UAB Travels to Memphis for the Battle for the Bones

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – UAB heads to Memphis on Saturday night for the renewal of the Battle for the Bones, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. CT at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on ESPN2. The Blazers enter at 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the American Conference following consecutive victories over Navy and Samford, while Memphis is 4-1 and 1-0 after a 59-8 victory at Charlotte. UAB leads the all-time series 11-7 and reclaimed the Battle for the Bones trophy last season with a 31-24 victory over then-No. 22 Memphis at Protective Stadium.

GAME INFORMATION


Matchup	UAB (3-2, 1-0) at Memphis (4-1, 1-0)
Date	Saturday, Oct. 10
Kickoff	6 p.m. CT
Location	Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium – Memphis, Tenn.
Television	ESPN2
Television Crew	Chuckie Kempf (play-by-play), Dustin Fox (analyst)
Live Stream	Watch ESPN
Radio	WJOX-FM 94.5 (joxfm.com or the Varsity Network)
UAB Radio Crew	David Crane (play-by-play), Bryant Turner (analyst), Landrum Roberts (sideline)
Series	UAB leads 11-7
Social Media	X \| Instagram \| Facebook

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

BATTLE FOR THE BONES — One of UAB's longest-running rivalries resumes Saturday as the Blazers and Tigers meet for the 19th time. UAB owns an 11-7 advantage in the series and has won five of eight previous meetings in Memphis. The Battle for the Bones trophy was introduced in 2006 and celebrates the barbecue traditions of Birmingham and Memphis. UAB won the inaugural trophy game, 35-29.
DEFENDING THE BONES — UAB brought the trophy back to Birmingham last season with a 31-24 upset of No. 22 Memphis at Protective Stadium. In his first career start, Ryder Burton completed 20-of-27 passes for a career-high 251 yards and three touchdowns, while the Blazers sealed the victory with a late goal-line stand.
GOING FOR THREE — UAB enters Saturday riding a two-game winning streak following victories over Navy and Samford. A win would give the Blazers their first three-game winning streak since winning the final two games of 2022 and the 2023 season opener, and their first three-game streak within the same season since 2019.
A 2-0 CONFERENCE START? — The Blazers opened American Conference play with a 24-20 victory over Navy. A win at Memphis would give UAB its first 2-0 conference start since 2021 and its first since joining the American in 2023.
NO. 1 OFFENSE VS. NO. 1 DEFENSE — Saturday features a strength-on-strength matchup. Memphis leads the American Conference in total offense at 541.2 yards per game, while UAB leads the league in total defense, allowing just 301.4 yards per contest. The Tigers are averaging 38.6 points per game and have topped 500 yards of offense in four consecutive contests.
LOCKING DOWN THE PASS — UAB is allowing only 118.4 passing yards per game, ranking second nationally and first in the American. The Blazers have surrendered just four passing touchdowns through five games and will face a Memphis passing attack averaging 290.8 yards per game.
STOKES LEADS THE TIGERS — Memphis quarterback Marcus Stokes has completed 73.2 percent of his passes for 1,371 yards and 14 touchdowns through five games. Memphis leads the American in completion percentage and passing efficiency, giving UAB's secondary its biggest challenge of the season to date.
FOURTH-QUARTER LOCKDOWN — UAB has not allowed a fourth-quarter point in four consecutive games and owns a 51-14 scoring advantage in the final period this season. All 14 fourth-quarter points allowed came in the season opener at Illinois.
PRESSURE IS BUILDING — After being held without a sack in the opener, UAB has produced 12 sacks and 27 tackles for loss over its last four games. The Blazers enter Memphis with 12 sacks and 29 TFLs overall, highlighted by a six-sack, 10-TFL performance in the victory over Navy.
DEAN AMONG THE NATION'S BEST — Marlin Dean has emerged as one of the American's most disruptive defenders with eight tackles for loss, five sacks and three forced fumbles. He leads the conference in tackles for loss per game and forced fumbles and is tied for the league lead in sacks per game.
BYARD AROUND THE BALL — Linebacker Muaaz Byard leads UAB with 48 tackles through five games, including 34 solo stops. His 6.8 solo tackles per game rank second nationally and first in the American, while his 9.6 total tackles per contest rank among the national leaders.
GROUND GAME GAINING STEAM — UAB rushed for 248 yards on 51 attempts against Samford, its second-highest rushing output of the season. The Blazers are averaging 179.6 rushing yards per game, with Roderick Robinson II leading the team with 338 yards and Bam McReynolds adding 260 yards and four touchdowns.
BURTON BACK WHERE IT STARTED — Burton's breakout performance against Memphis last season came in his first collegiate start. He enters Saturday with 1,499 career passing yards, leaving him just one yard shy of 1,500, and his career highs for passing yards and touchdowns both came against the Tigers last season.
SMITH RETURNS TO MEMPHIS — Wide receiver CJ Smith spent last season at Memphis before transferring to UAB and enters the matchup coming off his best performance as a Blazer. Smith caught two passes for a career-high 85 yards and a touchdown against Samford, including a career-long 54-yard reception. He has 10 catches for 223 yards this season, averaging 22.3 yards per reception.
DUH-LONG-UH-RANGE — Jonah Delange has converted 12-of-13 field goals this season and enters Memphis with 43 career makes. He is 19-of-23 from 40 yards or longer in his career, including 17-of-21 from 40-49 yards and a perfect 2-for-2 from 50-plus.
FLIPPING THE FIELD — UAB has received production throughout its special teams units. Ty Mims averages 16.9 yards per punt return, while Oliver Straw has averaged 44.9 yards on 12 punts with six punts of 50-plus yards, four inside the 20 and no touchbacks. Straw also ranks second among active FBS players in career punts and career punting yards.
GOLD-WHITE-GOLD — UAB will wear gold helmets, white jerseys and gold pants Saturday, the same combination worn in the 24-20 victory over Navy. The look has plenty of Battle for the Bones history as well: UAB has worn gold-white-gold in six previous trips to Memphis, posting a 4-2 record, including victories in 2001, 2003, 2009 and 2011. The 2011 win was UAB's most recent victory in Memphis.
HUFF-MORTENSEN CONNECTION — Memphis head coach Charles Huff and UAB head coach Alex Mortensen previously worked together on Nick Saban's staff at Alabama. Huff is also familiar with several current Blazers, including Guylijah Theodule, who played for him at both Marshall and Southern Miss, and Barrett Maddox, who played under Huff at Marshall in 2024.
FAMILIAR FACES — UAB's roster includes three former Memphis players in CJ Smith, Jeremiah Jordan and Jaylen Thompson. Jordan, a Memphis native, appeared in 11 games for the Tigers last season before transferring to UAB and enters Saturday with 31 tackles and an interception through five games.

KIDS 12 AND UNDER FREE FOR EAST CAROLINA GAME

UAB Athletics has announced that kids ages 12 and under will receive FREE admission to the Blazers' home game against East Carolina on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 6:30 p.m. CT at Protective Stadium. Fans can redeem the offer online using promo code U12FREE and must purchase at least one reserved ticket through the promotion to receive complimentary youth tickets. The promo code is valid until 2:30 p.m. CT on Oct. 15.

After the online promotion expires, families can still take advantage of the offer at the Protective Stadium box office by purchasing at least one reserved ticket. Fans may also contact the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at (205) 975-8221 for assistance. Individual game tickets can be purchased by clicking here, while group tickets and fan experience packages are available by clicking here.

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