BIRMINGHAM – Thursday’s game-tying drive, which is now part of UAB football lore, came without a legendary pre-drive quote by the quarterback, skipped the Hail Mary part and didn’t actually win the game. But it’s still hard for the mind not to drift back to Sept. 18, 2010 at Legion Field.

On that day, the UAB offense nickel and dimed their way on a nine-play, 99-yard drive that began with 1:09 remaining and finished with a 44-yard Hail Mary completion from Bryan Ellis to Jackie Williams with no time left on the ancient Legion Field clock. After Josh Zahn’s extra point, the Blazers celebrated a 34-33 victory over Troy. Now, finding a Troy fan that believes it was actually a touchdown – to this day – is probably pretty difficult. To them, the drive was 98 ½ yards at best but the referees disagreed and the history books show UAB won the game on a game-winning march that began with Ellis walking into the huddle before it started and telling his offensive teammates “we're going to tell our children about this 20 years from now – ‘We went 99 to beat Troy.'"

On Thursday night, Ryder Burton’s message to his teammates wasn’t quite as dramatic with the Blazer trailing 17-9 and the ball sitting at the UAB 7-yard line with 1:35 on the clock.

“I kind of just told the guys, ‘Hey, six seconds at a time. O-line, let's block inside out and I'll make us right from there,’" Burton said.

The six second approach is something he borrowed from his head coach. Alex Mortensen also borrowed it.

“Saban documentary came out, right?,” Burton said. “Been watching it. Obviously, Coach Mort worked under Saban for a while. So there's some sayings that Coach Mort says, and I'm getting PTSD sitting in my room watching (the documentary) because I'm like, ‘Am I at practice right now?’ Like, it's the exact same thing, right? There's a science to this, but Saban was pretty good at the science. Just one of the things that really stood out to me, I feel like it's the first time I got it explained to me really in depth of put the scoreboard out of your mind and it's six seconds. What can you do in the next six seconds to affect the game?”

The first six seconds never started because UAB jumped offside, moving the ball back to the 4-yard line. Burton then missed CJ Smith on the left sideline before rolling right away from pressure and hitting tight end Sean Persson on the right sideline for a nine-yard gain. From there, Burton surgically moved the Blazers down the field, beginning with an 18-yard pass to Ty Mims on a crossing route. He then fit a pass on the same sideline to Smith, who went up to make the reception and stepped out of bounds at the ECU 49-yard line.

The Pirates then slowed down the drive by forcing an incomplete pass and pressuring Burton into throwing the ball away. On 3rd-and-10, after a nice blitz pickup by running back Bam McReynolds, Burton delivered a strike to Smith for a 12-yard gain on the left sideline. Burton then threw perhaps his best pass of the night, getting the ball just over East Carolina defensive back Kevon Merrell. Mims was able to twist his body to make the grab and got both feet in before going out of bounds at the 17-yard line.

Burton threw the ball out of the end zone on the next play and followed by delivering a short pass to McReynolds in the left flat. McReynolds spun away from cornerback Ashton Levells-Mitchell, outran a pair of defenders down the sideline and left his feet to tumble into the end zone. It took a replay review to confirm that McReynolds stayed in bounds to pull UAB to within two points.

The two-point conversion play began with Burton looking to pass.

“Originally, I thought I was gonna be able to get CJ the ball because when I looked out there the corner was inside leverage,” Burton said. “They burned a timeout. They were playing zero (coverage). I was like, ‘Dang it, I really wanted that look to that play." Then they took the timeout (and) came out and played some version of zone, maybe stick coverage. There was outside leverage everywhere. (On) CJ, the corner got underneath it. I was gonna play the shallow to Sean Persson, and he (was) not held but was kind of blanketed. I pushed up in the pocket and I was like, ‘Oh, there's nobody here, let's go get in the end zone.’”

Actually, ECU linebacker Crews Law was in position to possibly make a play. That possibility was taken away when Robinson pivoted and made a solid block that allowed Burton to get into the end zone and force overtime.

Now, the overtime possession for the UAB offense had a story of its own. The 18-yard strike from Burton to Smith on 3rd-and-10 was a thing of beauty and Robinson’s 6-yard touchdown reception came on a play that fooled the ECU defense. But none of that happens without the historical 93-yard touchdown drive that Burton makes sound rather simple.

