UAB Blazers at South Florida Bulls

·Oct 31, 2026·11:00 AM CT·Tampa, FL

By JR·2 min read

UAB(4-3)

South Florida(5-2)

11:00 AM

TLDR: UAB and South Florida both won their last game, and both come into Halloween with plenty to clean up. Two unranked American clubs meet at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday, October 31, and neither one has given a reason to think this will be easy.

SAT 10/31, SAT OCT 31, 11:00 AM CT · Week 9

UAB

(4-3)

WLWWL

South Florida

(5-2)

WLLWW

UAB comes to Tampa after an overtime comeback against East Carolina, built on Ryder Burton's late drive, while South Florida comes off a 29-2 home rout of Kent State behind a defense that has held 2 of its last 3 opponents to single digits. The game hinges on whether Burton's inconsistent passing holds up against that defense on the road, where UAB has lost at Louisiana and Memphis. South Florida's offense has stalled in conference play, which keeps this closer than the records suggest.

UAB Blazers

Burton led a 93-yard tying drive late with no timeouts
CJ Smith: 8 catches, 119 yards vs East Carolina
Defense produced an 80-yard pick-six in overtime
Burton completed only 18 of 36 passes vs ECU
Lost both road games shown, by 7 and 25
Fell behind East Carolina 14-0 at home

South Florida Bulls

Defense allowed 6 to Bowling Green, 2 to Kent State
Van Buren efficient: 22-for-27 vs Kent State
Hicks' 96-yard defensive score shows a playmaking defense
Just 1-2 in conference play
Scored 13 and 14 against Temple, Bowling Green
Leading rusher managed just 42 yards vs Kent State

UAB's last game tells you most of what you need to know about this team. East Carolina jumped out 14-0 early in the second quarter, and the Blazers stayed in it until Ryder Burton drove them 93 yards in 10 plays with no timeouts. He hit Bam McReynolds for a 17-yard score with 35 seconds left, then ran in the 2-point conversion himself to tie it at 17. In overtime, Burton found Rod Robinson II from 6 yards out, and Delvon Gulley returned an interception 80 yards to finish it. The 30-17 final looks comfortable, and it wasn't.

There's a catch to the Burton story. He threw for 256 yards but completed 18 of 36, and CJ Smith did a lot of the work with 8 catches for 119 yards. A quarterback hitting half his throws can survive a homecoming crowd in Birmingham. A road trip to Tampa against a defense that has looked this good lately is a tougher ask, and that's the matchup to watch.

South Florida's defense is why. The Bulls held Bowling Green to 6 points on the road, and as of now they're coming off a 29-2 rout of Kent State at Raymond James. In that game the defense scored itself: C.J. Hicks went 96 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Michael Van Buren Jr. went 22-for-27 for 193 yards and a score, with Cameron Seldon catching a 36-yard touchdown in the fourth. The Bulls didn't need fireworks. They needed to avoid mistakes, and they did.

The overall records hide some trouble on both sides. South Florida is 5-2 overall but only 1-2 in the conference, after losing 17-13 to Temple at home and 31-24 at UTSA in back-to-back weeks. Its running game against Kent State was thin, too: D.J. Crowther led the team with 42 yards on 11 carries. UAB is 4-3 and 2-1 in league play, but it got run over 38-13 at Memphis and lost 21-14 at Louisiana. The Blazers' road résumé this season is not good.

Neither team plays again before this one, so both get a full 2 weeks to get ready, and the coaching staffs get time to prepare too. For UAB, that's time to tighten up a passing game that missed on half its throws. For South Florida, it's time to figure out why an offense that put up 59 on Delaware State scored 13 and 14 against Temple and Bowling Green. These two teams are closer than South Florida's extra win suggests. That's especially true if UAB keeps it within one score late, which is about the only thing it has done reliably all year.

UAB Blazers at South Florida Bulls

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