UAB to Face Tennessee Saturday Night in Knoxville on ESPNU

BIRMINGHAM - The UAB football team will play its final non-conference game of the season this Saturday, Nov. 2, as the Blazers travel to Knoxville to face Tennessee. The game is nationally televised on ESPNU and kicks at 7 p.m. EST/6 p.m. CST.

The Blazers (6-1) are riding a three-game winning streak and boast the nation's fifth ranked defense. Tennessee (3-5) has won two of its last three contests, which includes victories over Mississippi State and South Carolina.

Who: UAB (6-1) at Tennessee (3-5)
Where: Knoxville, Tenn. - Neyland Stadium (102,455)
When: Saturday, Nov. 2 - 7 p.m. EST/6 p.m. CST
Watch: ESPNU
On the Call: Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (color), Lauren Sisler (sideline)
Listen: WJOX 94.5 FM
On the Call: David Crane (play-by-play), Steve Irvine (color), Trey Ragland (sideline)
Series: Tennessee leads, 4-0
Last Meeting: Sept. 25, 2010: Tennessee 32-29 (2OT)

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

UAB's defense is once again playing at a championship level and will be tested this week against Tennessee's offense. The Blazers have not allowed a team to score more than 20 points all season, and held Old Dominion to just 150 total yards of offense in their last game.
Along with ranking 5th nationally in total defense, the Blazers are 2nd nationally in fumble recoveries (12), 5th in tackles for loss per game (8.6), 6th in third down defense (.271), 7th in passing yards allowed (160.3), 7th in sacks per game (3.71), 8th in rushing defense (88.3) and 11^th in scoring defense (15.7).
The Blazers are coming off a performance in which they had five sacks, 14 tackles for loss and recovered two fumbles against ODU. The front seven will be key in disrupting the Tennessee offensive line that has allowed 16 sacks and 50 tackles for loss this year.
Kristopher Moll leads the unit and has been a disruptive force the entire season. In six games, Moll has compiled a team-high 54 tackles and also has 9.0 TFL, 4.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, six quarterback hurries, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup. He, edge rusher Jordan Smith and defensive tackle Garrett Marino have combined for 14.5 of UAB's 26 sacks and 24.5 of its 60 tackles for loss.
UAB has also recovered 12 fumbles this year, the second most in the nation. The Blazers have a fumble recovery in four straight games and eight of their last nine dating back to 2018.
Offensively, true freshman Jermaine Brown Jr. is coming off his first career 100-yard rushing game and became the first Blazer to have over 100 yards in a contest this season. He carried the ball 20 times for 116 yards and a touchdown in the win over Old Dominion. Brown Jr. switched to running back midway through the season and has 38 carries for 204 yards, good for an average of 5.4 yards per carry.
The offensive line will be vital to UAB's success against the Vols. The Blazers have allowed the second fewest sacks in the nation (5), with only Air Force and Georgia allowing less (4).
Tyler Johnston III is completing 60.2 percent of his passes, averaging 250 yards per game. He has 1,763 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season.
Johnston III has found Austin Watkins Jr., Kendall Parham and Myron Mitchell on 85.8 percent of his passing yards this season. The big three wide receivers have combined for 1,512 receiving yards. Watkins Jr. is second in C-USA with 655 receiving yards, while Parham ranks third nationally with an average of 22.5 yards per catch.
The last time UAB visited Knoxville, they walked away with a heartbreaking 32-29 double overtime loss. This will be the fifth meeting in the series and the Blazers look to earn their first victory.

The road gets no easier for the Blazers following Tennessee as they make a run towards their Conference USA title defense.

UAB has four C-USA games remaining, all against West Division opponents. Three of those opponents (Southern Miss, Louisiana Tech, North Texas) are still in contention to win the division.

The Blazers will head to Hattiesburg next weekend to take on Southern Miss at 2:30 p.m. CST on NFL Network. UAB has won seven of the last eight meetings against the Golden Eagles.

UAB to Face Tennessee Saturday Night in Knoxville on ESPNU

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Players Mentioned

Jermaine Brown Jr.

Tyler Johnston III

Garrett Marino

Myron Mitchell

Kristopher Moll

Kendall Parham

Jordan Smith

Austin Watkins Jr.

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