Author: Katherine Kirk
UAB takes on Conference USA rival Southern Miss in Hattiesburg in a battle of I-59 schools.
When the teams last played in 2019, Southern Miss beat UAB 37-2 in Hattiesburg.
UAB (4-2) is coming off their first home game win against Florida Atlantic 31-14. Southern Miss (1-5) is going into this game after a loss to UTEP 26-13.
Keep an eye on Hayden Pittman, Alex Wright, and Grayson Cash for the Blazers.
Tight end Hayden Pittman holds a 31-game reception streak coming into this game.
“It takes hands, you’ve got to catch the ball,” Pittman said. “I couldn’t do it without my quarterback, offensive line and everyone on the whole team. It’s a group effort for sure, it’s not just about me.”
After a strong game last week, Alex Wright earned C-USA defensive player of the week.Wright said that they owe their strong defensive performance in the FAU game to their ability to play different styles of defense.
“We try to fool the opposite offensive line and get those different looks or different play styles. We may have a big type of defensive line; we may have a quick type of D-line, or we may have a four-man,” Wright said. “We come in different packages so whatever we could get the opposite O-line on their toes quicker and whatever is going to work. If it is working, then we are going to keep pounding.”
UAB safety Grayson Cash set a record for the longest scoring play in UAB history in the game against FAU by returning an interception 100 yards for a touchdown. Cash is now one of 11 players in C-USA history to have a 100-yard interception for a touchdown.
Watch for Southern Miss quarterback Jake Lange and running back Frank Gore Jr to make plays.
Freshman Jake Lange made his career start against UTEP, following the injury of Trey Lowe III. Lange threw two touchdowns and was 20 of 31 for 239 passing yards.
Frank Gore Jr., son of NFL player Frank Gore, is the second leading receiver on the team with 16 catches for 161 yards. Gore currently has 403 yards and a touchdown on 97 carries.
Southern Miss head coach, Will Hall, starts his first season with the Golden Eagles with a record of 1-5. Hall says this year they are working on recruiting a strong team and building their record going forward.
“We’ve got to keep fixing things daily and driving this ship forward with the right direction and intentions. I believe we’re doing that,” said Hall.
Southern Miss is UAB’s most common opponent. Their rivalry began in 2000 when they played for the first time in Birmingham. UAB and Southern Miss are founding teams of Conference USA. UAB has won seven of the eighteen matchups.
Kickoff is at 2:30pm in Hattiesburg. The game will be broadcasted on Stadium and will be available on WJOX 94.5 in Birmingham.
