UAB Football to Host Louisiana on Saturday Night

Saturday, September 16

Protective Stadium

6 p.m. CT

UAB

Louisiana

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UAB Football to Host Louisiana on Saturday Night

9/15/2023 10:30:00 AM | Football

UAB Game Notes vs. Louisiana Louisiana Game Notes at UAB Smile-A-Mile Player Patient Matches

BIRMINGHAM – The UAB football team will honor Smile-A-Mile on Saturday night, Sept. 16, when the Blazers host Louisiana at Protective Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. on ESPN+.

The Blazers will wear black uniforms for the first time since 2006 which will have the names of 100 patients from Smile-A-Mile on their backs. Located just blocks away from UAB's campus, Smile-A-Mile's mission is to provide hope, healing of the spirit and love for the whole family during the childhood cancer journey.

Who: UAB (1-1) vs. Louisiana (1-1)
Where: Protective Stadium – Birmingham, Ala.
When: Saturday, Sept. 16 – 7 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
On The Call: James Westling (play-by-play), Doc Holliday (analyst)
Listen: 94.5 WJOX
On The Call: David Crane (play-by-play), Bryant Turner (analyst), Landrum Roberts (sideline)
Series: UAB leads, 4-3
Last Meeting: Oct. 23, 2020 – Louisiana 24-20

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

Both teams enter the contest at 1-1 and both are coming off road losses in Week 2. The Blazers fell 49-35 at Georgia Southern last week, while Louisiana lost 38-31 in its conference opener at Old Dominion.
This is the eighth meeting between the two teams. The last time they met was an added game to the schedule during the 2020 COVID season and Louisiana snapped UAB's 21-game home winning streak with a 24-20 victory at Legion Field.
The Blazers enter the contest with one of the most potent passing offenses in the country through the first two weeks of the season, led by quarterback Jacob Zeno.
Zeno is currently leading the nation in completions per game (35.5) and is second nationally in completion percentage (84.5%, 71-of-84). Additionally, his average of 338.0 passing yards per game is fourth best in the country. Zeno opened the 2023 season by completing a school record 38 passes, and followed that up with the second most completions in school history with 33 at Georgia Southern.
Zeno's top target has been Tejhaun Palmer who has a team-best 10 catches for 137 yards and one touchdown. Palmer is coming off his second career 100-yard receiving performance at Georgia Southern with six catches for 102 yards.
UAB has also been very efficient on third down conversions. The Blazers lead the country in third down conversion percentage, having converted 16-of-23 third down attempts (69.6%).
Defensively, middle linebacker Jackson Bratton leads UAB into Saturday's contest. Bratton ranks second in the American Athletic Conference with 8.5 tackles per game. Bratton has 17 total tackles to go along with two sacks and a fumble recovery so far this season.
After missing the first game of the season, Keondre Swoopes returned to action in Week 2 and led the Blazers with nine tackles. Swoopes' veteran leadership and experience will continue to solidify the back end of UAB's defense.
UAB is 9-3 overall at Protective Stadium since it opened in 2021 and is 30-4 in front of its home fans in Birmingham since returning to action in 2017.

Season tickets remain on sale for UAB's five remaining home game by clicking here, while single game tickets are also available here.

Following the game on Saturday, UAB starts a two-game road trip with a visit to No. 1 Georgia, then heads to New Orleans for its American Athletic Conference opener at Tulane.

For more information on the UAB football team, be sure to follow @UAB_FB on Twitter and Instagram.