The UAB Blazers are now 2-6 after winning their first game since August in blowout fashion against Tulsa last weekend and are hosting a UConn team that has defied expectations this season.

The 59-21 rout of Tulsa that earned multiple Blazers national and conference honors is going to be hard to repeat against a stout defense, but they’ll need to carry some of the momentum on offense if they want to upset UConn.

Their matchup at 1:30 p.m. at Protective Stadium on Saturday will be the first meeting between the two football programs in history.

Here’s the report on the Huskies:

The Team

Through nine games in 2024 UConn has already doubled their win total in ’23, and due to a bizarre bit of scheduling, they’re coming to Birmingham after playing six-straight games at home.

Their last road game was on September 14th in Durham, NC when they faced and lost to the Duke Blue Devils 21-26. On this prolonged homestead, the Huskies collected five of their six wins on the year, with three of them being over American Athletic opponents FAU, Temple and Rice.

Leading the turnaround this season has been the offense, which has taken a massive step up in almost all categories.

The Huskies sit just outside the top 50 in national rankings of total offensive yards per game, with 406.3 per contest, but rank 38th in the country in scoring, putting up almost 32 points per game on average.

Their passing offense is subpar, only throwing for 204.8 yards per game, but it’s hardly a sign of weakness.

The strength of this Husky team comes in their rushing attack, which ranks 25th in the country in yardage, with 201.6 yards per game, and 30th in rushing touchdowns with 17. It’s an aspect of their game they lean on, with 372 rushing attempts on the season compared to just 262 passes.

UConn boasts an extremely impressive defense, too. It’s one that ranks 37th nationally with 330.9 yards allowed per game, and 32nd in scoring defense, only allowing 21 points to opponents a game.

There’s no consensus on how to get past them, either, as their pass defense ranks 38th in the FBS and their rush defense ranks 51st.

The Coach

Jim Mora is in his third season as the head coach of the Huskies, and it’s looking to be his best so far.

He finished his first in 2022 with a bowl appearance after a 6-6 regular season, followed by a steep regression in 2023 where UConn went 3-9.

After two seasons as the offensive line coordinator, where he helped produce third round draft pick Christian Haynes in 2023, Gordon Sammis was promoted to offensive and run game coordinator prior to the 2024 season.

The Huskies came into 2024 with a new play-caller on defense, too, as Mora announced former Mississippi State defensive coordinator Matt Brock would fill the position this offseason.

Brock’s defense relies heavily on its backfield, and primarily runs a 4-2-5 “nickel” formation that excels in taking away the passing attack of opponents.

Players to watch

UConn’s offensive backfield contains a three-headed attack led by Durrell Robinson, who has the least carries (80) of the three, but almost 90 more yards than the other two, with 586 on the season and a team-leading six touchdowns and 7.3 yards per carry average.

The other two are also spectacular, as both Mel Brown and Cam Edwards have 498 and 445 yards respectively, along with a combined six touchdowns between the two.

The receiving attack is led by Skylar Bell, who’s caught 30 passes for 601 yards and four touchdowns. His 20 yards per catch is the 12th highest in America.

On defense, senior linebacker Tui Faumuina-Brown leads the team in solo tackles, and has recorded two sacks and a forced fumble on the season.