Since returning to FBS football, the UAB Blazers have struggled in Week 2 games: 1-6, dating back to 2017.

In 2024′s Week 2 quest, they were completely dominated on both sides of the ball by former interim head coach Bryant Vincent and the ULM Warhawks in a blowout 32-6 loss.

Second-year head coach Trent Dilfer remains winless on the road for UAB, and the Blazers littered the field with uncharacteristic performances.

Jacob Zeno had one of the worst games of his career, completing 22 of 32 passes for 167 yards and two turnovers. Kam Shanks remained a bright spot in the passing game, with a team-high four receptions for 43 yards. The ground game never got going either, gaining 92 yards total, 62 of those belonging to Lee Beebe Jr.

The defense of UAB (1-1) was shredded by the Warhawk run game, giving up more than 200 yards aiding in their control of the ballgame.

Here’s what we learned tonight

The Blazers continue to be slowed by self-inflicted wounds

This offense looked like it was on track to pick up exactly where it left off in 2023 this season. It didn’t exactly excel last week against Alcorn State, mostly due to turnovers and undisciplined offensive line play. We saw much of the same Saturday night.

Right out of the gate, a drop followed by a holding penalty killed the Blazers’ first drive, setting the tone and allowing the Warhawks a short field which led to their first field goal. Later, receiver Amare Thomas went backwards on an end-around forcing a UAB punt, which was blocked and led to ULM’s first touchdown.

The offensive line continued to struggle, letting Zeno get drilled multiple times leading to bad throws and a fumble before halftime, which led to a ULM field goal.

In the third quarter, the Blazers made a stop on ULM’s opening drive and got the ball backed up at their own 4. The Warhawks blew the following play up for a safety, then proceeded to run the ball down the Blazers’ throats, resulting in a touchdown.

Another UAB fumble later in the third led to a long Warhawk drive and a touchdown seemingly sealed their fate. A pick-six in the 4th quarter confirmed it.

UAB loses at the line of scrimmage

Bryant Vincent’s game plan was much like we saw in his time as UAB’s offensive coordinator under Bill Clark and in his lone season as interim head coach: establish the run and commit to it. Along with 13 former UAB players and staff members, the Warhawks knew a lot of the Blazers’ tendencies, and strengths and weaknesses, but like Dilfer said this week, they knew a whole lot about the Warhawks.

While UAB may have seen Vincent’s gameplan coming, it couldn’t stop it. The defensive line was consistently mauled by the Warhawks’ offensive line, allowing multiple runs up the gut with no solution to be found. ULM gained a total of 209 yards on the ground, led by Taven Curry, a UAB transfer, who had 64 yards.

Due to poor pass protection from the offensive line, the Blazers were forced to run the ball more than they probably wanted to, and like on the other side of the ball, the offensive line was overpowered by ULM’s defense.

The road to AAC contention is going to be long

With optimism entering 2024, it felt like this UAB squad could be a middle-of-the-pack American Athletic Conference team. Possibly towards the top of the leaderboard even, if a few key games went their way.

If this game made one thing clear, though, it was: this team won’t be a contender any time soon. Not until they get out of their own way. Undisciplined football combined with lack of talent in key areas continues to be the bane of Dilfer’s Blazers. Whether they can fix that on the fly this season remains to be seen.

This game was an opportunity to make a statement. One to either show they’re putting the past behind them and move into a new era of UAB football or to show that this year’s team is going to be much of the same, another stepping stone season.

The Blazers will have an opportunity to show change, soon. They play at Arkansas next weekend, followed by home games against Navy and Tulane. If improvement isn’t seen, we could see a rough stretch of football in the coming weeks for UAB.