Steve Irvine’s Five Storylines For UAB vs. Tulsa
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - November 1, 2024
TULSA VS. UAB
Site, kickoff time: Protective Stadium, 1:30 p.m. CT
Record: Tulsa 3-5 overall, 1-3 AAC; UAB 1-6 overall, 0-4 AAC
Five storylines
1. Will the momentum of last week’s second half comeback carry over for Tulsa? The Golden Hurricane certainly has momentum after erasing a 35-7 halftime lead in a miraculous 46-45 win over UTSA last Saturday. Quarterback Cooper Legas entered the game for struggling starter Kirk Francis early in the second quarter with Tulsa trailing 20-0 and threw a touchdown pass on his first series. He finished 16-of-31 passing for 333 yards with five touchdowns and also was the team’s leading rusher with 75 yards gained and 46 net rushing yards. Without that comeback, Tulsa would be carrying a four-game losing streak into Saturday’s game. Will the confidence of coming off a win make a difference against a UAB team that has lost six straight.
2. How will UAB attack the Tulsa defense? Seven games into the season and it’s hard to pinpoint an offensive identity for the Blazers. Are they a passing team? Are they a running team? Do they strive for balance? Truthfully, it’s hard to answer those questions. UAB is throwing the ball more often with Jalen Kitna at quarterback the past three games. Kitna has 138 passing attempts (46 per game) in his three starts. Jacob Zeno threw 119 passes (29 per game) in his four starts. In the first four games, UAB averaged 41 carries per game. In the last three games, UAB averaged 27 carries per game. Tulsa is last in the AAC in pass defense, allowing 294 yards per game through the air, so that could be a good place to start.
3. Can Amare Thomas continue his increased production? The sophomore receiver had 20 catches for 248 yards with four touchdowns in the past three games. He began the season by catching 14 passes for 122 yards with two touchdowns in the first four games. Obviously, a bigger emphasis on throwing the ball over the past three games have given the standout receiver – as well as others – more of a chance. Thomas is also close to cracking the program’s top 10 for career with receptions with 87 catches catches in 19 games. He needs six catches to move into the top 10.
4. Will UAB kicker Jonah Delange continue to be the Blazers’ most consistent player? First things first. Delange is still one of only four kickers in the country with double digit fields without a miss. Of those four, Delange’s 14 made field goals are the most. He also is 13-for-13 on extra points. But, is it a good thing when a kicker is the most consistent player on the field? Trent Dilfer is extremely confident his team will get points when Delange trots on the field but would rather he kicks more extra points than field goals.
5. How many points will UAB score today? The Blazers average 21 points per game, which is 13th best in the conference. Take away the 41 points the Blazers scored in a season-opening win over Alcorn State and UAB has not scored more than 27 points in a game this season. Last season, UAB scored more than 30 points in six games, including a season-best 56 points in a win over South Florida. Touchdowns in the red zone have been a problem this season for UAB. The Blazers have just 10 touchdowns in 24 red zone appearances. They’ve also had a problem with promising drives bogging down outside of the red zone because of penalties, sacks, dropped or poorly thrown passes and other untimely mistakes.