Mission accomplished for the UAB football team.

The Blazers closed out spring practice as they held their annual spring game and showcase, Saturday, April 6, at the UAB Football Operations Complex in Birmingham.

Read more on UAB spring practice:

Kam Shanks breaking into WR rotation on speed and skill

Emmanuel Waller setting forceful example for young defensive line

Former walk-on Lee Beebe leads thin RB unit in spring practice

UAB is coming off its first season under head coach Trent Dilfer and mass retention from both the staff and roster has the Blazers preparing for a return to their winning ways.

Here are three takeaways from UAB’s spring game and showcase:

Directing Traffic

Returning starter Jacob Zeno took a majority of the snaps in the scrimmage and finished 15-of-21 for 147 yards and an interception. He also had a rushing score but was sacked five times. The Blazers focused more on their running game while Zeno was under center but the senior signal-caller led a scoring drive early in the second half and was 4-of-4 for 56 yards on the series.

Landry Lyddy and Trace Campbell were impressive during their time on the field and Harrison Barker led the first scoring drive of the scrimmage. Lyddy was 5-of-5 for 148 yards and two touchdowns, and Campbell was 5-of-7 for 88 yards and two scores.

True freshman Adrian Posse played a single series and completed both of his passes for 11 yards. Despite a slow start from the offense, the quarterbacks made plays and took advantage of a young but talented receiving corps.

Showtime Skills

Speaking of which, UAB’s skill-position players were ravenous in their execution if lacking consistency at times. The rushing attack was efficient with two of its top running backs sidelined for the scrimmage and almost every receiver recorded a catch.

Lee Beebe and Lee Witherspoon split running back duties and combined for 146 yards and a touchdown each on 10 carries apiece. Dylan Peterson added 13 yards and a touchdown on five attempts and tight end Terrell McDonald bulldozed his way out of the backfield for a 37-yard gain on the third series.

Kam Shanks was without a doubt the star of the game, offensively speaking, as the redshirt freshman hauled in six receptions for 116 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His touchdown receptions went for 37 and 33 yards and his legendary speed was on display throughout the scrimmage.

Last season’s breakout freshman, Amare Thomas, led the team with nine receptions for 80 yards and a score, and redshirt freshman Corri Milliner brought down two receptions for 85 yards. T.J. Jones had two catches for 41 yards, tight end Bryce Damous brought down a 35-yard reception and Brandon Buckhaulter had two catches for 28 yards and a touchdown, along with a 41-yard run on a reverse.

Intense Defense

UAB had a decent pass rush last season, although not up to the standard of previous seasons under former head coach Bill Clark, but a young and talented defensive line has drastically improved during the offseason and is ready to meet the lofty expectations of past UAB defenses.

The Blazers came in hungry and feasted early in totaling five sacks on the starting offensive line. Sophomore Emmanuel Waller was dominant on the edge, grabbing two sacks, and Indiana transfer LeDarrius Cox was a load in the middle and scored his own sack late in the first half.

In the secondary, sophomore safety Chris Bracy led the way and had an early sack before intercepting Zeno on the first possession of the second half. Mac McWilliams and Colby Dempsey were solid in their time on the field and Ray Thornton III and transfer safeties Sirad Bryant and Adrian Maddox have improved the backend talent pool significantly.

While it was only a spring scrimmage, the steps the defense took late last season carried over into the spring and the entire unit appears much faster in attacking the ball.