10 things you didn't know: UAB at Louisiana

We published The Really Big Preview with the full scouting report on UAB's trip to Lafayette this weekend. We broke down what Alex Mortensen said about the Ragin' Cajuns. We wrote about the culture shift that showed up in the ULM comeback, about Rod Robinson II and Bam McReynolds grinding out the win and about EJ Reid's breakout.

This is the stuff that didn't make it into any of those stories — the details buried deep in the game notes that SIDs spend weeks compiling and almost nobody reads. We read both sets, all 40 pages. Here are 10 things you might not have known about Saturday's game.

1. The last time UAB played a football game in Lafayette, Louisiana, was Sept. 21, 2002.

The two programs have met twice since then — both in Birmingham. Saturday is only the fourth time UAB has made the trip in this series. The Blazers' only win in Lafayette came in 1997: 42-7.

2. UAB punter Badger Hargett is going home.

Hargett grew up in Lafayette and played at Ascension Episcopal — 10.4 miles from Saturday's stadium. The other sideline has familiar faces: Louisiana wide receiver Shelton Sampson Jr. and linebacker Princeton Malbrue were teammates at LSU. Ragin' Cajuns defensive lineman Maxie Baudoin VI went to the same high school.

One more thread: Louisiana head coach Michael Desormeaux was the head coach at Ascension Episcopal from 2013-15 — the same school Hargett attended. Their time didn't overlap.

3. Wide receiver Ty Mims is 2-0 against Louisiana — and he's already won in this stadium.

In 2022, he caught a 52-yard touchdown and finished with 69 receiving yards in a 39-24 Southern Miss win. A year later, he helped the Golden Eagles beat the Ragin' Cajuns 34-31 in overtime — in this stadium. Against Louisiana in his career: four catches, 95 yards, a touchdown and two wins.

4. Running back Bam McReynolds will play in Lafayette for the fourth time — with his third school.

He made the trip with South Alabama in 2022 and 2024, then with ULM in 2025. His record in Lafayette: 2-1.

5. UAB tight end Scott Isacks' father played at Louisiana.

Leonard Isacks lettered three years as an offensive lineman for the Ragin' Cajuns. Scott, a transfer from Florida who grew up in Metairie, made his first career start against ULM last week.

6. UAB cornerbacks coach Lionel Stokes is coaching against his alma mater.

Stokes started two years at defensive back for the Ragin' Cajuns. He recorded 135 tackles and picked off five passes across two seasons and was part of the 2011 New Orleans Bowl team. He earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from the school and coached there during two separate stints (2014-16 and 2022-23). He was on the Louisiana sideline the last time these teams played, a 41-21 Ragin' Cajuns win in Birmingham in 2023. Saturday, he'll be on the other one.

7. UAB did not punt a single time against ULM.

The Blazers either scored, turned the ball over or went for it on fourth down and didn't convert. They never sent the punt unit onto the field. Six scoring drives on the day. Five of those came in the final six possessions after halftime. Through two games, UAB has punted twice all season — both at Illinois.

8. Linebacker Ike Esonwune became the first UAB player to win American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week.

Esonwune earned the award after the ULM win — the first time a Blazer has won the conference's defensive weekly honor since UAB joined the American in 2023.

9. UAB's roster carries 27,366 career defensive snaps — the most in the nation.

ESPN Stats reviewed every FBS roster entering the season. UAB's defenders brought 27,366 career snaps to the table — more than any other team in the country. That depth showed against ULM, when the defense held the Warhawks to three second-half points after allowing 17 in the first half.

10. Louisiana middle linebacker Conor McPherson is from Montgomery.

The Carver High School product inherits a position that produced back-to-back first-team All-Sun Belt selections: K.C. Ossai in 2024 and Jaden Dugger in 2025. Dugger was a fifth-round NFL draft pick. Between them, they racked up 243 tackles in two seasons. McPherson had six tackles at USC in Week 2.