The UAB football team is one week away from wrapping up spring practice with its annual spring game, holding its first scrimmage on Friday at the UAB Football Operations Complex in Birmingham.
“We're getting a lot better and I'm cautiously optimistic,” UAB head coach Trent Dilfer said. “What we're looking for most this spring is to relay the fundamentals of winning a lot of games. A lot of that isn't football. It's attitude, effort, buy-in, brotherhood and the way they communicate.”
With the majority of the coaching staff returning for a second season, game day operations during scrimmages were simpler than at any point before the season last year, and communication between coaches and players was not an issue.
“We know each other so well that we’re way ahead of the curve,” Dilfer said. “The players know us and we know the players. They understand the expectations and the players coach each other.”
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Former walk-on Lee Beebe will lead a thin running back unit in UAB's spring practice.
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Offensively, UAB ranked 18th in both total offense (450 ypg) and passing offense (288.9 ypg) last season, and is expected to become even more explosive despite losing its top two offensive players from before the season. It should demonstrate.
Lee Beebe leads a running back unit along with Isiah Jacobs and LSU transfer Armoni Goodwin, who has been sidelined with injury, but the receiving corps has been the best since Amare Thomas emerged during his true freshman campaign. Full of potential.
“We have a lot of playmakers,” Dilfer said. “Cameron Shanks had a great day. He didn't have a lot of touches, but Cori Milliner was explosive. B.J. Hawkins was explosive. Jamoy Mays was explosive. All of our receivers are making plays.”
“Lee Witherspoon played really well. He's a Swiss Army knife,” he added. “T-Mac (Terrell McDonald) is a Swiss Army knife and played well. Our offensive skill positions are playing at a very high level, although not as consistently as we need them to be. , the impact on daily practice is not only felt, but also heard.”
UAB lost both its leading rusher (Jermaine Brown Jr.) and receiver (Tejan Palmer) from last season, but with the development of a young receiving corps and an influx of portal talent in the offseason, it is better than ever at the skill positions. Similarly, the layers are thicker.
Brandon Buckhalter and redshirt freshman Cameron Shanks each scored a touchdown, the former scoring one on the sideline on a Trayce Campbell throw, but the offense was occasionally interrupted by pre-snap penalties.
“It's going to be hard to replace T-Palm, so this offense is going to be a lot different than last year's offense where we knew we had backups that could go no matter what,” Zeno said. . “All these players are holding the ball. Basically, if you took the T-Palm apart and put it on all the receivers. Everything is calmer and more relaxed, things look better, You can get the ball out faster.”
Defensively, the Blazers are looking to strengthen a unit that was among the worst in the nation last season, ranking 118th in total defense (435 ypg), 123rd in rushing defense (197.1 ypg), and 88th in league play. They brought in a mix of early enrollees and transfers. Passing Yards Allowed (237.9 ypg).
Among the players who have already made moves are linebacker OC Brothers, edge rusher Ezra Odinjor and safeties Silad Bryant and Adrian Maddox.
“I hope it’s a lot better than last year,” Dilfer said. “The goal isn't to be a little better, it's to be better. We were obviously terrible (last year). Everybody in the building knows that, and no one is going to be offended by that. Everybody owns it. There's a lot of work to do, but we have better people.”
The offense seems light years ahead of its defensive opponents, but UAB's defense really showed its potential when it stood at the goal line late in the scrimmage.
“We're getting closer to the ball more relentlessly and maximizing our effort and intensity,” Kendall Johnson said. “We're having fun, but we're taking it seriously at the same time. We don't like to be put on points, and I don't think any defense would like that, and last year we definitely didn't want to.” It wasn’t where I was.”
The Blazers have one week of practice remaining before concluding with their annual spring game and showcase on Saturday, April 6, at the UAB Football Operations Complex.
