It’s one of the most unique rewards in all of sports.

It’s a 94-pound solid bronze trophy depicts a rack of ribs, a nod to the history of barbecue in the cities of Memphis, TN and Birmingham, AL.

Since its creation in 2006 that officially dubbed the rivalry the “Battle for the Bones,” however, it’s only spent four years in Birmingham, most recently in 2011 when a 2-8 Blazer team went into Memphis and kept it away from a Tigers team that was also 2-8 at the time.

This matchup isn’t quite as even, as the 2024 Blazers sit at 2-7 heading into the renewed rivalry game against the 8-2 Memphis Tigers, who are currently favored to win by two touchdowns.

Halfway through UAB’s last game against UConn, it felt like they’d be riding a wave of momentum. Instead, they folded second half on the way to a heartbreaking 31-23 loss.

The Blazers’ offense went just over 400 yards of offense, a good showing, but still a step down from weeks prior where they’d finally found a groove against USF and Tulsa with 500-yard games.

Responsible for much of their highs and lows is still quarterback Jalen Kitna, who led the Blazers to their halftime lead last week with an efficient first half and a beautiful 38-yard touchdown pass but was then responsible for all three of the turnovers that led to the Huskies comeback.

Ball security this weekend will need to be an emphasis for Kitna and the entire Blazer offense, as Memphis’ aggressive defensive style has already created 17 turnovers this season with 10 fumbles and seven interceptions.

There’s an opportunity for the Blazers passing offense to succeed this weekend as Amare Thomas and Kam Shanks face a Memphis secondary that has been the weakest link on the team, ranking 97th nationally in passing yards allowed.

Lee Beebe Jr. broke through against UConn with his first 100-yard game of the season rushing for 115 yards on an impressive 6.8 yards per carry but will be running against a rushing defense that sits just outside of the top 30 nationally.

UAB’s defense will be tasked with a new challenge in this game, having faced and struggled mainly against top rushing attacks and will have to try and slow down one of the most explosive air attacks in the country led by quarterback Seth Henigan.

Memphis ranks 28th in the country in passing offense, led by Henigan’s 2,691 yards which is top 10 among all FBS quarterbacks.

They’ll be up against their tallest task of the season though, as the Blazers’ secondary is fifth in the nation, only allowing 158.7 yards through the air per game.

The game will be aired nationally on ESPN2 and kicks off at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday.