The UAB football team has turned the corner on the final leg of the regular season, finding balance in its offense and mending the aggrieved, and has the potential to claim back-to-back division titles in a three-team race to the finish line.

What was lost, has been found. Those wounded, healed.

The Blazers (7-3, 4-2 CUSA) reinvented the steel in an epic rushing performance last week and regain their full offensive capabilities as quarterback Tyler Johnston III returns for the home finale Saturday against Louisiana Tech at Legion Field in Birmingham.

Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. on ESPN+.

So how do the teams match up? Here is AL.com’s position-by-position breakdown for UAB’s game against the Bulldogs:

Quarterback

Johnston is back after a two-game absence and is as excited as anyone to take the field against the Bulldogs.

Hopkins had a shaky start against Southern Miss – head coach Bill Clark and offensive coordinator augmented the offense last week to suit Hopkins’ running ability – but flourished against UTEP with 163 yards and a score on the ground.

Clark implied this week that both quarterbacks might be used, which may be the smart play with facing a secondary that has made the best in the conference look pedestrian this season.

Unfortunately for Louisiana Tech, four-year starter J’Mar Smith was suspended for two games and that includes the trip to Legion Field. Aaron Allen was efficient – 19-of-32 for 159 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions – but not exactly spectacular in a loss at Marshall, and is expected to get the nod again despite going down late in the game.

The loss of Smith cannot be understated as the redshirt senior has been the face of the Bulldogs’ program for almost the better part of a decade. Advantage: UAB

Running backs

Spencer Brown increased his workload last week by only six carries, finishing with 66 yards and a touchdown, and was well rested with the Blazers taking a commanding lead early and relying on true freshman and leading rusher Jermaine Brown Jr.

With a healthy and deep backfield, along with a focused game plan, the rushing attack had a season-high 353 yards last week and can bring balance to an offense that returns its starting quarterback.

The Bulldogs lose a big part of their running game with Smith on the sideline, but running backs Justin Henderson and Israel Tucker are than capable of carrying the load in an offense that passes first and asks questions later. Henderson leads the team with 799 yards and a league-high 15 touchdowns while Tucker has 253 yards and two scores. Advantage: Even

Receivers

UAB’s receiving corps took a backseat to the running game against UTEP, but the Blazers Big 3 were just as effective in their downfield blocking which contributed to many of the long runs by Johnston and the Brown’s.

The trio of Myron Mitchell, Kendall Parham and Austin Watkins still own a significant share (84.5 percent) of the passing game and have combined for 1,805 yards and 15 touchdowns on 93 receptions this season. Johnston’s return signals a tip of the scales back to the pass, but a balanced attack is now possible with a unit realizing its full potential on both the ground and through the air.

Louisiana Tech has six receivers with more than 200 yards this season – three with more than 450 yards – but lose one of its most valuable in Adrian Hardy, who was suspended two games along with Smith. That leaves Malik Stanley (532 yards and 3 touchdowns) and Cee Jay Powell (457 yards and a touchdown) as the main targets for either Allen or third-string quarterback Westin Elliot. Advantage: Even

Offensive line

After a hodgepodge of injuries to the offensive line, the Blazers are finally healthy along the line of scrimmage with the recent return of seniors Lee Dufour and David Galten. The latter has started the last three games at left guard and Dufour has yet to break into the starting lineup – as not to rush back too soon and reaggravate the injury – with Andrew Smith playing incredibly well at center with seven straight starts since the loss to Western Kentucky.

Despite the fluctuations, the Blazers have given up only 13 sacks this season and re-established its dominance after a rough patch in imposing its will last week against UTEP. The offensive line powered the offense to 449 total yards and an impressive 7.2-yards per rushing attempt.

The Bulldogs have the luxury of an offensive line that hasn’t changed since the season opener, but that same offensive line has also given up 19 sacks this season and will have to face a ferocious UAB defensive front that does not have to contend with its improvisational playmaker at quarterback. Advantage: UAB

Defensive line

Garrett Marino continues to be a force for UAB and he’s not the only one doing the dirty work at the line of scrimmage. Tony Fair and Antonio Moultrie, along with Fish McWilliams, have increased productivity the last few weeks which has made for an even deeper and more frenzied defensive front.