“Just do what you're coached to do, right?” Burton said. “At the end of the day it's one drive. How many times have we scored touchdowns before on any given drive. So just because the moment's big doesn't mean we all of a sudden change how we approach a drive. Just go out there, execute, block inside out. And then me get my eyes in the right place, throw the ball and let the receivers catch it and do their thing. For us, it was just about doing what we're coached to do. Going out there and executing got us down there.”

BIRMINGHAM – For the record, the UAB football game won by double digits on a Thursday night when the Blazers never led when the clock was running and aside from the scoreless first four minutes and 52 seconds the game was tied for just 35 seconds.

Yep, on a night filled with defense there was some quirkiness to UAB’s 30-17 overtime victory over East Carolina on a day filled with homecoming festivities and a first time visit from ESPN SportsCenter on campus. Perhaps fittingly, the game ended with Delvon Gulley’s overtime interception and return for a touchdown but the late game heroics by Ryder Burton and an offense that sputtered most of the night also grabbed a bit of the spotlight in the nationally televised game on ESPN.

The Blazers ultimately won the game by first putting together a historic game-tying drive that was officially listed as a 10-play, 93-yard drive but actually covered 96 ½ yards after a first play false start. It ended with Burton swinging a pass to Bam McReynolds, who tight roped his way down the sideline for the 17-yard score to pull the Blazers to within 17-15 with 35 seconds on the clock. Burton then provided the tying points by stepping up in the pocket, recognizing the open field in front of him and bursting into the end zone for the two-point conversion.

UAB got the ball first in overtime and converted on 3^rd-and-10 with an 18-yard pass in the middle of the field. After two rushes gained a yard, Burton found Roderick Robinson II open in the left flat and Robinson turned it into a 6-yard touchdown pass. Gulley then ended things on the third play of the ECU possession by stepping in front of a Pirates receiver and intercepting the pass thrown by quarterback Emory Williams.

“Awesome game and I'm sure for people from an entertainment standpoint it was a great game,” said UAB head coach Alex Mortensen after his team improved to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the American Conference. “It was not very entertaining for me for a while. I was talking to Landrum Roberts, who does our radio show, and he said he was so nervous he was gonna throw up. I said, ‘I was just gonna throw up watching the first half.’ But I can appreciate the drama and how hard we fought and the ending. Really, really a neat, neat game. Of course, the football coach in me and the analytical part is just my wheels are turning on, ‘OK, here's all these things we got to do to get better.’"

WHAT IT MEANS: For now, it means the Blazers are finding ways to win at Protective Stadium and still basically in control of their own destiny in American Conference play. In the big picture view, it means Alex Mortensen’s team is taking huge strides forward as a program.

WHEN THE GAME TURNED: Finding the exact moment it turned is difficult. Truth is there might not have been an exact moment. One possibility is that the UAB defense gave the Blazer offense one final chance to get the game into overtime. Obviously UAB’s offense took advantage of the opportunity.

WHY UAB WON: The defense kept the Blazers in the game and Ryder Burton, CJ Smith, Roderick Robinson II and Bam McReynolds came through with some clutch plays in the final moments of regulation and the overtime period. Oh, Delvon Gulley also had a key role with his game-ending pick six interception.

WHAT ARE THE KEY STATS: ECU gained 139 yards on 28 first quarter plays. Over the next three quarters and overtime, the Pirates gained just 178 yards on 49 plays. ECU was 5-of-7 on third down in the first quarter and 4-of-14 the rest of the way. UAB won the turnover battle, 2-0, with Gulley’s interception and a fumble that was forced by Jeremiah Jordan and recovered by Chris Burge. Burton finished 19-of37 for 262 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Burton was sacked three times but none of those came after halftime.

WHO GETS THE GAME BALLS: Ryder Burton deserves kudos for his clutch play late in the game. CJ Smith was outstanding with eight catches for 119 yards and key touchdowns were provided by Rod Robinson and Bam McReynolds. But UAB is not in position to win this game in the final moments without a gritty defensive effort that was led by safety Jo’Tavion Pierce (16 tackles, 10 solo tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, pass breakup, quarterback hurry, forced fumble) and linebacker Muaaz Byard (15 tackles, six solo tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss). Give them a game ball and let them share it with their defensive teammates. It’s also appropriate to throw a game ball to kicker Jonah Delange, who accounted for 10 points in the overtime win.

