The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Photo by: Ken Shepherd
UAB Returns to Action at UConn on Saturday
10/27/2025 1:43:00 PM | Football
BIRMINGHAM – Coming off its second and final bye week of the season, the UAB football team returns to action this Saturday, Nov. 1, for its final non-conference game at UConn. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT on CBS Sports Network.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
INTERIM HEAD COACH ALEX MORTENSEN:
Opening statement:
"Obviously, we are coming off a bye week here. This was a good week for us to get out and recruit. We feel like there is a lot of really good high school talent in the state of Alabama and also in the greater Birmingham area, so we have really sincere interest in trying to invest in that more going forward, so it was a good opportunity for us to get out locally. Also, this has been a pretty unique situation with what has happened with our staff, so we tried to take the week to get more organized as a staff as to how we are doing things. And finally, we are working with our players. We still have a lot of young players that are developing fundamentally, developing in our schemes, and then some guys that needed to get healthy. It was also an opportunity as a staff to go back and re-evaluate things we have done from a self-scout perspective and really try to address some of the areas that we need to improve. I think it has also been a good reminder, I think there was a lot of excitement and energy around our last win which was outstanding. Outstanding to see the fanbase respond the way they did, which we really appreciate, but also a good reminder to our players that there is no magic wand. We have a price to pay, we have to get to work, and with them coming back after giving them a little time on the weekend, we are expecting to see everyone take that mentality going forward. Obviously, we are playing a really good team in UConn. Jim Mora is a veteran head coach. I have a ton of respect for him and their program. They are 5-3 right now. Coach Mora, I mentioned him being a veteran, obviously, going back to being a head coach in the National Football League in places like the Atlanta Falcons, was the head coach at UCLA for some time, and has done a great job at UConn, so we know we certainly have a challenge ahead of us."
On carrying the momentum from the Memphis win through the bye week:
"I think we could have handled the turnaround [if we needed to], but the bye week does help. Like I mentioned, for our staff to get organized on how we are delegating things and what our weekly flow is going to look like, and maybe dive in a little bit more about what game day is going to look like, what could we have done better last game in the game with staff organization, so it does help having the bye [week] in such a unique circumstance."
On making changes on the road:
"You know, I heard someone say a long time ago, "a program does not work a group of people, people work a program." 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."
On what he saw from the fans after the win against Memphis:
"One, I thought the stadium really came to life, which was really cool, really good energy from start to finish, but really picked up late. I think we really appreciated that. In the following week, we have received a lot of support from different people in various ways and even felt it when we went out on the road when we were recruiting. Again, this really means a lot. I know there are a lot of loyal supporters and people who are really behind the program, and we are very grateful for it. At the same time, too, we know that we have to get to work on the next one, so that is going to be really important, and hopefully give them more to cheer about."
On the success of the run game against Memphis:
"I think the offensive line did a good job. We talked about trying to control the line of scrimmage in both the run and the pass game, and I thought they did that. Memphis, going into the game, had created a lot of negative plays in the running game and we wanted to try to prevent that as much as possible. I think the offensive line and the [running] backs did a good job. On the flip side, there is another side of it, too, where, yes, there was some good production on offense, but we also had opportunities to put the game away on offense. Part of the challenge is, alright, 'hey, next time we get in that position where you have a two-score lead, I think it was 31-17 at a certain point, put them away.' Put them away. You have an opportunity to end the game on offense. It was great to see the way our defense closed the game out, and it was really exciting, but we really could have finished that game with the ball. I think that is part of the challenge, too, is let's take the next step. Some of that, to your question, does involve the run game and being able to close the game out running the ball if we need to."
Click here to watch the entire press conference.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
- The Blazers are making their first ever trip to Pratt & Whitney Stadium as this is a return trip in a home-and-home series. UConn won the first meeting between the two programs last year in Birmingham, 31-23, with UAB letting a 20-3 halftime lead slip away. UAB most recently defeated No. 22 Memphis in its last game and is 3-4 overall, while UConn fell at Rice 37-34 in double overtime. UConn is 5-3 overall with all three losses coming in overtime.
