BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — UAB used a goal-line stand within the last seconds to upset No. 22 Memphis 31-24 on Saturday within the debut of interim coach Alex Mortensen, the son of late ESPN NFL Insider Chris Mortensen.
The Blazers fired Trent Dilfer on Sunday.
Memphis (6-1, 2-1 American Athletic Convention) reached the 1-yard line twice within the last minute because it appeared for the tying landing, however two false begins and one delay-of-game penalty stalled the drive. Memphis threw an incomplete cross into the tip zone on fourth-and-goal from the 11.
“We needed to play with fanatical effort, and the second factor was poise,” Mortensen stated. “The third factor was we talked about staying collectively it doesn’t matter what.”
UAB entered the sport as a 23.5-point underdog, making it the most important upset of a ranked crew in AAC historical past. It was the second-biggest upset in all of FBS this season, behind solely UCLA gorgeous Penn State as a 24.5-point underdog.
The Blazers’ offense was stellar with Mortensen and new beginning quarterback Ryder Burton in cost, surpassing 450 yards in opposition to an FBS opponent for the primary time this yr.
Burton accomplished 20 of his 27 passes for 351 yards and three touchdowns — all to Iverson Hooks, who caught 11 passes for 172 yards. The Blazers (3-4, 1-3) additionally ran for over 200 yards in opposition to an FBS opponent for the primary time since 2023.
Solomon Beebe’s 81-yard landing run put UAB up 10 early within the third, after which UAB pieced collectively two possessions that milked greater than 12 minutes off the clock to assist protect the win.
“He can be excited for our crew and program,” Alex Mortensen stated when requested about his late father in an on-field interview with ESPN. “He coated soccer for a very long time. He’s all the time delicate to coaches dropping their jobs. I do know he would perceive how exhausting it was what these guys went by way of this week.”
Memphis’ AJ Hill accomplished 13 of 25 passes for 175 yards, with a landing and an interception. He changed Brendon Lewis early within the third quarter.
“I assumed the blokes had the proper mindset to the bye week, the proper method to the sport,” Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield stated. “I believe this loss had nothing to do with their lack of execution. We acquired outcoached.”
The Tigers misplaced all margin for error because it pertains to the American Athletic Convention championship recreation and the School Soccer Playoff. The Tigers entered the day with a 43% likelihood to make the School Soccer Playoff, which was the perfect of any Group of 5 program, however noticed that fall to 19% with the loss.
Memphis might want to win out to have an opportunity at both, starting with a matchup in opposition to No. 19 South Florida subsequent week.
ESPN Analysis and The Related Press contributed to this report.