UAB

1-1
Latest
Illinois vs. UAB Open 2026 Season Thursday Nightour readUAB signed a top-37 transfer-portal class — 29 additions headlined by Ryder Burton (QB) from West Virginia and Perry Fisher (CB) from Maryland.our read

American Athletic · Alex Mortensen, year 2 (3-5) · Protective Stadium · 45,000 · 21,153 avg in 2026

The nationunrankedAP / Coaches
The model#58 CFB ZeitgeistSP+ #123 (-16.0) · FPI #125
The marketLouisiana by 7.5at Louisiana · our model 28% UAB · a number, not a pick

LastW 26–20 vs UL Monroe · Sat Sep 12 · Ike Esonwune 1 INT, 10 tackles

Nextat Louisiana · Sat Sep 19 · 8 pm ET · Cajun Field · Louisiana by 7.5 · series 4-4, lost the last 3 · Game preview

Updated Tue Sep 15 · through week 2

Key stats — 2026 — FBS rank
Points/game
24.5
Pts allowed/game
31.0
Total yards/gm#80 / 138 · 42nd pct
397.0
Rush yards/gm#31 / 138 · 78th pct
230.0
Pass yards/gm#114 / 138 · 18th pct
167.0
Yards allowed/gmT-#50 / 138 · 64th pct
294.5
Rush yds allowed/gm#108 / 138 · 22nd pct
175.5
SacksT-#106 / 138 · 16th pct
2
InterceptionsT-#63 / 115 · 23rd pct
1
3rd-down conv#12 / 138 · 92nd pct
58.8%
All 80 stats
Offense / Defense
Total yards
Team
794397.0/gm5.40/play#80 / 138 · 42nd pct#46 / 70 · 35th pct#8 / 14 · 46th pct#11 / 11 · 9th pct
Opp
589294.5/gm5.56/playT-#50 / 138 · 64th pctT-#40 / 70 · 43rd pct#2 / 14 · 89th pct#1 / 11 · 100th pct
Rush yards
Team
460230.0/gm3.13/play#31 / 138 · 78th pct#19 / 70 · 74th pct#5 / 14 · 68th pct#11 / 11 · 9th pct
Opp
351175.5/gm3.31/play#108 / 138 · 22nd pct#66 / 70 · 6th pct#8 / 14 · 46th pct#1 / 11 · 100th pct
Rush carries
Team
10050.0/gm#13 / 138 · 91st pct#4 / 70 · 95th pct#5 / 14 · 68th pct#11 / 11 · 9th pct
Opp
6934.5/gmT-#69 / 138 · 47th pctT-#44 / 70 · 35th pctT-#6 / 14 · 57th pct#1 / 11 · 100th pct
Rush TDs
Team
21.0/gmT-#106 / 138 · 18th pctT-#56 / 70 · 15th pctT-#12 / 14 · 14th pct#11 / 11 · 9th pct
Opp
42.0/gmT-#107 / 138 · 18th pctT-#62 / 70 · 8th pct#10 / 14 · 32nd pct#1 / 11 · 100th pct
Net pass yards
Team
334167.0/gm2.27/play#114 / 138 · 18th pct#65 / 70 · 8th pct#10 / 14 · 32nd pct#11 / 11 · 9th pct
Opp
238119.0/gm2.25/play#10 / 138 · 93rd pct#8 / 70 · 89th pct#1 / 14 · 96th pct#1 / 11 · 100th pct
Pass attempts
Team
4723.5/gmT-#110 / 138 · 20th pct#62 / 70 · 12th pct#10 / 14 · 32nd pct#11 / 11 · 9th pct
Opp
3718.5/gmT-#4 / 138 · 97th pctT-#3 / 70 · 96th pct#1 / 14 · 96th pct#1 / 11 · 100th pct
