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After living on cloud nine the past two weeks following its upset win over Memphis, UAB will return to action on Saturday when it travels to UConn. The Blazers (3-4, 1-3) enter the matchup looking for their first road win since the 2022 season. Meanwhile, UConn (5-3) has won its last five gams inside Pratt & Whitney Stadium. UAB is currently a 12.5-point underdog for Saturday’s matchup. UConn won the only meeting between the two schools, beating the Blazers, 31-23, in Birmingham last season. Key matchups UConn quarterback Joe Fagnano vs. UAB’s pass defense One of the biggest turning points in UAB’s upset win over Memphis came when safety Pierre Royster picked off a pass in the end zone early in the fourth quarter. The Blazers could use some similar heroics this weekend. However, opportunities like that come few and far between against this UConn team. The Huskies have turned the ball over just one time over eight games this season. That came on a Week 6 fumble against FIU in a game where UConn won the turnover battle 5-1. Huskies quarterback Joe Fagnano has been extremely safe with the ball, leading the nation with 274 pass attempts without an interception. The graduate has completed 67.9% of his passes for 2,262 yards and 18 touchdowns, including 11 scores through the air during his last three games against FIU, Boston College and Rice. Last season, Fagnano completed 5 of 12 passes for 72 yards and two touchdowns without an interception during UConn’s win at UAB. “He’s really an impressive player,” UAB interim coach Alex Mortensen said on Monday. “He’s been incredibly efficient [with his] touchdown to interception ratio, which is really, really impressive. He’s been both productive and he’s been aggressive and yet efficient. He hasn’t put his team in a bad position and helped them play good team football in all three phases. He definitely warrants the recognition he’s received so far.” UAB ranks 97th nationally in pass defense, allowing 238.4 yards per game through the air. The Blazers have allowed 15 passing touchdowns while intercepting three passes. UAB running back Solomon Beebe vs. UConn’s run defense Winning the turnover battle is one of the biggest keys to pulling off an upset on the road. Another is hitting big plays. Fortunately for UAB, it has the weapons to pull off some of those over the weekend. The Blazers’ best chance of getting chunk yardage this weekend figures to be Solomon Beebe. The sophomore back broke off an 81-yard touchdown run against Memphis two weeks ago and has the home-run potential to punish a UConn defense that ranks tied for 119th nationally, allowing 46 runs of 10 or more yards this season. Beebe has been used as a change-of-pace option this year t, spelling starter Jevon Jackson on occasion. Through seven games, he has just 28 carries for 216 yards but leads the team with five rushing touchdowns and a 7.71 yards-per-attempt average. In addition to his big-play potential in the running game, Beebe has 23 receptions for 239 yards. “Offensively, he is a guy that we found different ways to get on the ball, through jet sweeps, perimeter screens, the passing game, and then still give him some carries as well,” Mortensen said. “We felt like early on in his career, he was still developing certain traits as a true running back, whether it’s vision, patience, decision making. And what’s exciting to us is, we think he’s grown in that area significantly, and he’ll continue to as well.” Beebe also ranks No. 19th nationally, averaging 25.18 yards on 17 kick returns. Altogether, Beebe ranks 10th in the nation, averaging 126.1 all-purpose yards per game. UConn’s running game vs. UAB’s front seven UConn’s been pretty solid at carving out big plays on the ground as well. The Huskies rank No. 25 nationally in yards per carry (5.13) and are tied for 17th with eight runs of 30 or more yards from scrimmage. UConn running back Cam Edwards ranks No. 12 nationally with 753 yards while averaging a respectable 5.84 yards per attempt. