Opponent Preview - UAB
UAB Facts:
Location: Birmingham, AL
Stadium: Protective Stadium
Field Type: Turf
Capacity: 47,100
Enrollment: 13,547
2024 Record: 4-8 (3-5 AAC)
Last Bowl: 2022 Bahamas Bowl (24-20 W Miami OH)
All-Time Bowl Record: 3-3
2023 Attendance: 21,543 (91st nationally)
All-Time Series: 0-0
Last Meeting: First Meeting
Returning Starters: 7 Off, 4 Def
Lettermen: 38 Returning, 29 Lost
Schedule:
8/29- Alcorn State
9/7- at Louisiana-Monroe
9/14- at Arkansas
9/28- Navy
10/5- Tulane
10/12- at Army
10/19- at USF
11/2- Tulsa
11/9- UConn
11/16- at Memphis
11/23- Rice
11/30- at Charlotte
2024 UAB:
UAB struggled in 2023, going 4-8 in HC Trent Dilfer’s first season with the Blazers. The offense was not the issue, as they averaged 29.9 points per game, 450 yards per game, including 289 passing yards a game with a completion percentage of 71.7%. QB Jacob Zeno, who transferred in from Baylor, threw for 3,126 yards, a completion percentage of 73.6%, and a TD:INT ratio of 20:9. He’s good. Backing Zeno up is Florida transfer Jalen Kitna, and Landry Lyddy, who was forced into duty whe Zeno missed the Memphis game last year. UAB is pretty set at QB, with one of the best in the G5.
Leading rusher Jermaine Brown departs after a career that ended with him as the 3rd leading rusher in school history, and amassing over 5,000 all-purpose yards. They have a solid tandem in Isiah Jacobs (brother of Josh), and Lee Beebe. Jacobs rushed for 249 yards and 3 TDs, before being lost for the season after five games. Beebe rushed for 360 with an average yards per carry of 6.9. They should share the starting duty this year. They supplemented through the portal, adding LSU transfer Armoni Goodwin, who made three starts and rushed or 534 yards in the past two seasons in Baton Rouge.
Last year’s leading receiver, Tejhaun Palmer departs, having caught 47 passes for 858 yards and seven TDs. As a true freshman, Amare Thomas was second on the team with 53 catches for 437 yards. He returns, hoping to avoid a sophomore slump. TJ Jones, Iverson Hooks, and Brandon Buckhaulter all return, so this is an experienced unit, but they need someone to step up as WR1. It very well could be Thomas. UAB has good size at receiver, with Buckhaulter at 6’3” 205, and Jones 6’1” 200. They also return TE Bryce Damous, who caught 24 passes for 242 yards.
All five starters return on the offensive line, and they have six players who made five or more starts last season. C Brady Wilson started all 12 games last year, and return Quez Yates at LG, who made five starts each at RT and RG. RG Zaire Flournoy returns after missing last season, and the Blazers added South Carolina transfer JonDarius Morgan. Presumably, this will be a unit that will rotate guys in and out, but they have plenty of depth and experience from a unit that last season allowed 32 sacks.
On the defensive line, it’s also an experienced unit, even though only two starters return. Kevin Penn, and Desmond Little (43 tackles/4 sacks, and 29 tackles/5.5 sacks, respectively) return, and the Blazers added LeDarrius Cox from Indiana, and Jonthan Allen from Ole Miss. It’s a unit that can go several deep, but needs to improve after allowing 197 yards per game, 5.2 yards per carry, and only had 27 sacks.
At linebacker, the Blazers lose their second leading tackler, Alabama transfer Jackson Bratton, after totaling 70 tackles, 2.5 for loss. The good news for this unit, is true freshman Everett Roussaw stepped up with 50 tackles, and they add Purdue transfer OC Brothers (19 tackles, 5 TFLs in six games last year), and Alabama State transfer, and former Jerry Rice Award (top FCS freshman) finalist Adrian Maddox, who notched 90 tackles and 12 pass breakups in the past two seasons.
The secondary has lost a lot in the past two seasons, losing seven DBs going into last season, then losing five more this past offseason. Despite the heavy losses, this unit allowed 238 passing yards per game, which I would say isn’t terrible given the circumstances. As such, they’ve hit the transfer portal hard, adding Troy Jakubec, who was 2nd team All-Missouri Valley at Youngstown State, his teammate Tyjon Jones (42 tackles last season), Georgia Tech transfer Sirad Bryant (seven tackles last year), and Minnesota transfer Tariq Watson (ten tackles last year). Former Clemson Tiger and USF Bull Ray Thornton returns after totaling 20 tackles, as does Colby Dempsey, who notched 37 tackles and nine pass breakups. UConn fans may remember late recruiting flip in 2022 Ricky Lee Jr, who looks to back up Dempsey, after twenty tackles last year. They’ll hope to stabilize the position this season.
Special Teams wasn’t the best last season, as K Matt Quinn struggled, connecting on only 11-18 FGs. Jonah Delange should take over for Quinn, after handling kickoffs last year, with 14 touchbacks on 69 kickoffs as a true freshman. P Patrick Foley returns after landing just nine punts inside the 20 on 40 attempts, averaging a net of 38.5 yards per punt. Both returners are gone, in Brown and Mac McWilliams. McWilliams returned just six punts, but averaged ten yards per return. Brown returned 15 kicks for 331 yards. They need to return more punts to help with the field position battle.
Prediction:
Defense was the issue for this UAB team last season, allowing 30+ points in eight games, averaging 36.9 points per game allowed. Any progress will start there, as the offense was strong, and will continue to be this year. With all that said, I don’t know that the UConn defense will be able to handle the passing attack, especially in light of injuries to Reggie Akles and Dean Engram, stretching an already thin secondary even thinner. Not a great matchup for the Huskies, and I don’t think it goes well.
UAB 38 UConn 24
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