Completions
Team
2613.0/gmT-#119 / 138 · 13th pct#65 / 70 · 8th pct#10 / 14 · 32nd pct#11 / 11 · 9th pct
Opp
2311.5/gmT-#8 / 138 · 94th pctT-#6 / 70 · 91st pct#1 / 14 · 96th pct#1 / 11 · 100th pct
Pass TDs
Team
21.0/gmT-#94 / 138 · 25th pctT-#54 / 70 · 19th pctT-#6 / 14 · 46th pct#11 / 11 · 9th pct
Opp
31.5/gmT-#75 / 138 · 36th pctT-#47 / 70 · 23rd pctT-#6 / 14 · 54th pct#1 / 11 · 100th pct
Passer rating
Team
124.8124.8#83 / 115 · 28th pct#48 / 60 · 21st pct#7 / 10 · 35th pct#10 / 11 · 18th pct
Opp
132.1132.1#57 / 91 · 38th pct#31 / 42 · 27th pct#8 / 11 · 36th pct
Interceptions thrown
Team
21.0/gmT-#23 / 138 · 74th pctT-#8 / 70 · 77th pctT-#3 / 14 · 75th pct#11 / 11 · 9th pct
Opp
10.5/gmT-#24 / 138 · 64th pctT-#11 / 70 · 64th pctT-#5 / 14 · 57th pct#1 / 11 · 100th pct
Sacks (def)
Team
21.0/gmT-#106 / 138 · 16th pctT-#61 / 70 · 9th pctT-#10 / 14 · 25th pct#10 / 10 · 10th pct
Opp
42.0/gmT-#74 / 138 · 37th pctT-#42 / 70 · 31st pctT-#8 / 14 · 32nd pct#1 / 10 · 100th pct
Tackles for loss
Team
73.5/gmT-#111 / 138 · 16th pctT-#61 / 70 · 11th pctT-#10 / 14 · 25th pct#10 / 10 · 10th pct
Opp
136.5/gmT-#109 / 138 · 18th pctT-#63 / 70 · 9th pctT-#12 / 14 · 14th pct#1 / 10 · 100th pct
First downs
Team
4723.5/gmT-#52 / 138 · 61st pctT-#35 / 70 · 49th pct#5 / 14 · 68th pct#11 / 11 · 9th pct
Opp
3618.0/gmT-#68 / 138 · 50th pctT-#46 / 70 · 34th pctT-#2 / 14 · 86th pct#1 / 11 · 100th pct
3rd-down conv
Team
2010.0/gmT-#4 / 138 · 97th pctT-#2 / 70 · 97th pct#1 / 14 · 96th pct#11 / 11 · 9th pct
Opp
63.0/gmT-#12 / 138 · 86th pctT-#10 / 70 · 79th pct#1 / 14 · 96th pct#1 / 11 · 100th pct
3rd-down att
Team
3417.0/gmT-#14 / 138 · 89th pctT-#3 / 70 · 96th pct#2 / 14 · 89th pct#11 / 11 · 9th pct
Opp
189.0/gmT-#1 / 138 · 99th pct#1 / 70 · 99th pct#1 / 14 · 96th pct#1 / 11 · 100th pct
4th-down conv
Team
31.5/gmT-#23 / 138 · 74th pctT-#12 / 70 · 72nd pctT-#6 / 14 · 54th pct#11 / 11 · 9th pct
Opp
21.0/gmT-#71 / 138 · 37th pctT-#40 / 70 · 32nd pctT-#8 / 14 · 39th pct#1 / 11 · 100th pct
4th-down att
Team
52.5/gmT-#27 / 138 · 74th pctT-#13 / 70 · 74th pctT-#5 / 14 · 64th pct#11 / 11 · 9th pct
Opp
52.5/gmT-#98 / 138 · 25th pctT-#54 / 70 · 20th pctT-#7 / 14 · 46th pct#1 / 11 · 100th pct
Time of possession
Team
72:5636:28/gm#16 / 138 · 89th pct#6 / 70 · 92nd pct#2 / 14 · 89th pct#11 / 11 · 9th pct
Opp
47:0423:32/gm#7 / 138 · 95th pct#6 / 70 · 92nd pct#1 / 14 · 96th pct#1 / 11 · 100th pct

