2023 UAB Blazers football team

2023 UAB Blazers football
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Record4–8 (3–5 AAC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorAlex Mortensen (1st season)
Offensive schemeMultiple
Defensive coordinatorSione Ta'ufo'ou (1st season)
Base defenseMultiple 3–4
Home stadiumProtective Stadium
Uniform
Seasons
← 2022
2024 →
2023 American Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 22 SMU y$   8 – 0     11 – 3  
Tulane y   8 – 0     11 – 3  
UTSA   7 – 1     9 – 4  
Memphis   6 – 2     10 – 3  
South Florida   4 – 4     7 – 6  
Rice   4 – 4     6 – 7  
Navy   4 – 4     5 – 7  
North Texas   3 – 5     5 – 7  
UAB   3 – 5     4 – 8  
Florida Atlantic   3 – 5     4 – 8  
Charlotte   2 – 6     3 – 9  
Tulsa   2 – 6     4 – 8  
Temple   1 – 7     3 – 9  
East Carolina   1 – 7     2 – 10  
Championship: SMU 26, Tulane 14
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2023 UAB Blazers football team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham as a member of the American Athletic Conference (AAC) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by first-year head coach Trent Dilfer, the Blazers compiled an overall record of 4–8 with a mark of 3–5 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for eighth in the AAC. UAB played home games at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama. The UAB Blazers football team drew an average home attendance of 21,543 in 2023.[1]

Offseason

Recruits

NFL Departures

Main article: 2023 NFL draft

One Blazer was selected in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Player Position Team Round Pick
DeWayne McBride RB Minnesota Vikings 7 222

Outgoing Transfers

Player Position Destination
Antwan Massie CB Unknown
Maleak Bryant TE LIU
Mike York TE Valparaiso
Dylan Hopkins QB New Mexico
Dylan Mehrota QB Southern
Quincy McGee IOL Ole Miss
Tyetus Smith-Lindsey RB Nicholls
Brody Dalton TE Troy
Damon Stewart QB Alabama State
Codey Martin CB Lamar
Charles Daniels LB Unknown
Xavier Lanier CB Tulsa
Jordan Palmer WR Unknown
Jaylen Key S Alabama
A.J. Gates RB Alabama State
Kybo Jamerson LB Lamar

Incoming Transfers

Player Position Previous Team
Armani Diamond CB Auburn
Brian Mayes CB Incarnate Word
Landry Lyddy QB Louisiana Tech
Dazalin Worsham WR Auburn
Malachi Holt-Bennett WR Indiana
James Smyre LB Marshall
Will Parker OT Tennessee
Brandon Buckhaulter WR Ole Miss
Antavious Woody IOL Florida State
Andrew Ogletree DL Alabama State

[2][3]

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
August 317:00 p.m. North Carolina A&T*
ESPN+W 35–6 25,363
September 95:00 p.m.at Georgia Southern*
  • Allen E. Paulson Stadium
  • Statesboro, GA
ESPN+L 35–4920,103
September 166:00 p.m.Louisiana*
  • Protective Stadium
  • Birmingham, AL
ESPN+L 21–4121,673
September 236:30 p.m.at No. 1 Georgia*
ESPN2L 21–4992,746
September 3011:00 a.m.at Tulane
 ESPN2 L 23–35 20,102
October 73:00 p.m.South Florida
  • Protective Stadium
  • Birmingham, AL
ESPN2 W 56–35 23,792
October 147:00 p.m.at UTSA
ESPNUL 20–41 23,582
October 2111:00 a.m.Memphis
  • Protective Stadium
  • Birmingham, AL
 ESPN2 L 21–45 20,269
November 42:00 p.m.Florida Atlanticdagger
  • Protective Stadium
  • Birmingham, AL
ESPN+W 45–42 20,676
November 112:30 p.m.at Navy
CBSSNL 6–31 29,078
November 182:00 p.m.Temple
  • Protective Stadium
  • Birmingham, AL
ESPN+W 34–24 17,486
November 251:00 p.m.at North Texas
ESPN+ L 42–45 14,628

[4]

Game summaries

Louisiana

See also: 2023 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team
Pregame line Over/under
UAB –2 59.5
Game Three – Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (1–1) at UAB Blazers (1–1) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Louisiana 0 24 10741
UAB 0 0 31821

at Protective Stadium • Birmingham, Alabama

  • Date: Saturday, September 16, 2023
  • Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Sunny • Wind: W 3 MPH
  • Game attendance: 21,673
  • Referee: Trennis Livingston
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): James Westling (play-by-play) and Doc Holiday (analyst)
Game information
First quarter

