The game — the one that nobody expected to turn out the way it did, the one that arrived with all the trappings of a formality, a predictable evening of dominance by a ranked team — turned instead into one of those classic upsets that will be referenced in program lore for years at UAB Blazers. In his first game as head coach, Alex Mortensen guided the Blazers to a 31‑24 victory over the then‑No. 22 Memphis Tigers at home, a result that was as shocking as it was satisfying.
The context matters. UAB had just undergone upheaval. A week earlier the program parted ways with its previous head coach, and Mortensen was elevated to interim status. The team was facing an opponent riding a 10‑game winning streak, ranked nationally, and coming in as a heavy favourite – UAB was listed as a roughly 21‑½ point underdog. The stage was set for what many assumed would be another systemic loss, a continuation of the struggles the Blazers had endured.
Instead, the Blazers flipped the script. Offensively, defensively, emotionally — from the opening whistle to the final seconds at the goal‑line, UAB refused to be the victim. The new quarterback, freshman Ryder Burton, making his first career start, completed 20 of 27 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns, all to receiver Iverson Hooks, who caught 11 passes for 172 yards. The running game was humming too: running back Solomon Beebe exploded for an 81‑yard touchdown run, a moment that helped swing momentum decisively. (SI)
Defensively and on special teams, the Blazers did exactly what they needed to do. They forced the Tigers into mistakes, limited their flow, and in the final minute made the play, as Memphis twice reached the one‑yard line and came away empty after false starts and a delay‑of‑game penalty capped by an incomplete pass on fourth‑and‑goal from the 11. That goal‑line stand sealed the win.
What this victory represents is layered. On one level it is a giant swing in confidence for a program that could have easily allowed the coaching change and the heavy odds to become an excuse. Instead the players, guided by Mortensen’s stated message — “fanatical effort,” “poise,” “staying together no matter what” — responded. (ESPN) On another level, it’s a reminder of why college football remains compelling: no matter the rankings, no matter the odds, execution + resolve + belief can change outcomes.
From the moment the first quarter ended, UAB established its identity for the day. They out‑gained Memphis by significant margins. They sustained long drives, converted third downs (9 of 13 third‑down conversions for the Blazers) and protected leads. (The American) The running game helped control the clock, reduce the opponent’s opportunities, and build leads that felt increasingly secure.
Of course, this was not flawless. Memphis kept chipping away. The Tigers’ backup quarterback came in after the starter’s injury and moved the ball, and late in the fourth quarter they cut the deficit to 31‑24 with a 37‑yard touchdown with 2:19 remaining. (The American) It still felt like there was enough time for Memphis to steal the game — especially given the way the drive began — but UAB’s defense held. The false starts and delay‑of‑game by Memphis underscored not just UAB’s hustle but also the pressure UAB applied, the chaos it induced.
And yes, the stakes for Memphis were real. A win would have kept them undefeated, still in strong positioning for the American Athletic Conference title and possibly the College Football Playoff conversation. A loss now means they must win out to keep any hope alive.For UAB, less was at stake externally — but internally, everything. Momentum, culture, belief.
The victory will live forever in UAB history not simply because of the opponent or the margin or the odds, but because of when and how it happened. A coaching change, a program in flux, the freshman QB, the heavyweight underdog status — all the ingredients of a meltdown instead became a recipe for triumph.
For Coach Mortensen personally it was colossal. In his first game as head coach of a Football Bowl Subdivision team, to beat a ranked opponent, to guide his team through adversity, to have the final play go his way — those are the moments careers are built on. Observers noted that this was the largest upset by point‑spread in a coach’s first game since 1978 (according to ESPN Insights) and one of the biggest overall this season in FBS. By the postgame, Mortensen referenced his father, the late ESPN NFL insider Chris Mortensen, saying this one meant a lot in terms of family and legacy. (SI)
But the story isn’t just about him. It’s about the players: Hooks hauling in 11 catches, Burton making his first start confidently, Beebe ripping off a run for the ages, and the defense bending — but refusing to break. It’s about the staff, the assistants who stepped in amid turbulence. It’s about the fans, the home crowd that needed a spark, that seized this moment.
It’s also about what happens next. Wins like this can change seasons. They can galvanize locker rooms. They can convince players, coaches, and even recruits that belief matters. UAB now has something to point to: not just a solid win, but a statement. If they had lost, it would have been the predictable outcome. But they didn’t. They won. Against the odds. With style. Under new leadership.
Of course, beating Memphis is one thing; sustaining success is another. UAB must now avoid letting the emotional high become a distraction. They must build on it, protect their mindset, recover from this high, and continue pushing. The schedule ahead won’t necessarily be easier. Expectations shift, and now the standard has been raised. It will require consistency: practicing cleanly, executing in crunch time, handling adversity when it comes. Because now they know they can.
For Memphis, the loss delivers a harsh reminder. No matter the ranking or the streak, the opponent across the field will bring their best. Their depth was tested when the starter left; their discipline was tested in the final minute; their margin for error evaporated. The Tigers now suffer a blow to their championship hopes, and must regroup with urgency. The moment they may look back to is the two false starts, the delay‑of‑game, the inability to punch it in when so close. Those are the micro‑moments that lost them the game.
This one game, this upset, will live on. For the fans in Birmingham, there will be high‑fives and social‑media posts and articles. There will be quotes — Mortensen’s, Hooks’s, Beebe’s. There will be memories of the 99‑yard touchdown drive that vaulted UAB into control, the 81‑yard run that changed the tone of the night, the fourth‑and‑goal stand that sealed the deal
In a way, it’s what we hope for in sport: the underdog prevailing. The uncertain becoming victorious. The new guy rising. The program finding new energy. Sometimes story‑lines write themselves. Other times, you make them. UAB made this one on Saturday night.
And for UAB, this victory is more than just one in the win column. It’s a turning point. One doesn’t know where it will lead, but one does know that on that night, in that game, all the elements aligned. The coach’s debut, the underdog tag, the upgraded quarterback, the defensive resilience — everything blended for 60 minutes of football that will be recounted in the future as “that night we shocked Memphis.”
Because now, from this vantage point, UAB walks forward not as the team expected to lose, but as the team that didn’t. The one that seized the moment. The one that made the upset. The one that began something new.