FBS rankings · 2026 season · all stats vs 136 FBS programs

Player stats — 2026 season
Quarterbacks
Player#GCmp/AttPctYdsY/ATDINTRateZPRQBRAdj ANY/ASack%
+0.34 EPA/play5226 / 4755.33347.122120.5—50.8——
Running Backs
Player#GCarYdsAvgTDLongStuff%10+%
+0.23 EPA/play2235173
#41 FBS		4.9014——
+0.16 EPA/play32291314.5127——
Receivers
Player#GRecYdsAvgTDLong
+1.46 EPA/play4279113143
+0.40 EPA/play—256312.6024

2026 stat leaders · UAB

through 2 games

Muaaz Byard leads UAB with 20 tackles through 2 games.

1. Muaaz Byard LB 20 tackles
2. Eli Ennis LB 16 tackles
3. Ike Esonwune LB 15 tackles
4. Jeremiah Jordan DB 13 tackles
5. Roderick Robinson II RB 173 rushing yards
How They Play · 2025

UAB fields a capable pass-first offense behind a porous defense.

Offense
60th pct EPA/play
Run/Pass
53% pass plays
Defense
1st pct EPA allowed

Percentile vs all FBS, based on this season's per-game production. Bar = where this team ranks — right is better.

The Savant Card · UAB · 2025

UAB reads strongest in explosive plays (top 36%) and success rate (top 38%); the crux lives in epa allowed, where UAB sits at the 1st percentile.

offense · strengths lead

EPA / play +0.19
60th
Success Rate +0.43
62nd
Explosive Plays +1.29
64th
Rushing EPA +0.13
55th

defense · higher bar = harder to play against

EPA Allowed +0.33
1st
Success Rate Allowed +0.49
3rd
Explosive Plays Allowed +1.28
44th
Passing EPA Allowed +0.47
4th

hidden math · special situations

Passing EPA +0.30
61st
Rushing EPA Allowed +0.21
4th
Elite · 90+Strong · 70+Average · 40-70Concern · 10-40Bottom · <10
Sources · CFBD tier-2 advanced stats · per-game production · 12 games this season · percentiles vs. up to 136 FBS peers

Home-field advantage · UAB · 2018–present · FBS opponents

UAB is worth +6.5 points more at home than on the road.

Top third of FBS, 87th percentile of 133 programs

69% at home, 32% away against FBS opponents since 2018 (27–12 home, 16–34 away). Interval ±4.3.

95% intervalmodel 2.3 · books ~3Weakest home edge in FBSStrongest

Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge — per-team modelling was tested and did not survive scrutiny (why) — and the books use about 3. Against the closing line, UAB has beaten the number by 7.4 points more at home than away over 75 games — outside the ±7.3 that many games can resolve. This is one of the few buildings where the results say something the flat number does not.

Protective Stadium seats 45,000 and has averaged 46% full (20,878, 25 games reported). Visitors cover a median 460 miles to get here since 2018 — 63rd-longest of 135 FBS venues, inside the ordinary range. For the home side it is genuinely home ground: 26% of the 2026 roster (39 of 148 located players) grew up inside 100 miles of the stadium.

Edge = half the gap between average home margin and average road margin, FBS opponents only, non-neutral games since 2018; the interval is 95%. Market line: closing spread, seasons with lines on file. Trip length is straight-line miles from the visiting team's campus to the venue, measured across all 45 home games since 2018.

Home27–12Away16–34Edge+6.5 ±4.3Visitor trip460 mi

More in this tab

Position battlesReps are split -- here's who's actually winning them.

Positional competition · RB room

The carries are split. The job isn’t.

Roderick Robinson II and Braylon McReynolds split the carries (35/63 vs 28/63) -- but the job isn't split the same way. Braylon McReynolds produces in bigger chunks.

Roderick Robinson IIBraylon McReynolds
Carries
3528
the baseline -- every row below is tested against this split, not a flat 50/50
Top-5-carry share
32.9%48.1%
concentration and EPA/carry agree -- a real boom/bust split
Screened 1 claims, 1 survived
Scheme claimsFive specific, testable claims about how this team plays.

