UAB Heads To Knoxville To Take On No. 15 Tennessee
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - September 19, 2025
UAB (2-1) AT TENNESSEE (2-1)
NEYLAND STADIUM
SATURDAY, 11:45 CST, SEC NETWORK
When Tennessee has the ball: The Vols built up gaudy numbers against overmatched opponents in the first two weeks and then gashed Georgia for 371 passing yards in a 44-41 overtime loss to the Bulldogs. UAB is coming off a game where one of the worst statistical offenses in the country had 159 rushing yards and 282 passing yards. On paper, it doesn’t look good for a UAB defense that is 129th in total defense (472.7 yards per game) and rush defense (218.7 ypg), 121st in scoring defense (36 points per game) and 109th in passing yards allowed (254 ypg). Tennessee, on the other hand, is 6th in total offense (568.7 ypg) and scoring offense (52.7 ppg), 7th in passing offense (358.7 ypg), 23rd in team passing efficiency and 33rd in rushing offense (210 ypg). No matter how you slice it, UAB looks overmatched against one of the top offensive units in the country. Tennessee’s offense is fueled by 24-year-old graduate transfer Joey Aguilar, who has been at two junior colleges, Appalachian State and UCLA. His time with UCLA lasted only this past spring before he switched places with former Tennessee starter Nico Iamaleava. UAB head coach Trent Dilfer said that Aguilar “makes quicker decisions (and) sees the field a lot better,” than Iamaleava did at Tennessee. Aguilar has certainly been productive during the first three weeks. He is 63-of-95 for 906 yards with nine touchdowns. His only two interceptions of the season came last week against Georgia. His top target is 6-foot-5, 200-pound Chris Brazzell II, who has emerged as one of the country’s top big play receivers. Brazzell has 20 catches for 364 yards with a national best five receiving touchdowns. He had six catches for 177 yards with three touchdowns last week against Georgia. Brazzell played for Tulane against the Blazers in 2023. He had two catches for 49 yards in that game. Braylon Staley (18 catches for 231 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Mike Matthews (13 catches for 199 yards, one touchdown) are also capable targets. UAB cornerback Tariq Watson, who missed last week with an injury, participated in practice this week. It also is helpful that cornerbacks Delvon Gulley and Isaiah Crozier are coming off strong games. Running backs Star Thomas and DeSean Bishop rushed for a combined 427 yards thus far.
When UAB has the ball: This is a chance for quarterback Jalen Kitna to show he can play well against one of the top teams in the country. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Kitna is 70-of-99 for 892 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions. Kitna is coming off back-to-back passing performances of more than 300 yards. Can he extend that streak against a Tennessee defense that is 107th in passing yards allowed per game (248.3)? If he gets time to throw, Kitna could have a successful afternoon. Will he get that time? Dilfer said earlier this week that he liked his team’s pass protection the first two weeks but was not satisfied with the offensive line’s performance last week against Akron. He said the Zips had in the neighborhood of 16 quarterback pressures and Kitna was sacked three times. Can the UAB offensive line hold up against a SEC defensive front? For the record, Tennessee has 11 sacks in three games, which is tied for 6th in the country. Edge defender Joshua Josephs leads the SEC with three sacks and nine other Volunteers have at least a share of a sack. From the easier said than done department, UAB needs to find a way for Kitna to be comfortable in the pocket as much as possible. One-dimensional offense will make it difficult for UAB to move the ball, which means establishing the run is imperative. UAB did not run the ball well last week against an Akron defense that usually struggles against the run. What will the Blazers do against a Tennessee defense allowing 116 rushing yards per game? Perhaps this is a game where Dilfer and offensive coordinator Alex Mortensen use the quick passing game to serve as an important piece of the running game. UAB has several receivers who can turn a short pass into a big gain because of their running ability. If UAB can get that going then it could open up some deep shots to Corri Milliner and Iverson Hooks.
Special teams: Veteran UAB fans know a little something about missed field goals in Knoxville. This week, it’s been the Tennessee fans still suffering from the hangover of a missed field goal in Knoxville. Max Gilbert’s missed 43-yard field goal attempt cost Tennessee a chance to win in regulation against visiting Georgia. Make that and the Tennessee fans are probably tearing down another goal post. Instead, the goal post stayed intact after Gilbert pushed the kick well right. Georgia eventually escaped with a 44-41 overtime victory. Gilbert did make a 42-yard field goal on the first overtime possession but Georgia scored a touchdown to win the game. By the way, Gilbert is a really good kicker. He’s 6-of-7 on the year with a long of 53 yards. UAB’s Solomon Beebe is coming off a game where he had the program’s first kickoff return touchdown since 2019. He might not get the chance to match that today. Tennessee kickoff specialist Josh Turbyville is a touchback machine. He had 22 touchbacks on his 24 kickoffs this season. One of the non-touchbacks was intentionally kicked short and the other came last week when Georgia returner Zachariah Branch caught a kickoff at the goal line and returned it 28 yards.
Hello my name is: Logan Moore. UAB’s right offensive tackle has the lowest pass blocking grade on the offensive line, according to Pro Football Focus. Moore allowed one sack and six quarterback pressures in three games this season. Overall, UAB has given up just four sacks this season. Moore, who is in his first season as a starter, faces his biggest challenge thus far against the Vols’ outside rushers. Moore is ranked by PFF as the team’s top run blocking offensive lineman this season.
Trend to follow: UAB’s rushing total has dropped weekly since the Blazers opened the season by running for 273 yards in the win over Alabama State. The Blazers rushed for 92 yards on 27 carries in the loss to Navy and had 81 yards on 31 carries in the win over Akron. Will that trend continue this week in Knoxville?
How Tennessee wins: The safe answer here is to say the Vols win by simply showing up. That’s usually a comfortable assumption when a team is around a six-touchdown favorite. Tennessee will probably play motivated after dropping the heartbreaker to Georgia.
How UAB wins: The only chance – and it’s a huge longshot – is to play a clean game when it comes to turnovers, defensive busts and untimely penalties. Giving Jalen Kitna time to throw is critical and getting some contribution from the running game is important. Praying for a miracle is also an option.
Coach’s corner: Alex Golesh could get a co-architect billing when it comes to the offense that Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel built. Golesh was the co-offensive coordinator under Heupel at UCF in 2020 and followed Heupel to Tennessee. After two seasons as the offensive coordinator, Golesh left to become the head coach at South Florida, where he runs a similar offensive system. UAB played USF in each of the past two seasons. Nearly every UAB defensive staff member is new this season, so they haven’t seen USF in person. But Dilfer, who is a good friend of Golesh, has seen it in person. Will that be helpful on Saturday?
One more thing: UAB has been competitive in the two “buy” games during Dilfer’s tenure. The Blazers didn’t threaten to beat No. 1 ranked Georgia in 2023 but the Blazers weren’t embarrassed in the 49-21 loss. Last season, UAB was within three points of Arkansas with less than seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter before dropping a 37-27 decision. Oh by the way, UAB’s memorable win over Nick Saban’s LSU team in Baton Rouge turns 25 years old on Tuesday.