SMU needs to do three things Saturday in Birmingham: Shake off the flu bug, play more consistent on offense and stop UAB Quarterback Joe Webb. Chicken soup is probably only going to help with one of those.

At the completion of practice Thursday, head coach June Jones indicated that some players had returned while others were missing due to the flu. He hoped they would not be too depleted by game time.

One individual that SMU needs healthy is sophomore running back Shawnbrey McNeal. With 158 yards on 19 carries last week, McNeal has added a whole new dimension to SMU's offense.

"That guy makes UAB really nervous," said Steve Irvine of the Birmingham News, referring to McNeal. "They already knew that SMU would give them a handful with their passing game but the talk here all week has been about trying to find a way to stop the run. They know that this guy can be dangerous."

SMU's offense was working on consistency this week after an injury to true freshman wide receiver Darius Johnson and a subpar performance from sophomore quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell.

"Bo was fighting (the flu) even on Monday," said Coach June Jones. "It is hard for a quarterback to mentally stay plugged in, but that the nature of the job. You have to be mentally tough."

While the offense is looking to get its engine started, Jones was impressed over the last few days with how the defense has kept chugging along.

"The defense is starting to believe in themselves and coming together as a unit," said Jones.

It's good timing considering the tough task of an early conference game against an explosive offense.

"I don't even know how Joe Webb does it," said Irvine. "There are plays where I know for sure he's going to get tackled but he still gets past people. I witness it and still don't believe it sometimes."

Webb, UAB's junior quarterback, wracked up 194 yards of rushing and two touchdowns.

"They want to be a run team and we have to stop the run," Jones said. "Their quarterback is something special. He is a big play guy and if you miss one tackle he will take it to the house."

And that would leave everyone feeling sick.

- Jones indicated junior cornerback Sterling Moore would see more time after an impressive game last week.

- Look for sophomore wideout Cole Beasley to get most of the reps for Darius Johnson. He has been taking the first team reps this week.

- Clear as the nose on your face observation of the week: Sophomore running back Shawnbrey McNeal will be a bigger part of the offense.