No. 22 Memphis suffered a disastrous loss at UAB 31-24 to backup quarterback Ryder Burton and Interim Coach Alex Mortensen Saturday, squandering their position as leader in the clubhouse in the American ahead of a massive game against South Florida.
Coming into the game, UAB was 2-4 and had the 134th ranked defense in the nation. They fired their head coach Trent Dilfer last Sunday.
"We got out-coached," Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield said. "Ultimately, we have to find ways to execute better."
The Blazers' victory tied the largest upset of the season, UCLA's victory over Penn State, as Memphis was favored by 24.5.
Despite it all, UAB controlled the game, dominating time of possession in the first half. Memphis' offense only had the ball twice in the first half, as the Tigers offense could not get off the field.
Memphis was down 17-14 at halftime, but the start of the second half was not kind to the road team. Brendon Lewis came up injured on the Tigers' opening drive and did not return. There was no update postgame on his availability going forward.
Down 24-14 in the third quarter, coach Silverfield opted for true freshman AJ Hill, Memphis' top-rated recruit who had never taken a snap before, instead of backup quarterback Arrington Maiden.
"We thought AJ had a great week of practice," Silverfield said.
Hill came in and willed the Tigers into a position to tie the game. With a minute to go, Greg Desrosiers Jr. burst free for what was initially ruled a game-tying touchdown, but it was overturned and ruled short.
"Sometimes hurt is good," Desrosiers said. "This is a feeling we don't ever want to feel again."
Two separate false start penalties at the one yard line pushed the Tigers back. A fourth down pass to the end zone to Cortez Braham Jr. was caught barely out of bounds, and the Blazers celebrated their first ranked win since 2021 and first win over Memphis since 2011.
"All of our goals, everything we want to accomplish is still right in front of us," Silverfield said. "But, we're going to have to find ways to improve, and we're going to learn from this."
Memphis returns to play against No. 19 South Florida at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
