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Jalen Kitna got the start at UConn. Ryder Burton got most of the reps. Now Alex Moretensen has a decision to make behind center. UAB still has questions at the quarterback position following its 38-19 loss at UConn over the weekend. After missing the game against Memphis with shoulder injuries, Kitna reclaimed his starter role behind center against UConn. The redshirt senior led the Blazers on two scoreless drives, completing 2 of 5 passes for 9 yards and an interception. From there, UAB turned to Burton, who made his first career start during the Blazers’ win over Memphis. After coming in for Kitna on UAB’s third series, Burton played the remainder of the game, completing 21 of 30 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns with a pair of interceptions. The redshirt sophomore also ran for 45 yards, excluding his five sacks. During his Monday news conference, Mortensen explained the plan was always to start Kitna against UConn before bringing in Burton during the third series. From there, it was determined that Kitna’s limited mobility was a poor fit against a UConn pass rush that ranks tied for second nationally with 33.0 sacks. “Jalen Kitna, without disclosing too much specifically, had some pretty significant injuries coming out of that FAU game,” Mortensen said. “He is an absolute warrior competitor and really battled his way back. … Ryder had shown the ability to escape, you know, has some escapability with his feet. You know, just keeping Jalen out of harm’s way. I just felt like Ryder gave us the opportunity to extend plays if we needed to. We ended up going that way for the rest of the game.” Where does that leave UAB moving forward? “We’re still discussing exactly how we’re going to handle that situation,” Mortensen said. “There’s going to be some health things taken into consideration, too, as we get more information on that in the coming days.” Assuming Kitna is at full health, Mortensen will have an interesting decision to make. While Kitna didn’t look convincing against UConn, his two series are a small sample size to judge. It’s also worth noting that he still ranks 24th nationally, averaging 255.0 yards per game through the air. Including his brief appearance over the weekend, Kitna has completed 68.5 % of his passes for 1,785 yards and 10 touchdowns with six interceptions. “He’s a very physically gifted guy,” Mortensen said. “So I think Jalen Kitna’s got every reason to be very confident.” Burton threw an interception on his first pass of the game, before taking back-to-back sacks to set up a punt from deep in the end zone during his second possession. He was able to battle back in the second half, leading the Blazers to touchdowns on three of their final four possessions. “He did a lot of good things,” Mortensen said. “But I also think he would tell you there were a couple of things where his eyes could have gotten somewhere quicker that maybe would have prevented a sack, or maybe he doesn’t have to scramble. And we’re going to have a chunk play or an explosive play on some of those, too. “He’s young. He’s only started one college football game, and I think he’s got an incredibly bright future and still very excited about him.” Burton earned weekly honors from the Manning Award following his first career start against Memphis when he completed 20 of 27 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns with an interception. Mortensen said Burton might have benefited from knowing he was going to be the starter heading into the Memphis game. Regardless, he’ll need more consistency from the redshirt sophomore moving forward. “As quarterbacks, we need to take on the challenge of can we take the mental reps and turn them into physical reps when we get them,” Mortensen said. “He understands that too.” UAB (3-5, 1-3) will travel to Rice (4-5, 1-4) for a 1 p.m. CT kickoff on Saturday inside Rice Stadium. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