- Coming off a career performance with 11 catches for 172 yards and three touchdowns vs. Memphis, Iverson Hooks is now leading the American Conference with an average of 80.0 receiving yards per game. Hooks is having a tremendous season with 41 catches for 560 yards and five touchdowns. Although he is listed as a redshirt sophomore, Hooks is in his fourth year with the Blazers and has battled through injuries to put together his best year yet. For his career, he has 66 catches for 858 yards and eight touchdowns.
- UAB's defense had its best performance of the season against Memphis and will have to be stout against a UConn team that ranks 17th nationally in total offense (465.8). UConn quarterback Joey Fagnano has 18 touchdown passes and has yet to throw an interception this year. With 2,262 passing yards, Fagnano is 21st nationally in passing efficiency and 22nd in completion percentage (67.9).
INTERIM HEAD COACH ALEX MORTENSEN:
Opening statement:
"Obviously, we are coming off a bye week here. This was a good week for us to get out and recruit. We feel like there is a lot of really good high school talent in the state of Alabama and also in the greater Birmingham area, so we have really sincere interest in trying to invest in that more going forward, so it was a good opportunity for us to get out locally. Also, this has been a pretty unique situation with what has happened with our staff, so we tried to take the week to get more organized as a staff as to how we are doing things. And finally, we are working with our players. We still have a lot of young players that are developing fundamentally, developing in our schemes, and then some guys that needed to get healthy. It was also an opportunity as a staff to go back and re-evaluate things we have done from a self-scout perspective and really try to address some of the areas that we need to improve. I think it has also been a good reminder, I think there was a lot of excitement and energy around our last win which was outstanding. Outstanding to see the fanbase respond the way they did, which we really appreciate, but also a good reminder to our players that there is no magic wand. We have a price to pay, we have to get to work, and with them coming back after giving them a little time on the weekend, we are expecting to see everyone take that mentality going forward. Obviously, we are playing a really good team in UConn. Jim Mora is a veteran head coach. I have a ton of respect for him and their program. They are 5-3 right now. Coach Mora, I mentioned him being a veteran, obviously, going back to being a head coach in the National Football League in places like the Atlanta Falcons, was the head coach at UCLA for some time, and has done a great job at UConn, so we know we certainly have a challenge ahead of us."
On carrying the momentum from the Memphis win through the bye week:
"I think we could have handled the turnaround [if we needed to], but the bye week does help. Like I mentioned, for our staff to get organized on how we are delegating things and what our weekly flow is going to look like, and maybe dive in a little bit more about what game day is going to look like, what could we have done better last game in the game with staff organization, so it does help having the bye [week] in such a unique circumstance."
On making changes on the road:
"You know, I heard someone say a long time ago, "a program does not work a group of people, people work a program." 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."
On what he saw from the fans after the win against Memphis:
"One, I thought the stadium really came to life, which was really cool, really good energy from start to finish, but really picked up late. I think we really appreciated that. In the following week, we have received a lot of support from different people in various ways and even felt it when we went out on the road when we were recruiting. Again, this really means a lot. I know there are a lot of loyal supporters and people who are really behind the program, and we are very grateful for it. At the same time, too, we know that we have to get to work on the next one, so that is going to be really important, and hopefully give them more to cheer about."
On the success of the run game against Memphis:
"I think the offensive line did a good job. We talked about trying to control the line of scrimmage in both the run and the pass game, and I thought they did that. Memphis, going into the game, had created a lot of negative plays in the running game and we wanted to try to prevent that as much as possible. I think the offensive line and the [running] backs did a good job. On the flip side, there is another side of it, too, where, yes, there was some good production on offense, but we also had opportunities to put the game away on offense. Part of the challenge is, alright, 'hey, next time we get in that position where you have a two-score lead, I think it was 31-17 at a certain point, put them away.' Put them away. You have an opportunity to end the game on offense. It was great to see the way our defense closed the game out, and it was really exciting, but we really could have finished that game with the ball. I think that is part of the challenge, too, is let's take the next step. Some of that, to your question, does involve the run game and being able to close the game out running the ball if we need to."
Click here to watch the entire press conference.
Players Mentioned
WR
/ FootballMonday Morning with Mort | Week 10
Monday, October 27
Monday Morning with Mort | Week 11
Saturday, October 25
UAB Football | The Rewind: Game 7 vs Memphis | Battle For The Bones
Friday, October 24
UAB MBB vs Vanderbilt (Exhibition) | Postgame Press Conference
Friday, October 24
