Steve Irvine’s q&A with UAB offensive coordinator alex mortensen
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - September 26, 2024
It’s been sort of a rollercoaster start to the season for the UAB offense. The Blazers are coming off a solid offensive performance against Arkansas, that was followed by an important bye week. UAB offensive coordinator Alex Mortensen stopped after practice on Wednesday to look back at the first four weeks, including the bye, and look ahead to Saturday’s AAC matchup with Navy at Protective Stadium.
What did you learn about your offense during the bye week self-evaluation and did the bye come at a good time? “I think, it's a little bit unusual to have a bye that early. It happens, it seems like, every four or five years or so. But I do think it came at a good time. The big thing, I think, there are a lot of things we've learned already about the team, you know, and I think our players learned. One of the things is, there's this old saying that before you win a game, you've got to keep from losing it. You know, it almost sounds so obvious, but there's a lot of truth to it. I think, when you look at the early part of our season, offensively, you know, we don't want to give a game away. I think you want to make a team have to beat you. The thing I think we did a little better against Arkansas, we did put the ball on the ground one time, we recovered it, but we protected the ball pretty well. The only turnover we had was the very last play of the game, where a ball gets tipped. We actually had a guy wide open running in the end zone that would have scored. So I thought, like, in terms of doing the little things, we were better, but not quite to our standard. There were a couple of false starts. We got behind the sticks on a couple penalties. We do need to eliminate those things, but I thought we took a step to playing closer to a cleaner game and into our standard from that standpoint.”
Were there some surprises, good and bad, that happened during the first three weeks? “Yeah, I think there are some things. I think a lot of practice, you hope, should be habit creation. You're trying to create habits that are so strong that they're going to stand up under stress, under duress of competition. There are certain things that you thought, maybe, were a habit (and) guys did things that you didn't expect them to do in a game. Some of that might be related to ball security, some of that might be related to technique, to pad level, to even the toughness and energy and effort we play with. There were a couple things, but then, in a positive way, I think we took a good step. Not all the steps, we got more steps to take, but I think we took a good step, and guys did play better from that standpoint (against Arkansas).”
Going into the Navy game, how much did you study the frustrating day you had last year against this team? “We did (study that game) and we do a lot of those things in the offseason too. I mean, after every game, we do an after-action report, what do we do well, what do we not do well. Did we make preparation errors? What were the critical factors in the game? Those are all things we look at, so you can go back and reference those things in the offseason, Then, of course, you get into a game week and you're dealing with playing against the same staff. We do look at those things, and then at the same time, I think you also have to recognize that we've turned the page. It's a new year. We have a new team. We have a new team in a lot of ways. We have some players that left us. We've got some players that have joined us, and then the guys that are back are different. They have a year in the weight room. They have a year of training, so we're a new team. I think it is wise to learn from the past, learn from history, and see maybe some of the things that happened in the game from a year ago. But, also, the recognition that there are a lot of new variables.”
What are your impressions of this year’s Navy defense? “One, I think they’re a really good team. They play hard, they play fast and they run to the ball. I think the scheme is well thought out and sound. I think they do a good job in their pre-snap disguises. There's a lot of good things. And they have good athletes, too. I think that's something that they do have good athletes on defense. I think they get pretty good team speed. So, they do a lot of things well, they really do.”
How much do you take into account what the opposing offense does when the staff is putting together your own offensive game plan? “I think a lot of that stuff, I do think a lot of those are head coach things. But Coach Dilfer and I do have those conversations. He has those conversations with all the coordinators and really the whole staff. Looking at all three phases, how do they all play together? Are there complementary elements in terms of how we play, affect the defense, and vice versa? So the short answer is yes. But I still think, too, there is an element of control things you can control. I think you can, if you start getting those things in your head, like, Oh my goodness, we have to build a lead, we have to play fast, we have to get off to a fast start. Well, I think one of the important things is how well do you respond? You have to respond well with poise. The game is not won on one play, it's not won in one series. I think you've got to prepare for a 15-round fight. As a coach, that's the psychology with the players, but as a coach, you can't ignore those things in terms of how all the phases fit together. And I do think that's important.”
Where is Jacob Zeno now in terms of his progression after three games? “By and large, I've been pleased with Jacob. Jacob has done a really good job to this point. And I think he's capable of playing even better. I really do, maybe a lot better. But I thought in the last game, I think he played really, really well. He had a lot of completions and took care of the ball. I think he's continued to be an intelligent scrambler of the ball and shown toughness. I think maybe there's been a couple of moments he could be better. But he's aware of those. They're not things that bother me in terms of things that worry me.”
Do you think this season’s team has the ability to run the ball with more consistency than last season? “I think so, (but) I think it's a little too early to call it. A year ago, I think, we had a very young offensive line. I don't know if this stat is true. Someone told me we were one of three teams in college football that did not have a returning starter on the offensive line. We didn't have a single one. I mean, you could kind of count Brady Wilson but not really. I think there's a different (situation now), the guys that are back have grown up and I think we've also done a good job in recruiting. I think that helps and then also I think last year was a little different too, in terms of run attempts. Sometimes if you get down in a game by whatever, you got to maybe throw it to try to get back in the game. We didn't have a philosophy like hey we're not (going to run). I think there were times, if you looked at how we played a lot of games, we did run it well and run it effectively. But I do think we probably feel like we've improved in that area this year, in terms of especially what we have up front and how those guys are playing. But there's a lot still remains to be seen. I thought the Arkansas game, we played with a lot better pad level and effort up front. And, though we didn't have a lot of explosive runs, we were able to keep the chains moving. We converted a lot of short yard situations running the ball. The other element of that, too, is the physicality of the backs. They played with good pad level. They didn't get tackled as easily. Even if you go back to the Alcorn State game, they played a lot better at the second level. You can’t block them all. That's my long -winded way of saying, yeah, I think we can run it better. We're on a good arc right now. And when I say a good arc, for the last, let's call it 10 days. But we gotta keep getting better.”