Fourth-quarter reliability, corrected

UAB's 4th-quarter offense, before and after garbage time

Raw Q4 EPA/play ranks 41st percentile in FBS. Strip out snaps taken with a blowout margin and it climbs to the 68th — the correction is the finding, not a footnote.

league medianRaw 4th quarter · 41st pctileCompetitive snaps only · 68th pct…Worst in FBSBest in FBS
Source CFB Zeitgeist · CFBD play-by-play, garbage-time adjusted by pre-play margin

Standard downs vs. passing downs

Does UAB hold up once the down-and-distance turns against them?

65th percentile success on standard downs, 81st on passing downs — a 16-point gap between the two.

Fragile off scheduleBalanced, both workStruggles even on scheduleStandard-downs reliantUABWeak on standard downsElite on standard downsFalls apart off scheduleHolds up off scheduleHawai'i18th standard · 41st passingUNLV51st standard · 7th passingStanford76th standard · 15th passingEastern Michigan52nd standard · 10th passingSan José State54th standard · 22nd passingNew Mexico State45th standard · 75th passingSacramento State23rd standard · 14th passingOklahoma State41st standard · 49th passingDuke20th standard · 29th passingFlorida State28th standard · 65th passingRutgers30th standard · 71st passingKansas70th standard · 35th passingBoston College27th standard · 56th passingNorfolk State16th standard · 9th passingLouisville96th standard · 70th passingMissouri36th standard · 85th passingMemphis69th standard · 65th passingGeorgia Southern24th standard · 45th passingOle Miss94th standard · 50th passingJacksonville State65th standard · 82nd passingNorth Dakota State86th standard · 27th passingArizona92nd standard · 86th passingUSC97th standard · 99th passingWake Forest56th standard · 97th passingTCU93rd standard · 8th passingDelaware70th standard · 31st passingUAB65th standard · 81st passingMichigan State62nd standard · 29th passingSouth Florida91st standard · 52nd passingFlorida International46th standard · 43rd passingNavy98th standard · 59th passingWisconsin13th standard · 18th passingOregon State10th standard · 38th passingSyracuse48th standard · 64th passingOhio State90th standard · 40th passingBall State12th standard · 24th passingPittsburgh30th standard · 76th passingColorado35th standard · 77th passingGeorgia Tech58th standard · 44th passingAuburn75th standard · 55th passingBaylor40th standard · 96th passingNorth Texas49th standard · 68th passingApp State44th standard · 90th passingIowa State4th standard · 23rd passingUTSA99th standard · 29th passingArkansas60th standard · 80th passingBoise State58th standard · 46th passingOregon35th standard · 33rd passingTulsa56th standard · 1st passingTulane31st standard · 2nd passingPurdue83rd standard · 88th passingMiddle Tennessee87th standard · 68th passingVanderbilt80th standard · 12th passingSan Diego State4th standard · 40th passingLSU33rd standard · 98th passingClemson1st standard · 19th passingCentral Michigan16th standard · 6th passingTexas Tech88th standard · 48th passingMichigan2nd standard · 62nd passingWestern Michigan39th standard · 20th passingOhio38th standard · 17th passingBuffalo7th standard · 14th passingTexas72nd standard · 94th passingCoastal Carolina61st standard · 52nd passingColorado State82nd standard · 91st passingWyoming65th standard · 36th passingTexas A&M85th standard · 72nd passingLiberty14th standard · 59th passingFlorida Atlantic43rd standard · 87th passingLouisiana19th standard · 92nd passingSouth Alabama50th standard · 73rd passingTroy22nd standard · 59th passingSam Houston78th standard · 61st passingNevada77th standard · 52nd passingWestern Kentucky25th standard · 34th passingWashington State8th standard · 3rd passingWashington81st standard · 4th passingCalifornia9th standard · 25th passingCharlotte73rd standard · 83rd passingTennessee65th standard · 78th passingUtah State4th standard · 93rd passing
Source CFB Zeitgeist · advanced team stats, Connelly success-rate definition
View all FBS teams as a table
TeamStandard-downs percentilePassing-downs percentile
App State44th90th
Arizona92nd86th
Arkansas60th80th
Auburn75th55th
Ball State12th24th
Baylor40th96th
Boise State58th46th
Boston College27th56th
Buffalo7th14th
California9th25th
Central Michigan16th6th
Charlotte73rd83rd
Clemson1st19th
Coastal Carolina61st52nd
Colorado35th77th
Colorado State82nd91st
Delaware70th31st
Duke20th29th
Eastern Michigan52nd10th
Florida Atlantic43rd87th
Florida International46th43rd
Florida State28th65th
Georgia Southern24th45th
Georgia Tech58th44th
Hawai'i18th41st
Iowa State4th23rd
Jacksonville State65th82nd
Kansas70th35th
LSU33rd98th
Liberty14th59th
Louisiana19th92nd
Louisville96th70th
Memphis69th65th
Michigan2nd62nd
Michigan State62nd29th
Middle Tennessee87th68th
Missouri36th85th
Navy98th59th
Nevada77th52nd
New Mexico State45th75th
Norfolk State16th9th
North Dakota State86th27th
North Texas49th68th
Ohio38th17th
Ohio State90th40th
Oklahoma State41st49th
Ole Miss94th50th
Oregon35th33rd
Oregon State10th38th
Pittsburgh30th76th
Purdue83rd88th
Rutgers30th71st
Sacramento State23rd14th
Sam Houston78th61st
San Diego State4th40th
San José State54th22nd
South Alabama50th73rd
South Florida91st52nd
Stanford76th15th
Syracuse48th64th
TCU93rd8th
Tennessee65th78th
Texas72nd94th
Texas A&M85th72nd
Texas Tech88th48th
Troy22nd59th
Tulane31st2nd
Tulsa56th1st
UAB65th81st
UNLV51st7th
USC97th99th
UTSA99th29th
Utah State4th93rd
Vanderbilt80th12th
Wake Forest56th97th
Washington81st4th
Washington State8th3rd
Western Kentucky25th34th
Western Michigan39th20th
Wisconsin13th18th
Wyoming65th36th
Tendency driftHow this coordinator's calls have drifted since arriving.