WHAT DID COACH MORTENSEN SAY IN HIS POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE:

Opening statement: First of all, awesome win, great win for our program. Really proud of our players. I thought they played incredibly hard and tough. It was a tough game, a gritty game. That was a good team that came in here. Ton of respect to Coach Harrell and that team. We expected it to be hard. Their defense, I think was leading the country in tackles for loss going into this game and leading our conference in tackles for loss. We expected it to be a tough game. But, man, they really brought it out. What I’m so pleased and proud with our players for is fight to the end, don’t quit, stay together. There was a period where I think the offense sputtered a little. There was no negativity and there was no negativity defense to offense. We stayed as one team and guys just stayed focused and we played the next play. So, those intangible are really positive to see and that character is really positive to see. That’s what we’re working to develop in our program.

From a football standpoint, I thought our defense played really well. I thought East Carolina did a really good opening the game. They drove the ball and moved it a little bit early. But we did defensively play winning football most of that game. We had some big stops in short yardage situations (and) I thought adapted well to the game. I thought our players settled into it well. I thought Coach Grantham called a good game, had a great plan. Guys competed really hard.

Offensively, it was obvious, man we were struggling, especially at the half. There were points of it that were really rough. We had a dropped ball that was going to score. We had another big play that we got penalized on that went 80, 90 yards (and) put us inside the 5. A couple of times we had chances at explosive plays (and it) got taken from us. Would have been easy to maybe lose your poise or panic or press. We did feel like we had to light a fire under some guys but man great bounce back. Down the stretch, I thought a lot of guys came up with some big plays. Kaleb Brown had a huge catch. CJ Smith had a few big plays. Ty Mims shows up. And then Ryder Burton played awesome tonight. I mean, he got pressured some early. First of all, I'm gonna talk about the demeanor a little bit. His demeanor was great through the game. Kind of that sweet spot of being the tough, fiery competitor that he is and then also keeping his poise when everything wasn't perfect around him. Then made some big throws. I mean, made some really, really big throws at points in critical situations. Also took some shots while he did and kept his eyes in the right place. So just awesome performance by him.

Love this group. We have a lot to get better football-wise to be what we want to be. We have a long bye here in front of us. It's kind of a unique bye to play on Thursday and then go into a 17-day stretch. I think the only other thing I'd say from an opening statement standpoint is those that maybe paid attention during the week got to see this, but UAB Medicine partnering with us, really excited about that. You guys may have seen it on the helmet tonight. So, that's a big, big step and we have other areas in that department we want to keep growing.

I do wanna say one more thing. Our specialists, I think Jonah (Delange) and Ollie (Oliver Straw), those guys have done a really good job. It kind of felt like an old time football game tonight. It was like defense and field position. Those guys really helped keep us in it. I think our defense and our special teams kept us in it and then our offense kind of and played really well down the stretch.

On what was different offensively in the final part of the game: “It's two parts. Some of it, it’s gonna sound like coach speak, some of it is execution. I think I mentioned we had a couple things early. One of them was probably glaring to everyone where we had a play that was going to go a long way. And we had a couple other plays where, without getting into specifics or pinning certain things on certain players, for whatever reason, we just did not execute at the level we needed to early. Secondly, we probably did tilt a little bit scheme-wise. We didn't totally swing the pendulum completely. But we did throw the ball more. We threw it more because this group was tough to run against, they really were. You know, I mentioned that one of the things we wanted to try to stay out of was 3^rd-and-long in this game. Where East Carolina thrives is they've won early downs. I mentioned they led the country in negative yards, in creating tackles for loss, and they're also near the top of the country in creating 3^rd-and-long. You're going, ‘Well, OK, well, we can't let that happen.’ Well, we did. I think getting away from maybe being a little bit stubborn with some aspects of the run game where we were struggling was good for us. The players responded well to it as, too.

On the defense keeping UAB in the game: “The defense kept us in it. We had some touchdowns late in the game and were really finishing drives. But there are a few times where you're going, ‘OK, should we go for it on fourth? Should we look at it at like we're in four down territory and call the whole sequence that way?’ It just felt like our defense was playing just well enough, enough confidence in Jonah as a field goal kicker and then gosh, I mean, I hate punting. I hate doing it, but knowing you got a good punter too. So I think all those things helped us stay in the game. Again, our defense played their tail off and that was huge to allow us to play that way and make some of those decisions. Then the offense finished strong.”

