UAB picks up third win

November 23, 2024 – BIRMINGHAM, AL – the UAB Blazers football team picked up their third win of the season with an impressive performance against Rice 14 to 40. The win improves UAB to 3 and 8 (2-5 in the American Athletic Conference).

UAB Quarterback Jalen Kitna had another impressive day completing 18 pass on 23 attempts for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Jalen is the son of longtime NFL quarterback John Kitna. Kitna took over midseason when UAB starting quarterback Jacob Zeno suffered a concussion. Zeno was cleared by the medical staff last week, but Kitna got the start as he has a shoulder injury. Zeno, a senior, is going to apply for a medical redshirt for another year of college football eligibility.

The first quarter was very competitive with both teams scoring 14 points each. UAB's offense scored two field goals in the second quarter. Rice drove the ball all the way to the six yard line; but on the last play of the half UAB's Adrian Maddox intercepted an E.J. Warner pass and ran it 99 yards for UAB to go up 27 to 14 at the half. Neither team could score in the third quarter. UAB finished it out with 13 points in the fourth quarter.

Rice could not stop the UAB rushing attack. UAB Running back Lee Beebe Jr. rushed the ball 16 times for 161 yards and two touchdowns, including one 48-yard scamper. The game was a new career high for Beebe.

UAB's Corri Milliner had six catches for 99 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown pass. UAB's defense picked off Warner three times on the day.

For head Coach Trent Dilfer the win is evidence that all the hard work is starting to pay off. Dilfer is just in his second season in Birmingham, and he is 7 and 16 overall. Dilfer previously coached high school football in Tennessee. As a player, he is a Super Bowl winning quarterback and is a former NFL analyst with ESPN.

"Nice to get a win obviously," said Dilfer. "I am really happy for our seniors. Not just senior day – the whole importance of that; but to send them out on our last home game with a win."

Dilfer said that there were a lot of things to build on in the win.

The transfer portal opens up on December 9 and there is already talk that a number of UAB players are going to enter the portal. UAB will begin exit interviews with their players on Sunday.

Dilfer expressed concerns about the state of modern football. Particularly the transfer portal, where a number of UAB players could transfer out. 3,400 players are in the transfer portal from last year that never found homes. Dilfer said that the portal benefits a small minority of players, but based on the data, most group of five players who transfer to a power five conference do not have success and power 5 players who transfer down typically do not have success either.

"For most players at our level who move up it is going to be a terrible, terrible decision, unless they just want to go and rush the field at Auburn last night," said Dilfer. "Very, very few group of five players move up to the power four and make an impact."

"The one thing I am not going to do is beg players to be here that don't want to be here," said Dilfer. "There are a lot of good football players out there."

"We have already been wildly successful in high school recruiting," said Dilfer. "We are also going to be very active in the portal if we absorb the losses that people are projecting."

At the end of the season administrators at UAB will have to make the decision on whether to make a change or bring Dilfer back for a third season. Some in the national media have suggested that Dilfer could be fired. Less than 10,000 people were in attendance on Saturday in perfect weather conditions.

"Nobody hurts more than me when we lose," said Dilfer. "No one is more surprised than me when we don't have success."

"I have been embarrassed by what has happened in my tenure," said Dilfer.

UAB closes their season on the road at Charlotte on Saturday. Charlotte, like Rice, has already fired their head coach so this is the second week in a row that UAB plays a team with an interim head coach.

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