10 things you didn't know: Samford at UAB

Every week before a game, the sports information staffs at both schools put together game notes — thick packets full of stats, history, roster details and storylines about their programs. They hand them out to the media. Most of it never gets published. We read every page.

We've already covered the full history of this matchup, including the 1989 brawl and the only official game in 1992. We published a scouting report on the Bulldogs, ran John Grass's full press conference and Alex Mortensen's from earlier this week and wrote about Marlin Dean's performance against Navy. This is the stuff that didn't fit in any of those stories.

It took 34 years for UAB and Samford to meet again on a football field. For a lot of the players, the wait was much shorter.

1. At least four sets of former college teammates will line up on opposite sides Saturday.

UAB's EJ Reid and Samford's Charlie Gilliam played together at Wake Forest in 2024 — Reid as a receiver, Gilliam at quarterback. Gilliam had been there two years before heading to Samford. Another Blazer, Eli Hall, also overlapped with Gilliam in Winston-Salem the year before.

UAB defensive back Que Billingsley and Samford offensive lineman Kaleb May were on the same Kennesaw State roster in 2024.

UAB receiver Ty Mims and Samford linebacker Jacob Johnson spent two years together at Southern Miss. Mims was in the starting lineup for all 24 games across the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Johnson was there the same two years before transferring to Samford.

And UAB receiver Jailen Holmes and Samford quarterback Gabarri Johnson were teammates at Oregon State before both ended up in Birmingham.

2. Players from at least 10 Birmingham-area high schools will have former teammates on the other sideline.

Samford offensive lineman Noah Watts was part of a dynasty at Thompson in Alabaster — the Warriors won four straight Class 7A state championships during his time there.

UAB freshman running back Hudson Higgins and Samford sophomore tight end Cannon Pigg played together at Mars Hill Bible School in Florence. At Spain Park in Hoover, UAB's Hudson Reed and Samford's EJ Kerley Jr. were both on the 2025 varsity roster, and UAB long snapper Evan Bishop is also a Spain Park graduate — three players from one school on the field Saturday.

The list keeps going. Love Kirby (UAB) and Kyree Lewis and Jayden Lewis (Samford) are all Anniston products. Jailen Holmes (UAB) and Ken Cherry (Samford) went to Madison Academy in Huntsville. Mykale Hrabowski (UAB) and Corrion Tyson (Samford) came out of Minor. Chimenum Ajinwo (UAB) and Jake Garner (Samford) went to Pelham. Aidan Platt (UAB) and Greg Williams (Samford) are Auburn High products. Owen Simpson (UAB) and Josh Arendall (Samford) went to Vestavia Hills. Kade Martin (UAB) and Jadon Loving (Samford) played together at Hewitt-Trussville.

When your campuses are three miles apart, the recruiting maps overlap.

3. Since joining the FBS in 1996, UAB has never lost to an FCS opponent. The record is 26-0.

Overall against I-AA and FCS programs, the Blazers are 40-9 — but every one of those nine losses came before they moved up. In the three decades since, UAB has won every FCS matchup and recorded five shutouts along the way: Western Kentucky in 1996, Alcorn State in 2007, Savannah State in 2018, Jacksonville State in 2021 and Alabama A&M in 2022. Nine of the 26 wins have come since the program returned in 2017.

Across the American this season, the conference is 10-1 against FCS opponents. Charlotte provided the lone stumble, falling to The Citadel 43-41 in triple overtime.

4. No Alabama school has beaten UAB since Troy did it in overtime on Aug. 31, 2013.

That's nine straight wins against in-state competition with a combined score of 370-105 — roughly 41-12 on average. The Blazers are 7-0 against Alabama schools since returning in 2017 and 17-6 overall against in-state programs as an FBS team. After Troy's overtime win in 2013, UAB came back the following season and won 48-10.

5. UAB has played three previous games on October 3. All three are wins.

Miles College, 30-6, in 1992. Louisiana, 24-13, in 1998. UTSA, 21-13, in 2020. For the full month, UAB's all-time record in October is 63-62-1.

6. Only one FBS defense has allowed fewer passing yards per game than UAB this season.

Kansas State, at 106.3 yards per game. UAB is at 113.0 — second in the country and first in the American. Over the last three games, opposing quarterbacks have combined for 270 passing yards against the Blazers, with none of those three opponents topping 110 individually. UAB also leads the conference in total defense at 319.3 yards per game.

7. Samford's ground game was virtually nonexistent for three weeks. Then it erupted.

The Bulldogs rushed for minus-8 yards against North Alabama in the opener. They managed 70 at Southern Illinois and 39 at Tennessee Tech. That's 101 rushing yards across three games. Then against VMI, Samford ran for 221 on 43 carries — nearly 69 percent of the team's entire season rushing output in a single afternoon. The Bulldogs also set season bests in completions, yards per play and points in that game. Their 488 yards of total offense was 168 more than they had managed in any previous game.

8. UAB linebacker Muaaz Byard is on a national pace — second in the country in solo tackles and fourth in total tackles through four games.

Byard, a redshirt senior out of York, Pa., has racked up 42 tackles in four games, an average of 10.5 per contest. He's posted double-digit tackle performances in three straight, including 12 against Navy, and is averaging 11.7 over that stretch. He leads the American Conference in solo tackles.

9. Every year since 2005, the Samford football team has voted to award one player the No. 5 jersey in memory of a former teammate.

Charles Williams was a Samford football player who was killed in a car accident on May 23, 2003. Two years later, the program created the Charles Williams Memorial Jersey — the No. 5, given each season to the player the team selects as its leader. This year's recipient is quarterback Ryan Oliver, an Oregon native. He's the 22nd player to wear it.

10. Samford's defensive coordinator built a high school program from nothing, turned it into a national power, won two college national championships at Clemson — and is now coaching alongside his son.

Mickey Conn started the football program at Grayson High School in Loganville, Ga., in 2000. Over 16 seasons he went 137-48, won a state title in 2011 and twice had his teams ranked No. 1 in the country. The Gwinnett County Sports Hall of Fame inducted him in 2019. He left for Clemson in 2016 and spent nine years on staff there, contributing to two national championships, seven ACC titles, a 112-26 record and five All-Americans.

His son Spencer, a starting linebacker, joined him at Samford this season after a year at Murray State.