UAB FOOTBALL spring showcase recap
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - April 7 2024
Offensive fireworks and a steady effort by the first team defense highlighted the UAB Spring Football Showcase on Saturday at Legacy Pavilion.
“I thought our (No.) 1 defense took huge strides this last week, like massive,” said UAB head coach Trent Dilfer. “It’s really been this whole week that the 1 defense has kind of pushed the offense around, to be honest with you. You saw it today, our 1 offense was not very successful. And a lot of that goes to the 1 defense.”
Dilfer then switched over to the offensive side of the ball.
“Offensively, we probably have a little more understanding and grasp as you get to depth, as the 2s and 3s start stepping in,” Dilfer said. “That showed in the scrimmage today.”
Defensive tackle LeDarrius Cox, defensive end Emmanuel Waller and linebacker Michael Moore led the way for the first team defense. Dilfer said that Cox, a 6-foot-4, 310-pound transfer from Indiana, “was dominant, which was good to see.” It just another step in what was a really good spring for Cox, a Mobile native, who graduated from McGill-Toolen High and began his college career at Ole Miss before transferring to Indiana.
“I thought Emmanuel Waller, again I got to watch the film, but there were times where he wrecked some plays singlehandedly,” Dilfer said. “Michael Moore, he’s been banged up all of camp and really played through some boo-boos, played at a high level.”
Dilfer said he challenged his defensive front this week to get more pressure in the passing game. Waller and Desmond Little had sacks off the edge and the Blazers had some success in pressuring the quarterbacks. The pressure helped force UAB starting quarterback Jacob Zeno into throwing an interception to safety Chris Bracy.
“They should leave with a good taste,” Dilfer said of the defense as they exit spring practice. “I think the personnel is better, we’ve said that. But, more importantly, the mentality is better. I think we’ve really stressed getting off blocks, running to the football. Scheme does some things but defense you got to get aligned right, you got to know your assignment, you got to get off blocks, you got to run to the football.”
Zeno played well throughout spring practice and moved the team well at times on Saturday. But the bulk of the chunk plays came from Lyddy, Campbell and Harrison Baker. Perhaps the most impressive thing from the offense came from a deep receiving corps that was led by Kam Shanks, Brandon Buckhaulter, Amare Thomas and Corri Milliner on Saturday. Shanks’ tumbling touchdown catch on a deep ball thrown by Campbell might have been the best play of the scrimmage.
“We really made some big time plays in the passing game,” Dilfer said “We were talking on the headset, I want to say almost every receiver caught a ball. And every receiver caught a hard ball. It wasn’t just like a wide open, ‘Hey here I am, throw me the ball.’ It was in conflict, we call them contested catches. I was proud of that.”
Overall, Dilfer said the final scrimmage mirrored his team’s play this spring.
“It’s kind of been the story of this group,” Dilfer said. “It’s not a bad story. It’s explosive, yet inconsistent. That’s the message I’ve been giving them on both sides of the ball. We’ll have an explosive play defensively and then give up a run. Offensively, we’ll make a big play and then give up a sack or have a negative run. From a football standpoint, I think that’s the next stage in this group’s development is understanding the discipline and mindset of consistency. We have a lot of good players and they’re going to make a bunch of explosive plays, naturally. Now, they’ve got to do the boring, mundane stuff better. That’s not a bad thing. There’s still a lot of good in that.”