The Blazers are currently seventh nationally in total defense (267.9 ypg) and the defensive line has been especially formative in helping to stop the run and is ranked 10th in rushing defense (99 ypg) this season.

Louisiana Tech lost a dynamic playmaker from a season ago in Jaylon Ferguson and it has shown with the Bulldogs only registering 19 total sacks and 62 tackles for loss so far this year. The Bulldogs allow 141.6 ypg on the ground which bodes well for a UAB offense rediscovering itself in the run game. Advantage: UAB

Linebacker

They might not sing or dance like the Jets or the Sharks, but the UAB linebacker corps is a group you wouldn’t want to meet in any type of alley. Musical or not.

Kris Moll improved his CUSA Defensive Player of the Year candidacy with a highlight interception last week – the junior has 75 tackles (11.5 for loss), six sacks, six quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles and recovery, a pass breakup and interception – and his teammate in the middle, Noah Wilder, has been just as devastating with the duo leading the Blazers in tackles this season.

Senior Fitzgerald Mofor has excelled in his move to the Jack position and Jordan Smith – 40 tackles (13.5 for loss), eight sacks, seven quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles and a pass breakup in 10 games this season – is easily Newcomer of the Year after transferring in from Butler Community College (Kan.) after beginning his career in the SEC at Florida.

The gem of the unit, however, is true freshman Alex Wright from the small town of Elba, Alabama. Wright has 17 tackles (7 for loss), three sacks and two fumble recoveries this season and is one of five true freshmen to earn significant playing time.

Louisiana Tech has a solid group of linebackers and Willie Baker leads the group with 50 tackles (10 for loss), five quarterback hurries and a sack. Collin Scott has also made his presence felt this season with 55 total tackles and the entire front seven has caused enough problems for likes of North Texas’ Mason Fine and Southern Miss’s Jack Abraham. Advantage: UAB

Secondary

The UAB defensive backfield doesn’t have much work to do with the front seven chasing quarterbacks around the backfield but the unit still ranks seventh in passing yards allowed (168.9) this season and has combined for 27 of the team’s 36 pass breakups.

Will Boler had the only interception of the season through the first seven games but the Blazers have picked off a pass in each of the last three games.

While UAB’s secondary is technically the best in the conference, Louisiana Tech has its own CUSA Defensive Player of the Year candidate in Amik Robertson. The junior is tied for fourth on the team with 50 tackles (6 for loss) and has a league-leading 16 pass breakups and five interceptions, two of which he returned for scores.

Along with Robertson, the Bulldogs boast a talented secondary with leading tackler L’Jarius Sneed, and Darryl Lewis, each with an interception, and Michael Sam, who has three picks of his own this season. Advantage: Louisiana Tech

Special teams

After being held without a field-goal attempt against Tennessee and Southern Miss, placekicker Nick Vogel was tried and true last week with a perfect 3-for-3 day that pushed the senior to 12-for-16 on the season while continuing to win the field position battle with 37 touchbacks out of 53 total kickoffs.

Kyle Greenwell had a solid three-punt day against UTEP and is now averaging 41.3 yards on 46 punts with 17 fair catches, 16 kicks downed inside the 20-yard line, four touchbacks and seven punts of 50 yards or more.

UAB has faced quality special teams units this season and it gets no easier with the Bulldogs.

Bailey Hail is 13-for-16 on field-goal attempts this season (long of 50 yards) but has not been as proficient on kickoffs with only five touchbacks out of 64 total kicks. Brady Farlow is only averaging 36.8 yards on 37 kicks, but he is precise with 19 fair catches, nine punts downed inside the 20-yard line and two touchbacks. Advantage: Even

Coaching

Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz has built a sustainable and competitive program in Ruston, but Clark still has the advantage with two straight wins over his counterpart. The Bulldogs are starting Allen at quarterback for the second straight game and the defensive game plan will be to attack often and often. Offensively, Clark has the upper hand with two quarterbacks that have varying skills in which to take of a defense that might have to spend more time on the field than it would like. Advantage: UAB

Overall

The Blazers seem to have finally weathered the storm of injuries and turnover tendencies and are still in a position to win consecutive division titles and play for a second straight conference championship. A win over the Bulldogs would not only create a possible three-way tie scenario between the Blazers, Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss, but it would also be the 18th consecutive victory for UAB at Legion Field and extend the nation’s fourth-longest home-winning streak. Advantage: UAB