On the decisions made by Ryder Burton in the final part of the game: “I think in the crunch time he played very well, made some outstanding decisions. Some of them were on schedule and then some of them were off schedule. His instincts and his decision-making really kept us alive and helped us win that game. I mean, it really was heavily causative of us winning the game. I think what the best quarterbacks can do, is they can play inside your system, and then they've got some ability to extend plays and kind of play outside of it too and have some of what I like to call good playground instincts. I think he showed both of that tonight.

I want to say Ryder, but I also want to just say the whole offense, too, really had excellent poise. You know, there were moments of frustration, of course, but no one really turned on each other. Didn't get to a state of panic and that was awesome. As it pertains to Ryder, you know, in a game like that, you get rushed a little bit. You do some good things and then maybe you do a couple things you could've done better. Then you got to go try to win the game kind of and do it in a hurry. It can be a psychological challenge for some people. He was great. You know, he's a fierce, tough competitor. He also had tonight, I thought, a real steadiness about him too, that allowed him to make really good decisions and have good judgment. It's one of the things that I thought was one of Bryce Young's best traits. And I think about that Iron Bowl in '21 where it was like, I don't know, the game may have been 10-10 and we were backed up inside the five. We were not playing well on offense. And we converted multiple fourth downs. I think one, there's kind of a little viral image of Bryce smiling before one of the fourth downs, just unflappable. I think that's a really special trait in quarterbacks. I thought tonight Ryder kind of showed some of those type qualities, where he just had a great look in his eye in stressful situations.”

On Ryder Burton’s swag: “Yeah, that's, like, my alter ego. Look, my dad was a huge Muhammad Ali fan. So he used to make me watch all of his fights. That was before I finally started to settle down a little bit. But I can appreciate Ryder's personality a little.”

On stopping the Tush push on consecutive plays: “One, I mean, gosh dang, our defense did a great job. We had a good call, great call on and then those interior D linemen are stout and played with great pad level. There's a little bit of technique and all those things, there's scheme, but man, there's also will. You know, there's will to win, will to fight. That showed up big time.”

On his thoughts when the game was over: “Awesome game and I'm sure for people from an entertainment standpoint it was a great game. It was not very entertaining for me for a while. I was talking to Landrum Roberts, who does our radio show, and he said he was so nervous he was gonna throw up. I said, ‘I was just gonna throw up watching the first half.’ But I can appreciate the drama and how hard we fought and the ending. Really, really a neat, neat game. Of course the football coach in me and the analytical part is just my wheels are turning on, "OK, here's all these things we got to do to get better."

On Jonah Delange: “It's really important to have Jonah. It allows us to call the game a certain way. Jonah's just been so steady. He's had a great year and he's been so clutch and he's helped us in so many situations. I can't say enough about him. I really can't. It helped us win this game. I mean, this was not a shootout, right? I mean, those field goals mattered. I think we want to score touchdowns in the red zone, but there's value in getting the ball down to the red zone, too. Sometimes you got to drive it down there to get it there. Those points add up. So, um, yeah, Jonah is making a tremendous contribution to our team in a really big way.”

On Delvon Gulley returning the final interception for a score instead of falling down to end the game: “I think everyone was (telling him to get down). We'll talk about that one. But it's a great play. It was a great play by him. He played with great technique there, trapped it and finished on the play, got the ball. It was awesome play by him.”

On everything that surrounded the game: “This has been a big week for us, homecoming, Thursday night game, nationally televised game, UAB Medicine being announced. Lot of positive things going on with the program. To punctuate it with a win of that is great. And the other thing, I can just tell you, you lose a game going into a bye it's pretty miserable. That was good to get a win. And this is gonna be a long bye because we played on a Thursday. It's 17 days. Now, at the same time if you get comfortable, that can lead to complacency. I think we have the kind of team, I believe, that tastes a little bit of a good result but is also mature enough to say, "OK, here's all the things we need to do to improve and finish the season the way we want and let's go be focused as we go into this bye with clear objectives to try to step on the gas as we go down the stretch.’

On missing on 4^th-and-2 late in the game and the defensive response: “We, we thought about (kicking a field goal). There was another fourth down in our own territory at a certain point where we thought about going for it. It was like inches and we ended up punting. We could have executed that play better, even with kick it or not kick it. We had a way to succeed on that play without going into too much detail. But thankfully, to your point, the defense really, really answered big time.”

On the play of the offensive line without injured Adam Lepkowski: “They played well. I know that there may have been a little bit of pressure at certain points. Again, I want to give East Carolina credit, too. They've got good pass rushers. Like I said, they're leading the country going in this game in tackles for loss. And some of that is their ability to affect the run game. Some of it's their ability to affect the quarterback. Having Cooper (Young) in there at center, I mean we love Coop. And Coop, the more reps he gets, he's just gonna keep getting better. As you guys know, when you're playing center, it's not just you doing your job, but getting everyone on the same page, too. I think the offensive line will continue to grow. I think one of the interesting things about us, if this is true, I've been told going in this year that our offense as a whole was like bottom 10 percent in the country in terms of snaps played in college football. I think you could definitely say our offensive line, a lot of those guys have not played a lot of college football. What you got to believe a little bit, too is there's opportunity to get better and grow through the year. That's the other thing I'm excited about with that group as we go into the bye and then down the stretch, they should keep getting better.”

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Quarter

• 10:07 - ECU | Ray Ray Roberts Jr. turned a pop pass from Emory Williams into a 3-yard touchdown. Noah Perez added the extra point. The scoring drive lasted 14 plays and covered 75 yards. ECU converted all three third downs on the drive. (7-0, ECU).

Second Quarter

• 14:13 - ECU | Dawson Quartman recovered a fumble by teammate Ismael Smith-Flores in the end zone. The play is officially a 16-yard touchdown pass from Emory Williams to Quarterman. Noah Perez added the extra point. The scoring drive lasted nine plays and covered 60 yards. (14-0, ECU).

• 6:00 – UAB | Jonah Delange made a 41-yard field goal. The scoring drive lasted 12 plays and covered 61 yards. (14-3, ECU).

• Third quarter

• 6:44 - UAB | Jonah Delange made a 26-yard field goal. The scoring drive lasted seven plays and covered 38 yards. The drive came after UAB’s defense kept ECU from gaining a yard on third and fourth down near midfield. (14-6, ECU).

• 1:26 – UAB | Jonah Delange hit a 50-yard field goal. The scoring drive lasted seven plays and covered 50 yards. (14-9, ECU).

Fourth quarter

• 9:24 - ECU | Noah Perez made a 43-yard field goal. The scoring drive lasted 13 plays and covered 50 yards. (17-9, ECU).

• 0:35 – UAB | Bam McReynolds grabbed a 17-yard scoring pass from Ryder Burton. Ryder Burton scrambled into the end zone on the 2-point conversion attempt to tie the game. The scoring drive lasted 10 plays and covered 93 yards.

Overtime

• 0:00 – UAB | Roderick Robinson II scored on a . Ryder Burton scrambled into the end zone on the 2-point conversion attempt to tie the game. The scoring drive lasted 10 plays and covered 93 yards. (24-17, UAB)

• 0:00 – UAB | Delvon Gulley scored on an 80-yard interception return. The extra point was not attempted. (30-17, UAB)

WHERE IS UAB’S NEXT ASSIGNMENT: Hitting the practice field, taking a breath and visiting the training room takes precedent for UAB as the Blazers enter their lone bye of the season. UAB doesn’t return to the field until taking a trip to Tampa for an American Conference game against USF on Halloween.

UAB vs ECU: Matchups, Questions and Keys to the Game

UAB and East Carolina renew their rivalry after 13 year layoff.

Cooper Young Falls Back on Training in Unexpected Role

Mortensen Meets With Media Ahead of East Carolina Game

Memphis Pulls Away From UAB to Win Battle for the Bones

UAB (3-2 OVERALL, 1-0 AMERICAN) AT MEMPHIS (4-1 OVERALL, 1-0 AMERICAN)

