UAB has played five games at Protective Stadium this fall and won all five. It has played four away from Birmingham and lost all four. Saturday the Blazers try to fix that in a building they've never played in. Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles' home in South Philadelphia, has been Temple's home field since it opened in 2003, and this is UAB's first game there. It's Senior Day and Family Day for the Owls, who are 1-4 at the Linc this season.
Last Saturday the Blazers beat Charlotte 23-12 without scoring a touchdown until the fourth quarter. Jonah Delange kicked three field goals, the first a 42-yarder with two seconds left in the half to tie it 3-3, and Ja'Vin Simpkins ran in two touchdowns in the last eight minutes. Rod Robinson II ran for 101 yards. Outside linebacker Marlin Dean had three sacks and forced a fumble, and he was named the American's defensive player of the week for the second time this season. Ryder Burton threw three interceptions, but Alex Mortensen didn't sound alarmed. "My ego is not attached to total offense or scoring offense," he said, though he also said the Blazers are "not just going to keep doing the same things."
Temple nearly pulled off a comeback at Navy. The Owls muffed the opening kickoff, Navy scored six plays later, and they spent most of the day chasing. Jojo Bermudez changed the mood with a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown with 10 seconds left in the first half, and a 53-yard return later set up a run of three straight Temple scoring drives. Jaxon Smolik threw three touchdown passes, the last to Jayce Freeman to tie it at 35. Then Navy quarterback Jackson Gutierrez broke a 39-yard run and scored his fifth rushing touchdown of the day, and Temple's last fourth-down throw to Freeman fell incomplete. "Jojo Bermudez put us on his shoulders," K.C. Keeler said.
The Owls' quarterback job has changed hands more than once. Smolik started the opener, hurt his foot at Toledo in September, and gave way to Ajani Sheppard, and both have started since. Sheppard missed the Navy game with a foot injury of his own. Keeler said Monday he expects Sheppard to be available, but he hasn't said who starts. Running back Sam Brown and linebackers Curly Ordonez and Eric Stuart missed Monday's practice with illness. Tight end Peter Clarke broke his left fibula at East Carolina and is likely done for the season.
The matchup to watch is Temple's passing game against the stingiest pass defense in the American. No team in the league has allowed fewer yards through the air, and it isn't close. Keeler singled out UAB's defensive line and safeties this week, and Dean, with 10.5 sacks and five forced fumbles, is the reason quarterbacks keep one eye on the edge. Temple will want to run the ball and keep its quarterback out of long third downs.
The flip side is UAB's offense against a Temple defense that has given up yardage in bunches. After the Charlotte loss, Keeler fired his defensive line coach and handed play-calling to Henry Baker, and he called the improvement at East Carolina "dramatic." The Blazers' turnover margin is among the worst in the country, so if Temple's rebuilt defense can take it away, the Owls get the short fields their offense needs.
For UAB, a milestone is in reach. One more win gives the Blazers a sixth victory, something they haven't had since 2022, and Mortensen said it "would be very significant and a great accomplishment for the program." The schedule argues for getting it here. UTSA comes to Birmingham next week, and the finale is at North Texas, unbeaten in league play. Mortensen isn't leaning on the road record as a storyline. "We didn't make the narrative about needing a road win," he said.
Temple's math ended last week. At 2-7, the Owls can't reach six wins, and the loss at Navy was their third straight by a single score. Keeler said he is "all in on us trying to get better," and he has a short turnaround to prove it, with Rice visiting next Thursday night.
These teams have met once. UAB won 34-24 in Birmingham in November 2023, in their first season together in the American.
The projection is UAB 23, Temple 20. UAB's defense is a clear step ahead, and Temple's quarterback situation is unsettled for a game against the league's best pass defense. The worry for UAB is its own offense, which has been too careless with the ball to trust on the road, and Temple has played close games for a month. Expect a cloudy afternoon in the upper 40s with a steady breeze, which won't help either passing game.
The market, for the record: Temple is about a 2.5-point favorite, and the total is 47.5. The projection (UAB by 3) picks the road team, against the line.
What breaks it: Burton keeps the ball out of Temple's hands, the Blazers' running backs wear down a Temple defense that has been soft against the run, and Dean takes over the fourth quarter. The other way it breaks: UAB turns it over early, Temple's quarterback gets comfortable, and Bermudez gives the Owls a short field or two on Senior Day.