Weekend Roundup: Monday, December 23
A leading receiver transfers, Dilfer's defensive coordinator hire becomes official, and the basketball teams go 3-0.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Sunday afternoon: Defeated Alcorn State 91-74 in Bartow
The men’s team is off until Tuesday, December 31st, when they travel to Denton to take on KenPom #71 North Texas.
The Purdue men’s team, which played at the BJCC on Saturday, used UAB’s gym to practice on Friday.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Friday night: Defeated Illinois State 71-68 on the road
Sunday afternoon: Defeated Southern Illinois 75-57 on the road
The women’s basketball team swept through the state of Illinois and claimed its third and fourth consecutive victories this weekend, improving its record to 9-3, good for second-best in the AAC behind UTSA. The crown jewel of the road trip was the Quad II win over Illinois State; the Redbirds were ranked 146th in Bart Torvik’s algorithm, making them the strongest opponent UAB has defeated this season. In fact, the ISU game stands as the Blazers’ highest-ranked road non-conference win of the Torvik era, which dates back to 2021.
UAB jumped out to an early advantage, going up by as much as 12 in the second quarter, but four consecutive ISU layups shrunk the home team’s deficit to just one point at halftime. By the middle of the third quarter, the Blazers had built another lead that would be fortified by impressive shooting performances by forwards Sara and Tracey Bershers, who combined to make six of their nine three-point attempts on the day. A huge fourth quarter from forward Jade Weathersby put Illinois State away for good and secured UAB’s first win of the weekend.
UAB head coach Randy Norton and associate head coach Taren Martin, both of whom were on the staff at ISU from 2003-2010, reunited with several former players after the game.
Norton’s squad then headed four hours south to Carbondale, where they handily defeated Southern Illinois.
The 2-7 Salukis are one of the worst teams in Division 1; the Blazers treated them as such. Although UAB didn’t get off to the hottest start, their win probability never dropped below 67%, even when they entered halftime at a small deficit. A hyper-efficient outing from guard Maddie Walsh, another three-point onslaught from Sara Bershers, and a sparkling performance from point guard Journey Armstead propelled the Blazers to a massive second half and a comfortable victory.
Despite their pristine record, Torvik stills ranks UAB 158th nationally, good for just ninth place in the AAC. The Blazers will soon have a chance to prove the analytics wrong, as they start conference play with a home test against a good Temple team and a brutal road game against an elite UTSA team.
FOOTBALL
Steve Russ was officially introduced as UAB’s defensive coordinator on Friday.
The 52-year old Russ replaces former DC Sione Ta'ufo'ou, who was relieved of his duties at the conclusion of the season.
Russ played linebacker at Air Force in the early 1990s and enjoyed a five-year NFL career with the Broncos that ended in 2000.
He also spent a year playing for the XFL’s Los Angeles Extreme.
Russ’ resume includes nearly a decade of defensive coordinator experience.
He has stopped at both the G5 and P4 levels and spent 2018-2023 as an NFL linebackers coach for the Carolina Panthers and the Washington Commanders.
Russ was hired away from Air Force, where he was a special assistant to the head coach.
Russ is UAB’s first new coaching hire to be announced this offseason.
Senior offensive analyst Kevin Garver is expected to become the new WRs coach and Alabama State DC Ryan Lewis is expected to join UAB’s defensive staff, although those moves have not been made official as of this morning — that will soon change.
CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reports that UAB QB coach Nick Coleman, who was named an FIU target on Tuesday, is leaving UAB to become FIU’s offensive coordinator.
Coleman spent two years as an offensive analyst at South Carolina before coming to UAB in 2022, where he helped lead Jacob Zeno to the most statistically impressive QB season in school history.
Former UAB LB Everett Roussaw committed to Memphis on Friday.
UAB OL Quez Yates and UAB CB Troy Jakubec both declared for the NFL Draft on Friday.
UAB WR Corri Milliner entered the transfer portal on Saturday.
Milliner, who signed with UAB as a freshman out of Alexander City in 2023, recorded 455 receiving yards in the last six games of the 2024 season. He would have been the Blazers’ most productive returning WR.
The top options in the receiver room are now Xavier Daisy, Iverson Hooks, Joshua Jackson, and incoming Iowa transfer Kaleb Brown.
Milliner is the 30th UAB player to enter the portal this offseason, a full list of which can be found at The Banner.
The list is missing DT Miquon Merriweather, who entered the portal a day after it was published.
Former UAB WR Samario “Flip” Rudolph, now at Jacksonville State, declared for the NFL Draft on Saturday.
Not directly UAB-related, but Jacksonville State hired Auburn co-DC Charles Kelly as its next head coach, officially killing the already-dead candidacies of Bryant Vincent and Bill Clark.
MEN’S SOCCER
As expected, UAB sophomore forward Tony Kim was not selected in Friday’s MLS SuperDraft.