SIMMONS BANK LIBERTY STADIUM

SATURDAY, 6 P.M. CST, ESPN2

When Memphis has the ball: Balance is part of Memphis offensive coordinator Kevin Decker’s offense but quarterback Marcus Stokes has been the engine for success thus far. The former four-star recruit could very well be the best quarterback in the American Conference. The 6-foot-2, 209-pound redshirt junior was 90-of-123 for 1,371 yards with 14 touchdowns and three interceptions over the first five games. He threw for nine touchdown in the past two games and his 73.2 percent completion percentage is ninth best in the country. It’s been an explosive passing attack thus far for the Tigers. Hunter Tipton, a 6-foot-5, 241-pound tight end, is thunder and lightning in the same package. He has 19 catches for 367 yards, which is 19.3 yards per catch, with a national tight end best five touchdowns, including an 87-yard touchdown reception. Speedy Jermane Hayes, a 5-foot-10, 160-pound sophomore, has a team-best 22 catches for 242 yards with two touchdowns, including a 93-yard catch-and-run score. Memphis has nine receivers averaging double digit per reception. What can UAB do to slow down the explosive production? This is the steepest challenge of the season, by far, but UAB’s defense has been outstanding against the pass thus far. The Blazers are second in the country in passing yards allowed per game (118.4). But UAB hasn’t faced a passing offense like they will see on Saturday. The projected rainy weather could be helpful but the pass rush could be the biggest key to slowing things down. Memphis has allowed just five sacks thus far. UAB needs to find ways to make Stokes uncomfortable even if the Blazers don’t get a sack. Memphis also has the ability to run the football with success, which could be a problem for the Blazers. Memphis averages 250.4 yards per game on the ground, which is 10^th best in the country. Jaylin Carter, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound sophomore, who followed Memphis head coach from Southern Miss, is third in the American Conference with 513 yards and six rushing touchdowns. UAB allows 183 rushing yards per game, which is 116^th in the country.

When UAB has the ball: Ryder Burton introduced himself to the college football world in last season’s unexpected win over Memphis. Now can he have his breakout game against the Tigers in his first season as a fulltime starter? To be fair, UAB enters Saturday’s game with the Blazers averaging 340 yards and 24 points per game. That might not be good enough on Saturday against the dynamic Memphis offense. UAB needs to be better on offense, beginning with Burton. Now, the offensive struggles are not entirely quarterback driven but the improvement begins with Burton. The junior quarterback is 62-of-110, which is a completion rate of 56.4 percent, for 791 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions. The Blazers need to find some passing game consistency against a Memphis defense that gives up a lot of yards but has the ability to disrupt a quarterback. Memphis has 12 sacks thus far and is credited on PFF with 37 quarterback hurries and 16 quarterback hits. Edge rushers Elijah Kinsler and J’Mond Tapp have a combined 17 quarterback hurries and five quarterback hits, according to PFF, with Kinsler having 3.5 sacks and Tapp having 2.5 sacks. Burton has been pressured 63 times, according to PFF, and has been sacked 13 times. One thing that Burton has done well is scramble away from pressure and make positive yards with his legs, which could slow the rush down. Ty Mims, EJ Reid and CJ Smith have stepped to the front of the wide receiver group thus far. Smith, who played at Memphis last season, got behind the Samford defense twice last week, one resulting in a 31-yard scoring play, and dropped what might have been a second touchdown. With all that said, though, establishing the run will once again e key for a UAB offense that averages 179.6 rushing yards per game. Roderick Robinson II, Braylon McReynolds and Ja’Vin Simpkins combine for 141.2 yards on 31 carries per game. The Blazers are facing a Memphis defense that allows 176.2 rushing yards per game, which is 112^th in the country. That number is skewed a bit by the 357 yards that Boise State gained against Memphis. Charlotte had 132 yards on 24 carries last week but 75 of those yards came on one play in the 59-8 Memphis win. Winning the running game for UAB could also come with winning time of possession and total plays.     

Special teams: Ty Mims has flirted with a punt return touchdown on three different occasions this season, including in last week’s win over Samford. Mims has eight returns for 135 yards, which is an average of 16.9 yards per return, on the season. He is currently 12^th in the country in punt return average and his 16.9 yard per return average would put him third in UAB history in single season average if he maintains that number through the season. Kam Shanks leads the list with 20.56 yards per return in 2024 and Rodregis Brooks averaged 17.5 yards per return in 1999. Boise State’s Cam Bates had a 72-yard punt return for a touchdown against Memphis earlier this season.

Trend to follow: Memphis had less penalties than its opponent in each of the first five games. Overall, the Tigers are 16^th in the country in penalties per game (4.8) and 22^nd in penalty yards per game (44.8). UAB is coming off its first game this season when the opponent had more penalties than the Blazers. UAB is 77^th in penalties per game (6.8) and 81^st in penalty yards per game (59.80). Memphis has been the most penalized team in the Battle for the Bones rivalry in each of the past three games but the Tigers won two of those games.

