A football team was utterly dominated at Protective Stadium on Saturday, and for the first time in a while, it wasn’t UAB.

The Blazers beat the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes 59-21. It was the most points UAB has scored in the Trent Dilfer era, and the first time they beat a FBS opponent since November 18th, 2023.

UAB’s offense led by redshirt junior Jalen Kitna produced a total of 537 yards on the day.

The Blazers moved to 2-6 on the season and take on the UConn Huskies next week at home.

Here’s the takeaways from this afternoon:

UAB offense finally put it all together

After starting quarterback Jacob Zeno’s injury was made public, it seemed like a UAB offense that was already in limbo would sink even lower.

For a couple of games, it looked like it was going to, but after a building block of a game last week with a handful of avoidable mistakes, people saw what this offense was capable of on Saturday.

Aside from one play, where he scrambled and took a shot to the ribs causing a fumble, Jalen Kitna played by far his safest and most efficient game as the Blazers’ starting quarterback.

He finished the game 25-of-32 passing for 404 yards with six touchdown passes and no interceptions. His downfield processing, decision making and overall accuracy were at their best today.

His six touchdown passes tied a school record.

It was a return to form for Alex Mortensen’s offense that hasn’t quite reached the heights it looked like it could after 2023.

Shanks cemented himself as UAB’s most electric playmaker

When UAB needed plays, Kam Shanks delivered.

Sprinkled throughout the season, we’ve seen glimpses of just how dominant a playmaker the redshirt freshman receiver can be.

On Saturday, he did it all. On four punt returns, he averaged 35 per return, with the longest coming on a 59-yard touchdown return in the second quarter.

He broke the UAB punt return yardage record (129 yards) in the first half of the game.

As a receiver, he reeled in five passes for 153 yards and three touchdowns, highlighted by a play where he walked a tightrope down the sideline after catching a ball on a crossing route and somehow stayed in bounds to score a 67-yard touchdown.

He racked up 296 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns on the day in what was the most dominant single-game performance of the year for any Blazer player.

A performance like this is a momentum-builder for the Blazers

It’s been a dismal season in Birmingham, but a game like this could give the Blazers life with five games remaining.

If the offense can continue to take care of the football and play at a level anywhere near what they did today, UAB has a legitimate chance to break even with their 2023 record or even tack on one more win.

Going forward, they face UConn at home, Memphis on the road, Rice at home and Charlotte on the road to finish the season. The Battle for the Bones rivalry game in Memphis obviously sticks out as the most difficult game there, but it gives UAB an opportunity to salvage something from the season.

They’ve been on the other end of these games all season, but this young team and coaching staff has now seen they can be on the winning end of dominant games at the FBS level, too.