No scoring plays

Second quarter
  • (9:11) LA – Jacob Kibodi 30-yard rush (Kenneth Almendares kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 59 yards, 1:05; Louisiana 7–0)
  • (5:35) LA – Zeon Chriss 80-yard rush (Kenneth Almendares kick) (Drive: 1 play, 80 yards, 0:16; Louisiana 14–0)
  • (1:06) LA – Zeon Chriss 6-yard rush (Kenneth Almendares kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:02; Louisiana 21–0)
  • (0:00) LA – Kenneth Almendares 46-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, -7 yards, 0:47; Louisiana 24–0)
Third quarter
  • (5:46) LA – Kenneth Almendares 37-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards, 3:56; Louisiana 27–0)
  • (2:09) UAB – Matt Quinn 41-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 67 yards, 3:32; Louisiana 27–3)
  • (1:02) LA – Terrance Carter 11-yard pass from Zeon Chriss (Kenneth Almendares kick) (Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:07; Louisiana 34–3)
Fourth quarter
  • (7:11) LA – Elijah Davis 2-yard rush (Kenneth Almendares kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 7:39; Louisiana 41–3)
  • (4:10) UAB – Jacob Zeno 2-yard rush (two-point pass conversion attempt failed) (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:01; Louisiana 41–9)
  • (1:33) UAB – Lee Beebe 1-yard rush (two-point pass conversion attempt failed) (Drive: 2 plays, 4 yards, 0:49; Louisiana 41–15)
  • (0:10) UAB – Samario Rudolph 17-yard pass from Jacob Zeno (two-point pass conversion attempt failed) (Drive: 7 plays, 28 yards, 1:14; Louisiana 41–21)
Statistics ULL UAB
First downs 22 21
Total yards 64–513 73–396
Rushing yards 40–305 35–116
Passing yards 208 280
Passing: Comp–Att–Int 16–24–1 27–38–2
Time of possession 29:05 30:55
Team Category Player Statistics
Louisiana Passing Zeon Chriss 14/20, 174 yards, TD
Rushing Jacob Kibodi 7 carries, 108 yards, TD
Receiving Harvey Broussard 3 receptions, 65 yards
UAB Passing Jacob Zeno 27/38, 280 yards, TD, 2 INT
Rushing Jacob Zeno 17 carries, 52 yards, TD
Receiving Semario Rudolph 8 receptions, 66 yards, TD

at No. 1 Georgia

See also: 2023 Georgia Bulldogs football team
Game Four – UAB Blazers (1–2) at No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs (3–0) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
UAB 0 14 0721
No. 1 Georgia 7 21 14749

at Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia

Game information
First quarter
  • (12:04) UGA – Arian Smith 12-yard pass from Carson Beck (Peyton Woodring kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:51; Georgia 7–0)
Second quarter
  • (14:09) UAB – Bryce Damous 16-yard pass from Jacob Zeno (Matt Quinn kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 36 yards, 0:52; Tied 7–7)
  • (10:00) UGA – Daijun Edwards 4-yard run (Peyton Woodring kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 72 yards, 4:04; Georgia 14–7)
  • (2:40) UGA – Brock Bowers 41-yard pass from Carson Beck (Peyton Woodring kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 92 yards, 2:32; Georgia 21–7)
  • (1:46) UAB – Daijun Edwards 3-yard run (Peyton Woodring kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 25 yards, 1:02; Georgia 28–7)
  • (0:08) UAB – Amare Thomas 2-yard pass from Jacob Zeno (Matt Quinn kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 1:12; Georgia 28–14)
Third quarter
  • (9:06) UGA – Carson Beck 1-yard run (Peyton Woodring kick) (Drive: 12 plays, 59 yards, 4:38; Georgia 35-14)
  • (5:38) UGA – Brock Bowers 10-yard pass from Carson Beck (Peyton Woodring kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 61 yards, 2:14; Georgia 42–14)
Fourth quarter
  • (9:05) UGA – Sevaughn Clark 7-yard run (Peyton Woodring kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:44; Georgia 49–14)
  • (6:08) UAB – Jacob Zeno 3-yard run (Matt Quinn kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 2:57; Georgia 49–21)
Statistics UAB UGA
First downs 20 31
Total yards 77–336 76–582
Rushing yards 26–86 36–188
Passing yards 250 394
Passing: Comp–Att–Int 32–51–1 28–40–1
Time of possession 25:35 34:25
Team Category Player Statistics
UAB Passing Jacob Zeno 32/51, 250 yards, 2 TD, INT
Rushing Isaiah Jacobs 10 carries, 27 yards
Receiving Amare Thomas 9 receptions, 60 yards, TD
Georgia Passing Carson Beck 22/32, 338 yards, 3 TD
Rushing Daijun Edwards 12 carries, 66 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Brock Bowers 9 receptions, 121 yards, 2 TD

at Tulane

See also: 2023 Tulane Green Wave football team
Game Five – UAB Blazers (1–3) at Tulane Green Wave (3–1) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Blazers 3 17 0323
Green Wave 7 7 14735

at Yulman Stadium, New Orleans, LA

  • Date: September 30, 2023
  • Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind: NE 14 mph
  • Game attendance: 20,102
  • Referee: Luke Richmond
  • TV announcers (ESPN2): Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (color), Alex Chappell (sideline)
Game information
Statistics UAB TUL
First downs 25 24
Total yards 434 448
Rushing yards 170 264
Passing yards 264 184
Turnovers 1 2
Time of possession 30:05 29:55
Team Category Player Statistics
UAB Passing Jacob Zeno 27/35, 236 yards
Rushing Isaiah Jacobs 18 carries, 95 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Amare Thomas 8 receptions, 99 yards
Tulane Passing Michael Pratt 14/23, 184 yards, 2 TD
Rushing Makhi Hughes 22 carries, 123 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Lawrence Keys III 3 receptions, 54 yards, 1 TD

at Navy

See also: 2023 Navy Midshipmen football team
Game Ten – UAB Blazers (3–6) at Navy Midshipmen (3–5) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Blazers 3 3 006
Midshipmen 7 0 32131

at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, Maryland

  • Date: November 11th
  • Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Temperature: 54 °F (12 °C) • Wind: SW at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h) • Weather: Clear
  • Game attendance: 29,078
  • Referee: Kevin Randell
  • TV announcers (CBSSN): John Sadack (play-by-play), Randy Cross (analyst) & Sheehan Stanwick Burch (sideline reporter)
Game information
First quarter
  • (2:49) NAVY – Regis Velez 45-yard pass from Xavier Arline, Nathan Kirkwood kick (Drive: 5 plays, 70 yards, 2:34; Navy 7-0)
  • (0:30) UAB – Matt Quinn 37-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 51 yards, 2:19; Navy 7-3)
Second quarter
  • (6:22) UAB – Matt Quinn 29-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 59 yards, 6:25; Navy 7-6)
Third quarter
  • (9:13) NAVY – Nathan Kirkwood 31-yard field goal (Drive: 5 plays, 17 yards, 2:46; Navy 10-6)
Fourth quarter
  • (10:08) NAVY – Daba Fofana 2-yard run, Nathan Kirkwood kick (Drive: 20 plays, 80 yards, 12:44; Navy 17-6)
  • (4:12) NAVY – Xavier Arline 50-yard run, Nathan Kirkwood kick (Drive: 5 plays, 86 yards, 2:34; Navy 24-6)
  • (2:03) NAVY – Rayuan Lane 97-yard interception, Nathan Kirkwood kick (Drive: 8 plays, 63 yards, 2:09; Navy 31-6)
Statistics UAB Navy
First downs 19 16
Plays–yards 66–321 57–363
Rushes–yards 30–115 47–269
Passing yards 206 94
Passing: comp–att–int 25–36–2 7–10–1
Time of possession 26:45 33:15
Team Category Player Statistics
UAB Passing Jacob Zeno 25/36, 206 yards, 2 INT
Rushing Jermaine Brown, Jr. 15 carries, 55 yards
Receiving Bryce Damous 1 reception, 42 yards
Navy Passing Xavier Arline 7/10, 94 yards, TD, INT
Rushing Xavier Arline 19 carries, 109 yards, TD
Receiving Regis Velez 1 reception, 45 yards, TD

References

  1. ^ "2023 FBS Attendance Trends". D1.ticker. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  2. ^ "2023 UAB Blazers Football Transfers". on3.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  3. ^ "2023 UAB Blazers Football Transfers". 247sports.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  4. ^ "2023 Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved April 26, 2023.