UAB Hosts Rice for Senior Day on Saturday at Protective Stadium

BIRMINGHAM – The UAB football team plays its final home game of the season on Saturday at Protective Stadium against Rice. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.

The Blazers will be honoring 20 seniors prior to kickoff. Two seniors, Terrell McDonald and Kevin Penn have been at UAB for six years, while Brady Wilson and Colby Dempsey have spent the last five years as Blazers.

Who: UAB (2-8, 1-5 AAC) vs. Rice (3-7, 2-4 AAC)
Where: Protective Stadium – Birmingham, Ala.
When: Saturday, Nov. 23 – 1 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
On The Call: Justin Kutcher (play-by-play), Dave Steckel (analyst), Bridget Howard (sideline)
Listen: WJOX 94.5 FM
On The Call: David Crane (play-by-play), Bryant Turner (analyst), Landrum Roberts (sideline)
Series: UAB leads, 6-5
Last Meeting: Oct. 1, 2022 – Rice, 28-24

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

UAB looks to snap a two-game losing streak and returns to Protective Stadium where the Blazers are 2-3 this year. Overall, UAB is 14-8 at Protective Stadium since it opened in 2021.
UAB won four straight games over Rice from 2017-20, but the Owls have won each of the last two contests in 2021 and 2022. The two teams did not meet last year.
Jalen Kitna and UAB's passing offense faces the nation's fourth-ranked pass defense as Rice is allowing just 159.2 passing yards per game. Kitna has thrown for at least 230 yards in all six of his starts and is averaging 292.5 passing yards per game.
Kitna's top two targets in Amare Thomas and Kam Shanks are climbing up the list for single season catches at UAB. With 56 receptions, Thomas currently ranks sixth in a single season and three more catches would move him into fourth place. Shanks has 51 receptions this year and three more would break Thomas' freshman record of 53 receptions which he set last season and move Shanks into seventh place on the single season list.
Shanks also leads the nation in punt return yards (312), punt return average (22.3) and punt return touchdowns (2). He is 39 yards away from setting the UAB single season record for punt return yards (350 by Rodregis Brooks in 1999).
Lou Groza Award Semifinalist Jonah Delange enters Saturday's game having made 19-of-20 FG and 24-of-24 PAT. He is four field goals away from setting a new single season school record. The Lou Groza is presented to the nation's top placekicker, and the award will announce its three finalists next Tuesday, Nov. 26.
Rice has a very capable quarterback in E.J. Warner, who is in his first year at Rice after transferring from Temple last season. Warner has thrown for 2,058 yards, 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this year.
Rice has gone 1-1 under interim head coach Pete Alamar with a win over Navy (24-10) and a close loss at Memphis (27-20). The Owls are heading to Birmingham fresh off a bye week but are 0-5 on the road this year.

Following Saturday's home finale, the Blazers travel to Charlotte to conclude the season on Nov. 30 at 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+.

Tickets to Saturday's game can be purchased by clicking here.

UAB Hosts Rice for Senior Day on Saturday at Protective Stadium

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Players Mentioned

Jonah Delange

Colby Dempsey

Jalen Kitna

Terrell McDonald

Kevin Penn

Kam Shanks

Amare Thomas

Brady Wilson

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics