It’s been over two months since Trent Dilfer’s UAB Blazers won a football game. Their last (and only) win came in the season opener against Alcorn State.

This week offers them a chance to turn the page around, as after their second bye week, they’ll be playing for something bigger than football when they take on the 3-5 Tulsa Golden Hurricanes on Saturday.

In what is becoming one of the premier collegiate sports traditions, UAB hosts its eighth annual Children’s Harbor Homecoming Game. The team will debut updated versions of its gray and lime jerseys that will feature the name of an assigned child affected by an illness on the back instead of their own name.

If the Blazers want to extend their homecoming winning streak to three straight, they will have to shut down a Tulsa offense following a 437-yard performance in an improbable 28-point comeback win over UTSA last weekend.

The attack was led by quarterback Cooper Legas, a two-year starter at Utah State who stepped in after an injury to Tulsa starter Kirk Francis last week. Legas earned AP Player of the Week honors after throwing for 333 yards, running for an additional 46 yards and scoring five total touchdowns.

He provided a much-needed boost to an otherwise stagnant offense in 2024. Tulsa ranks near the middle of the FBS in most metrics, including passing and rushing yards per game and total offensive points.

It will be a battle of overall fighting units, as UAB’s defense largely performed better in its last game against USF, but ultimately imploded late in the game, allowing the Bulls to pull away and claim a 35-25 win To consolidate Tampa.

Of the seven FBS opponents the Blazers have played, they have yet to hold a single offense to under 30 points, largely due to the fact that they have only held one of those opponents (USF) to under 200 rushing all season yards kept.

Another disadvantage for the Blazers’ defense is the offense’s 15 turnovers this year, which ranks sixth in the nation. That was evident late in the USF game when Jalen Kitna and the offense turned the ball over twice in the second half, giving their defense no time to rest and leading to the Bulls’ comeback win.

The Blazers’ offense, still without starting quarterback Jacob Zeno, has changed immensely in his absence. While Jalen Kitna’s gunslinger mentality and lack of starting experience have led to premature turnovers, the talent is there. His style is reminiscent of a young Brett Favre or Philip Rivers, right down to the unorthodox release.

The secondary he will play this weekend gives him an opportunity to show that he could be a true starting option for UAB in the future and not just a backup player. Tulsa’s pass defense is not only the easiest he’s faced in his four starts, but it’s also the third-worst in the country in passing distance allowed per game, allowing quarterbacks to average 294 yards per game.

Getting the arsenal of weapons the Blazers have on offense going will be crucial. Kam Shanks, Amare Thomas, Dallas Payne and Bryce Damous need to step up and the options should be there.

If Tulsa’s offense looks anything like it did in the second half last week and UAB can play like it did against USF minus the turnovers, expect a shootout between two quarterbacks who aren’t afraid to run the ball downfield to urge.

The game begins Saturday at 1:30 p.m. CT at Protective Stadium on ESPN+.