look like the Blazers will put up much of a fight. They rank 116th nationally in pass efficiency defense and 112th in scoring defense. Alabama-Birmingham leads the all-time series 4-3, but Houston took the last two meetings in 2007 and 2008, Keenum’s freshman and sophomore seasons.

TV: CBS Sports Network. LINE: Houston -27.5.

ABOUT HOUSTON (8-0, 4-0 Conference USA): Keenum threw wherever he wanted last week against the Owls, finishing with 534 yards and nine touchdowns. Five of those scores went to wide receiver Patrick Edwards, who is second nationally in receiving yards (1,069) and first in touchdown receptions (11). Edwards, a senior, is already Houston’s record holder for career receiving yardage, and he needs one more touchdown to break that mark. The Cougars enter the game on top nationally in scoring offense (52.3), total offense (612.4) and passing offense (453.3).

ABOUT ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM (1-7, 1-4): The Blazers lost their first six games of the season, but last weekend’s 59-14 loss at sub-.500 Marshall was perhaps their ugliest game of 2011. Alabama-Birmingham trailed 38-0 at halftime and finished with only 70 rushing yards. The Blazers have given up at least three passing touchdowns in five separate games, which isn’t a good sign when trying to prepare for Keenum, who’s thrown for five more scores than anyone else in NCAA history. With seven losses, UAB is also assured of its seventh consecutive losing season.

EXTRA POINTS:

1. The Cougars have never started a season 9-0.

2. Houston has 31 scoring drives of six plays or less and 34 that lasted two minutes or less.

3. The Blazers’ 45-point loss was their worst since falling 70-14 at Southern Miss in 2008.

PREDICTION: Houston 63, UAB 28 - Keenum will have no trouble slicing through the Blazers’ meager defense and could break the passing yardage mark by halftime.