Season by season

How UAB’s current staff calls plays, year over year

Offense: Alex Mortensen (2023–2025)
1st-down pass rate
2023: 43% → 2025: 44% · 9-pt range · #102 of 184 · a typical amount
Red-zone pass rate
2023: 33% → 2025: 46% · 13-pt range · #94 of 182 · a typical amount
4th-down go rate
2023: 33% → 2025: 50% · 18-pt range · #76 of 172 · a typical amount
RatingsWhere the public rating systems put this team.

Model Consensus

Where the Models Rank UAB

CFB Zeitgeist

#58

+1.7

SP+

#123

-16.0

FPI

#125

-15.4

Elo

#90

1403

The national models put UAB between 90th and 125th nationally — CFB Zeitgeist is higher on them than any of these models, at 58th.

National rank of 138 FBS teams · 2026 season. SP+/FPI/SRS published; Elo & CFB Zeitgeist ranked by rating.

Comparable teamsPrograms built like this one — tier, prestige band, kind of fanbase, roster size. Not a stat match.

Most similar programs · UAB

Reads like

AkronMid-AmericanSame tier of program · Same prestige band · Similarly-sized rosters up frontApp StateSun BeltSame tier of program · Same prestige band · Similarly-sized rosters up frontArizonaBig 12Same tier of program · Same prestige band · Similarly-sized rosters up front

Matched on how the programs are built — tier, prestige band, kind of fanbase, conference, voice and roster size — not on this season's stats. A calibration, not a prediction.

ConditionsThe weather and altitude visitors have to deal with.
Venue texture

73°F average kickoff temp; 9% of games had measurable precipitation; 7 mph average wind.

Based on 56 home games with weather data.

This page may include content derived from public news sources, social media, and fan communities. We relay these sources as-is — we are not reporting them. Sources may be summarized or quoted imperfectly; for anything that matters, go look at the original source directly. The original source may also be wrong. AI-generated content is labeled and may contain factual errors. All analysis is editorial opinion, not professional reporting. Data sources · About this site