The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Shift Focus to Cross-Town Matchup with Samford
9/29/2026 8:30:00 AM | Football
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — After earning a 24-20 victory over Navy on Friday night, UAB has quickly turned its attention to a much different challenge- and a unique matchup for the Magic City- as the Blazers prepare to host cross-town opponent Samford on Saturday afternoon at Protective Stadium.
The meeting will be just the second all-time between the two Birmingham programs and the first since 1992. For UAB head coach Alex Mortensen, the opportunity to bring the two schools together on the same field is one that extends beyond football.
"I think this is a really neat idea to have the two teams in Birmingham play each other," Mortensen said. "I think it could be really good for the city. I think it could be a great environment, get a lot of UAB and Samford people there and then just people that are Birmingham people."
Mortensen enters the matchup with plenty of familiarity with Samford and first-year head coach John Grass. Both are in their first seasons leading their respective programs, and Mortensen said he has developed a strong respect for Grass through their previous interactions on the recruiting trail.
"I think Coach Grass has done a really good job in his first year," Mortensen said. "Obviously, Coach has had a really good history and has had a great record through his career. I've gotten to know him a little bit prior to either one of us getting these two jobs and have come to like him and respect him."
Mortensen said that respect has only grown after studying the Bulldogs on film.
"They play really hard. Man, it really jumps out on tape," Mortensen said. "I think they have some good athletes and have good speed. It's clearly a very well-coached team."
Samford also presents a dramatically different preparation from what UAB faced against Navy. After spending last week preparing for the Midshipmen's unique option attack on a short week, the Blazers now have to reset for a Bulldog offense featuring quarterback Gabarri Johnson and an entirely different style.
"They do a good job on offense," Mortensen said. "Their quarterback Gabarri Johnson is a really good player and a good athlete, and so they present some challenges. It's a lot different than what we've been playing against.
"We had to go all in on getting ready for a pretty unique offense [against Navy], and now this is something totally different. Samford presents a challenge, and then I think the transition in and of itself presents a challenge too."
That transition has been a point of emphasis inside the UAB locker room. Defensive lineman Marlin Dean, who was named American Conference Defensive Player of the Week following his performance against Navy, said the Blazers want to retain the confidence generated by Friday's victory without allowing it to linger into a new game week.
"You want to keep that energy and excitement, but you also want to realize that it's a new week, it's a new opponent," Dean said. "Keep that energy and keep the focus on the new week and the new opponent. We forgot about Navy. Now we're on to this week."
Wide receiver CJ Smith echoed that approach as UAB continues trying to build offensively.
"We have so much more to offer," Smith said. "We're kind of just scratching the surface, as Coach Mortensen says, with all the players that we have. There's a lot more to come."
Smith said the key after an emotional victory is simple.
"Bottle it up and just move on," Smith said. "It's great to have the confidence to be able to move on, but we can't get complacent. That's the last thing we need."
The Blazers have also found increasing production from a defensive front that has consistently created disruption. Defensive lineman Chris Spencer said that success has come from individual players executing within the structure of the defense rather than chasing statistics.
"It makes it a lot easier because, at the end of the day, the reason that they're making plays is because they're doing their job," Spencer said. "Just by them doing their job and me doing my job, it makes it easier."
That collective approach is one Mortensen hopes continues to define a UAB team that he believes is still early in its development.
"We kind of feel like we're just scratching the surface," Mortensen said. "There are so many of them that hadn't played in a while or hadn't played much, and now they're playing together for the first time. I think their arc of improvement and development over the year could be really good."
Saturday's game also gives UAB another opportunity to build momentum around the program within Birmingham- something Mortensen believes can happen not simply through results, but through the identity his team is establishing on the field.
"You hope that the people in Birmingham and the state of Alabama get excited about the way we play and can appreciate the tenacity, the toughness, physicality, the never-give-up, never-quit," Mortensen said. "You can see the guys playing together, playing for each other."
UAB and Samford kick off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Protective Stadium.
THREE QUESTIONS WITH COACH MORTENSEN
Q: Do you feel like the passing game took a step forward against Navy?
Mortensen: "Yeah, I think we did take a step forward. I think Ryder finished 13-of-20, which is still under where we want to be from a completion percentage and efficiency standpoint, but I do think there were some positives. We're still not protecting to the degree that we're capable, but there were actually some positive strides in pass protection. I thought the route detail and the quarterback timing and rhythm was good. I do think it was a step, but the exciting thing for us is there are still a lot of steps that we can take."
Q: How do you coach Ryder Burton's aggressiveness as a runner without taking away what makes him dangerous?
Mortensen: "I think it is a juggling act. Ryder's a good athlete, and there have been times this year he's put us in positive situations by scrambling. You don't want to totally take it away from him. But I do think there are different kinds of scrambles. There's situational awareness — understanding when to find the checkdown, when to throw it away and having a plan on those things. Ryder is also still pretty young. This is kind of his first run of starting. He did a lot of things in that game exceptionally well, and this is just one more thing he's developing a strategy to deal with."
Q: What stands out from your own time at Samford?
Mortensen: "I think the biggest thing is just the relationships. I wasn't even there a full 12 months, but the people — your teammates, coaching staff, classmates — really neat people there. And then, great school, great institution. I found out what a neat area Homewood, Birmingham itself and greater Birmingham is. When I had an opportunity to come back here, that probably laid the foundation of me being really excited to join UAB, just having that experience and exposure to being around Birmingham and understanding what a neat place it is."
