UAB will host undefeated Navy Midshipmen in AAC opener

The UAB Blazers enter week five at 1-2 and staring at the toughest stretch of their 2024 schedule.

First up is Navy, with Tulane, Army and South Florida in the coming weeks, but the four-game gauntlet begins by hosting the 3-0 Midshipmen who posted a 56-44 victory against Memphis last week.

The keys to the Navy offensive coordinator position were handed to former Mercer head coach Drew Cronic this offseason and the initial return was successful. Navy ranks 21st in total offense with 470 yards per game, 4th in rushing offense with 307 rushing yards per game and 10th in scoring offense with 47.7 points per game.

Quarterback Blake Horvath, the centerpiece of Navy’s three-pronged offense, comes to Protective Stadium coming off one of the best single-game performances by a quarterback in 2024.

A true dual threat, he produced 192 yards and two touchdowns through the air and added another 211 yards and four touchdowns, including a highlight-reel 90-yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter to put the game out of Memphis’ reach.

“It’s probably an unrealistic expectation to think we’re going to shut down Navy’s run game. I think you have to limit the damage, contain it,” Trent Dilfer said at his weekly press conference.

It’s the biggest task for its defense yet and likely the key to staying in the game for UAB, who sided with Arkansas in their last outing but ultimately fell 27-37.

The Blazers allowed 266 rushing yards on the ground in Fayetteville. 172 of those came from running backs, but quarterback Taylen Green rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns in what they hope wasn’t a preview of the havoc Horvath can wreak on their run defense this week.

However, limiting the damage through the air by opposing quarterbacks has not been an issue for UAB thus far, which was a surprising turnaround from the performance of their secondary players last season.

The Blazers’ defense ranks third in the nation in passing yards allowed per game, allowing just 102.7 yards through the air per game, and has held passers to just 29 completions total through three games.

On the other side of the ball for UAB, the offense got off to a slow start this season and was anchored by turnovers and penalties in the first two games, but despite the loss, the offense came back to life in an unlikely way against Arkansas.

The Blazers scored 27 points in Fayetteville, behind the best performance in 2024 for veteran quarterback Jacob Zeno, who went 23-32 passing for 235 yards and three touchdowns.

They need repeat offense, or even better against such a high-scoring team that can dictate the pace of a game like Navy does. The Midshipmen’s secondary has shown vulnerability in the air, losing 371 air yards against a high-powered Memphis offense last week.

UAB’s players aren’t just playing for themselves this week either, as Protective Stadium hosts its second annual game in honor of Smile-A-Mile, a nonprofit organization just blocks from their campus. The Blazers will debut their updated, alternating black and lime-colored jerseys, which will feature the name of a patient affected by childhood cancer instead of the players’ last names.

The match starts at 11 a.m. at Protective Stadium on ESPN2.