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound redshirt junior also leads the Huskies with eight rushing touchdowns. UAB ranks ninth-worst nationally, allowing 199.71 yards per game on the ground. That being said, the Blazers were able to limit Memphis to 119 yards on 25 attempts two weeks ago. Mortensen said he has seen improvement from UAB’s run defense, but noted there is “still more work to be done” in that area of the game. “Last week, we were able to play with a lead, which I think maybe affected the opponent a certain way, which maybe helped,” Mortensen said. “So, you know, every game is a little different. These guys are a little bit different. So, we’re hopeful that [from] the bye week and this week, we have gotten better.” Storylines Who gets the start at quarterback? Alex Mortensen has kept things close to the vest when it comes to who will start at quarterback this week. Redshirt sophomore Ryder Burton filled in for injured starter Jalen Kitna during the win over Memphis, completing 20 of 27 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns with an interception. That performance earned Burton weekly honors from the Manning Award, but it didn’t necessarily net him the starting role moving forward. After all, Kitna ranks No. 7 nationally, averaging 296 passing yards per game this season. The redshirt senior has completed 69.1% of his passes for 1,776 yards and 10 touchdowns with four interceptions through six games. “Our feeling is we’ve got multiple talented quarterbacks and we want to find ways to use all their talents,” Mortensen said. “Without being any more specific than that, we’re going to try to find a way to do that.” Ending the road woes UAB doesn’t need to be reminded of its recent struggles on the road. The Blazers failed to record a win away from home during Trent Dilfer’s tenure as head coach, going 0-15 in road games over his two and a half seasons with the team. UAB’s last road win came in 2022 when it ended the regular season with a 37-27 win at Louisiana Tech. That year, the Blazers finished 7-6 with a win in the Bahamas Bowl. If Mortensen wants to lead the Blazers to a bowl this season, he’ll need to have more road success than his predecessor. UAB needs to win three more games to be bowl eligible. The toughest two games on the Blazers’ remaining schedule come at home, as they host North Texas (7-1, 3-1) on Nov. 15 and South Florida (6-2, 3-1) on Nov. 22. Those matchups are sandwiched by more favorable road games, beginning with this weekend’s matchup at UConn, followed by a trip to Rice (4-4, 1-3) on Nov. 8. The Blazers wrap up their regular season at Tulsa (2-6, 0-5) on Nov. 29. In his new role as interim coach, Mortensen said he doesn’t plan to totally shake up UAB’s approach on the road. Instead, he wants his players to focus on improving their current routine. “I heard someone say a long time ago, ‘A program does not work a group of people, people work a program,’” Mortensen said. “So, I think the first thing is just getting everyone to take what we do and go do it better. Let’s practice better, let’s meet better, let’s work our processes better. “So that is number one, and I think that is a burden everyone in the building shares. I think the second thing is there are things from a process standpoint that we want to constantly evaluate and see if we can improve. So there will be some things we will tweak that will hopefully help us, but I think that does not pertain to playing on the road, or at home, or any of those things. I think it is just the process of getting ready to go play a game.” Another offensive weapon on the way? Reinforcements might be on the way for UAB’s already explosive offense. Suspended wide receiver Corri Milliner was back working with the Blazers this week after spending the past four games away from the program due to conduct detrimental to the team. Miliner was UAB’s top receiver to start the season, recording 17 receptions for 268 yards and three touchdowns in his three games. The redshirt sophomore has caught a touchdown in his last five games, dating back to last season. Over that span, he is averaging 96.8 receiving yards per game. While it appears unlikely Milliner will return for this weekend’s game at UConn, Mortensen said there is a path for the star receiver to play again moving forward. “There are a variety of steps that Corri’s working his way through to get back,” Mortensen said. “And, you know, joining us in practice is one of them. So far, he’s handling that well and it’s been good to see him. I’m not gonna forecast beyond that though.” weekend’s UAB 37, UConn 35 On one hand, this is a UConn team that has yet to be beaten in regulation this season. On the other, the Huskies are coming off a loss to a somewhat pedestrian Rice team. Maybe I’m still riding the magic of UAB’s upset win over Memphis, but things feel different around Southside these days. I’m predicting the Blazers to continue to ride Burton’s hot hand and come up with enough big plays to pull off another upset and end their streak of road losses. It’ll be close, but a late field goal from kicker Jonah Delange will put UAB on a realistic path to a bowl game moving forward. Game info Who: UAB (3-4) at UConn (5-3) Where: Pratt and Whitney Stadium, East Hartford, Connecticut When: Saturday at 11 a.m. CT Watch: CBS Sports Network On The Call: Fran Charles (play-by-play), Taylor McHargue (analyst), Hailey Sutton (sideline) Listen: WJOX 94.5 FM