Hello my name is: Payton Kirkland. The 6-foot-6, 315-pound left tackle saw his first action last week since suffering a lower body injury and leaving the field on a cart in the season opener at Illinois. Kirkland played 30 snaps in the win over Samford and was graded by PFF as the team’s top overall blocker (71.6) and pass blocker (78.5). Keyon Cox played well as the starter in his absence and was still working with first team at left tackle this weeking during media viewing period at practice. Having both available strengthens the offensive line.

How Memphis wins: At this point it would be hard for UAB to win a high-scoring game, so continuing to click offensively is a key for the Tigers. Making UAB throw the ball, particularly in the rain, would be big for Memphis.

How UAB wins: Once again it begins with playing a relatively clean game and winning the running game. If the Battle for the Bones version of Ryder Burton shows up that will enhance UAB’s chances to win.

Coach’s corner: UAB head coach Alex Mortensen and Memphis head coach Charles Huff spent two years together as part of Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama in 2019 and 2020.

One more thing: UAB’s starting lineup on defense includes eight players who have started every game this season. The starters in all five games are defensive tackle Cam Cunningham, linebackers Ike Esonwune and Muaaz Byard, defensive end Marlin Dean, nickel Anta’Veon McKenzie, cornerbacks Darrell Sweeting and Delvon Gulley and free safety Jeremiah Jordan. Strong safety Jo’Tavion Pierce started the past four games after Diezel Wilkinson got the start in the opener. Only five offensive players – linemen Adam Lepkowski, Calib Perez, Donovan Lawrence and Barrett Maddox and quarterback Ryder Burton – have started each of the first five games. Tight end Antonio Ferguson started the first four games but missed the Samford game with an injury and is expected to be out this week.

Winning the second half, particularly the fourth quarter, has been a mark of UAB’s football season thus far.

Take away the season-opening loss to Illinois, where UAB got outscored 21-10 after halftime and didn’t score a second half touchdown until the final seconds of a convincing loss, and the Blazers have been the better team in the second half of all their games. Combine all the second halves this season, including the Illinois game, and UAB outscored their opponents 60-31 after halftime. Take away the Illinois game and it’s 50-10. UAB hasn’t allowed a fourth quarter point since giving up 14 to Illinois and won the final period by a combined 44-0 over the past four games. Seven of those fourth quarter points at Illinois came on an interception return by the Illini.

UAB beat Louisiana-Monroe by scoring 13 fourth quarter points and the Blazers had 17 of their 20 second half points in the final quarter. The Blazers didn’t allow a second half point in a road loss at Louisiana, which kept them in position to nearly erase a 14-point halftime deficit. The Navy game was largely won because of a pair of fourth quarter turnovers forced by defensive end Marlin Dean and a 48-yard touchdown run by Bam McReynolds.

Alex Mortensen there are a few layers to his UAB team’s second half success.

“One, we talked about the prerequisite for effort is conditioning,” Mortensen said. “We worked really hard on building conditioning in the off-season. Some of it goes back to winter, some of it's how we handled June and July. I think Coach Lyle Henley's done an excellent job, and Bryant Novick and Santonio (Jones), that whole strength staff. Then some things we did as a team too. I also think there's a psychological component with the players. We really do try to create this mindset of being a relentless competitor. I think a multitude of guys have bought into that.”

Mortensen said there’s also a “schematic and tactical component to that.”

“I think that's where the staff on both sides of the ball, Coach Grantham and the defensive staff, the offensive staff, have done a good job tactically making any adjustments or tweaks,” Mortensen added. “Some people talk about halftime adjustments maybe being overstated. But they still can be a factor in a game. Then it's also not just enough for the coaches to be able to make those adjustments, but the players have to be able to keep up with them and execute them. I think it's really all of those things factor in and hopefully we can continue to build on that.”

They will be challenged on Saturday in the Battle for the Bones rivalry at Memphis. The Tigers outscored UNLV, 20-7, after halftime in a 27-21 Memphis victory. Memphis outscored Arkansas State, 21-7 in the second half after the Tigers built a 21-17 lead at halftime  Overall, Memphis has outscored opponents, 87-57, in the second half. Their biggest second half hiccup came in their only loss of the season. Boise State outscored Memphis, 21-0, in a 38-20 win over the Tigers.