UAB and Florida Atlantic Meet on Saturday Night in Boca

BIRMINGHAM – The UAB football hits the road in Week 7 for an American Conference game at Florida Atlantic. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT on ESPN+.

Both teams enter the contest at 2-3 overall, while FAU is 1-1 in league play and UAB is 0-2. The Blazers are coming off a 31-13 loss to Army and the Owls earned their first league win of the season last week with a 27-21 road victory at Rice.

Who: UAB (2-3, 0-2 American) at Florida Atlantic (2-3, 1-1 American)
Where: FAU Stadium – Boca Raton, Fla.
When: Saturday, Oct. 11 – 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT
Watch: ESPN+
On The Call: James Westling (play-by-play), Leger Douzable (analyst), Smacker Miles (Sideline)
Listen: WJOX 94.5 FM | SiriusXM Channel 383
On The Call: David Crane (play-by-play), Bryant Turner (analyst), Landrum Roberts (sideline)
Series: FAU leads, 6-4
Last Meeting: Nov. 4, 2023 – UAB, 45-42

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

Saturday's contest features two quarterbacks who boast lofty national rankings which could produce a high scoring game in Boca. UAB's Jalen Kitna is leading the American with 1,515 passing yards and ranks 7th nationally in passing yards per game (303.3). FAU's Caden Veltkamp ranks third in the American with 1,488 passing yards and 9th nationally at 297.6 passing yards per game.
Additionally, these two rank first and second nationally in completions per game with Veltkamp leading the way at 28.8 completions/game, while Kitna is second with an average of 26.4.
Kitna has spread the ball around this season but has recently found an emerging Xavier Daisy as his top target. Daisy was hampered by a minor injury in fall camp but has come on strong with 11 catches in his last two games. The sophomore is coming off his best career game with seven catches for 50 yards and a touchdown against Army.
Although the quarterbacks are putting up big numbers, UAB will look to find success running the ball against an Owls defense that ranks 117th against the run by allowing an average of 182.8 yards per game. Overall, FAU ranks 92nd in total defense at 385.2 yards per game while UAB ranks 123rd (444.6).
Leading UAB's ground attack is senior Jevon Jackson with 369 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Jackson is averaging 5.9 yards per carry and boasts an average of 73.8 rushing yards per game.
The UAB defense is coming off its best performance of the season against Army by allowing just 295 yards of total offense to the Black Knights. Despite allowing 31 points, the defense kept UAB in the game and stood firm in tough situations due to turnovers which allowed Army short fields.
Linebackers Calvin Pitcher (10) and Devin Hightower (9) led the way against Army, while redshirt sophomore tackle Jonathan Allen earned his first career start and took advantage of his opportunity with a career-high nine tackles.
Hightower has been UAB's most consistent defensive player and leads the team in tackles with 35 total.
The Blazers are 1-4 all-time against FAU in Boca Raton, but FAU Stadium is where UAB won its first bowl game in program history back in 2018.

Following the Florida Atlantic game, UAB returns home to host Memphis in the annual Battle For The Bones rivalry game. Kickoff on Oct. 18 is scheduled for 3 p.m. on ESPN2.

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

UAB and Florida Atlantic Meet on Saturday Night in Boca

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Players Mentioned

Jonathan Allen

Xavier Daisy

Devin Hightower

Jevon Jackson

Jalen Kitna

Calvin Pitcher

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics