It’s been over two months since Trent Dilfer’s UAB Blazers won a football game, the last (and only) win coming against Alcorn State in the season opener.

This week provides them a chance to turn the page, coming off their second bye week, they’ll be playing for something bigger than football when they take on the 3-5 Tulsa Golden Hurricanes on Saturday.

In what is becoming one of the most meaningful traditions in college athletics, UAB is hosting their eighth annual Children’s Harbor Homecoming game. The team will debut updated versions of their gray and lime jerseys, wearing the name of an assigned child affected by illness on their backs instead of their own.

If the Blazers want to extend their homecoming win streak to three-straight wins, they’ll have to shut down a Tulsa offense coming off a 437-yard performance in what was an improbable 28-point comeback victory against UTSA last weekend.

Leading the charge was quarterback Cooper Legas, a two-year starter at Utah State, who stepped in last week after an injury to Tulsa’s starter, Kirk Francis. Legas earned AP Player of the Week honors after throwing for 333 yards, rushing for another 46 and totaling five touchdowns.

He provided a much-needed jolt to what’s been an otherwise stagnant offense in 2024. Tulsa ranks near the middle of the FBS in most metrics, including passing and rushing yards per game and in total offensive scoring.

It’ll be a battle of overall struggling units, as UAB’s defense had a better showing for much of their last game against USF, but ultimately imploded late in the game, allowing the Bulls to pull away and cement a 35-25 victory in Tampa.

Of the seven FBS opponents the Blazers have played, they’ve yet to hold a single offense to under 30 points, mostly driven by the fact that they’ve held only one of those opponents (USF) to under 200 rushing yards the entire season.

Further hurting the Blazer defense is the offense’s 15 lost turnovers this year, good for 6th most in the nation. It was on full display late in the USF game, as Jalen Kitna and the offense turned the ball over twice in the second half, giving their defense no time to rest and leading to the comeback victory for the Bulls.

The Blazer offense, still without starting quarterback Jacob Zeno, has changed immensely in his absence. While Jalen Kitna’s gunslinger mentality and lack of starting experience has led to untimely turnovers, the talent is there. His style is reminiscent of a young Brett Favre or Philip Rivers, right down to the unorthodox release.

The secondary he’s facing this weekend provides an opportunity for him to show he could be a legit starting option for UAB going forward, not just a backup. The Tulsa pass defense is not only the easiest he’s faced through his four starts, but the third worst in the entire country in passing yardage allowed per game, letting quarterbacks put 294 yards up on them a game on average.

Getting the arsenal of weapons the Blazers have on offense going is going to be critical. Kam Shanks, Amare Thomas, Dallas Payne and Bryce Damous are going to need to provide, and the opportunities should be there.

If the Tulsa offense looks anything like they did in the second half last week and UAB’s can play like they did against USF minus the turnovers, expect a shootout between two quarterbacks who aren’t afraid to push the ball downfield.

The game kicks off at Protective Stadium on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+.