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UAB Blazers at Memphis Tigers

Oct 10, 20266:00 PM CTESPN2Memphis, TN
By JR·2 min read
UAB(3-2)
Memphis(4-1)
6:00 PM

TLDR: Memphis scored 59 last week and UAB has won its last 2. On Saturday, October 10, 2 teams at 1-0 in the American meet at the Liberk... at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, and only one of them gets out of it still unbeaten in the conference.

Week 6 · 10/10, 6:00 PM CTESPN2
UAB
(3-2)
WWLWL
Memphis
(4-1)
WWLWW
Kickoff64°12 mph

Memphis (4-1) hosts UAB (3-2) with both teams 1-0 in the American, and the gap between the offenses is the story. Marcus Stokes and a Tigers attack that put up 674 yards on Charlotte face a first-year Mortensen/Grantham defense that held 4 of 5 opponents to 21 or fewer. UAB, though, lost both of its road games, and Memphis' only loss came against Boise State.

UAB Blazers
  • Held 4 of 5 opponents to 21 or fewer
  • Won 2 straight, including a 1-0 American start against Navy
  • 0-2 on the road: lost at Illinois and Louisiana
  • Offense topped out at 26 against FBS opponents
Memphis Tigers
  • Stokes threw 5 TDs, 318 yards against Charlotte
  • Scored 42 and 45 in 2 home games
  • Defense forced 4 turnovers in the conference opener
  • Lost 38-20 to Boise State, its only real test
  • Rout of Charlotte came against an 0-5 team

It starts with the quarterbacks. Marcus Stokes is coming off the best day of his career: 20-of-25 for 318 yards and 5 touchdowns in a 59-8 beating of Charlotte, as Memphis piled up 674 yards. Ryder Burton runs a UAB offense that wins games without many points. It scored 24 to beat Navy and 26 to get past UL Monroe, which won't hold up against a Memphis team averaging 38.6 points through 5 games.

There's a new staff in Birmingham. Alex Mortensen is in his first season as head coach and Todd Grantham runs the defense. So far that defense has been the steady part of the team: 4 of 5 opponents finished with 21 points or fewer, and the one that didn't was Illinois, which hung 42 on them. Neither team lists an injury, so the board will be set by form and matchup, not by who's missing.

Memphis has a clear résumé. The Tigers won at UNLV 27-21, scored 40-plus at home against Arkansas State and UT Martin, then flattened Charlotte. The one loss is the blemish: 38-20 at Boise State, the only time they played a team that could match them, and they couldn't.

UAB Blazers
(3-2)
10/03WvsSamford33-14
09/25WvsNavy24-20
09/20L@Louisiana14-21
09/12WvsUL Monroe26-20
09/04L@Illinois23-42
Memphis Tigers
(4-1)
10/03W@Charlotte59-8
09/19WvsUT Martin45-21
09/12L@#23 Boise State20-38
09/05WvsArkansas State42-24
08/30W@UNLV27-21

UAB is 3-2 and has won 2 straight. The Navy win, 24-20 in Birmingham, is what gave the Blazers their 1-0 American record, and they beat Samford 33-14 after that. Away from home is where it has gone wrong: 42-23 at Illinois and 21-14 at Louisiana. Their 2 road losses were their only road games, and Memphis is a bigger test than either of those opponents was.

The Charlotte score needs some context. The 49ers are 0-5, so 59-8 tells you Memphis took care of a bad team, not that it's a juggernaut. Still, Jermane Hayes went for 163 yards on 6 catches, and the defense forced 4 turnovers. Memphis' defense handing a short field to an offense that's already producing is exactly what UAB can't allow if it wants to keep this close.

The early forecast is 85 degrees and cloudy with light wind, which is warm for a noon-hour game in October. For UAB, everything comes down to the Grantham defense keeping Stokes in check long enough for an offense that likes the low 20s to stay in it. For Memphis, it's simple: do what they've done at home all year and turn this into a shootout UAB isn't built to win.

UAB Blazers at Memphis Tigers — Memphis Brings a Loaded Offense Home for UAB in American Play | Polymarket Odds · Barstool Bush