The postgame report: UAB 23, Charlotte 12

Marlin Dean and the UAB defense saved the day again. In shutting down Charlotte, the Blazers (5-4, 3-2 American) moved one win from bowl eligibility, took a step forward in the conference title race and gave the families from Children's Harbor a memorable afternoon at Protective Stadium.

Dean had three sacks for 22 yards and a forced fumble. The Blazer defense kept Charlotte in check until the offense woke up in the second half and pulled away for a 23-12 win.

WHAT IT MEANS

UAB is 5-0 at home for the first time since 2019 and one win from bowl eligibility for the first time since 2022. Delvon Gulley made it clear the Blazers are thinking past that. "Right now we're in a race to the American Conference, and we trying to get a conference win," Gulley said. "A bowl game, we know we can get that. That wasn't what we've been thinking about. ... We still in the race to win that American Conference. That's what we coming for. A bowl would be nice, though."

THE TURNING POINT

The defense set the table in the third quarter. Charlotte drove to the UAB 47 on fourth-and-1. Conner Harrell threw deep left at Jaylen Hampton. Delvon Gulley broke it up. "He tried to fake start blocking me," Gulley said. "I didn't go for it, and they threw it. I really supposed to intercept it. ... It touched both of my hands." Turnover on downs. Jonah Delange's 46-yard field goal on the ensuing drive tied it 6-6.

The fourth quarter belonged to UAB. Delange's third field goal — a 36-yarder set up by a Rod Robinson II 19-yard run — made it 9-6. On the first play of Charlotte's next drive, Dean sacked Harrell for a 7-yard loss and forced a fumble. Harrell recovered, but Charlotte went three-and-out. Ryder Burton found CJ Smith for 25 yards to the Charlotte 3, and Ja'Vin Simpkins punched it in from a yard out. 16-6 with 8:09 remaining. Charlotte drove 40 yards to the UAB 35 but turned it over on downs. UAB answered with a 65-yard drive — Simpkins again, from 5 yards out. 23-6.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

Good: The defense. That's the whole story, and it has been for weeks. Charlotte managed 94 total yards in the first half and 59 rushing yards for the game — the fewest UAB has allowed this season. Dean has 5.5 sacks in the last two games alone. Charlotte coach Tim Albin said it before the game: "The Marlin Dean kid is sacks. I mean, he's a first day draft guy." Dean proved him right. Gulley broke up three passes — a career high. Jo'Tavion Pierce led the team with 8 tackles. Tylin Jackson added half a sack and three quarterback hurries. Charlotte went 4-of-17 on third down. "Marlin really affects games in a big way," UAB Coach Alex Mortensen said. "... He's a great pass rusher, but he's also taken on the challenge of playing the run well, and he's just become a really effective, dominant player." Nine consecutive opponents held under 200 passing yards. The defense is not a question anymore.

Bad: The worst defense in the FBS — 40.3 points per game allowed, five forced turnovers in eight games — sacked Burton twice and forced four turnovers Saturday. The four turnovers were UAB's most since Nov. 15, 2025. The interceptions told a more complicated story than the box score. On one, Burton had a receiver running free toward the end zone but was hit as he threw, and the pass was severely underthrown. On another, the ball hit the UAB receiver's hands, bounced up and was snagged by a Charlotte defensive back. A third should have been defensive pass interference — the Charlotte defender knocked the receiver to the ground before intercepting. None of the three were the picks of a quarterback who didn't know where to throw. All three traced back to protection. Mortensen acknowledged it: "some protection related, some quarterback footwork related." Burton finished 17-of-29 for 141 yards and no touchdowns. Mortensen said UAB had four drops in the first half.

Ugly: UAB trailed a 1-8 team 6-3 in the third quarter. The worst defense in the conference held the Blazers to 158 total yards through three quarters. The only reason it didn't matter is because Todd Grantham's defense refused to let it matter.

THE STATS THAT MATTER

3 points allowed off turnovers — Charlotte had possession at the UAB 21 after one interception and managed only a field goal. The defense gave the offense time to figure it out. "The more snaps we get, the more nastier we get," Gulley said. "... We put no fault on the offense. We tell them we got their back, go out there and do our thing. It's standard."

27 sacks in 9 games — That's what UAB's offensive line has allowed this season. Burton has gained 186 rushing yards and lost 199. His net: minus-13. Charlotte added two. Holding penalties on third down pushed UAB backward at key moments and forced Delange into longer field goals. The line is the ceiling on this offense.

80 of 196 — Jonah Delange has scored 40.8% of UAB's points this season. He went 3-for-3 Saturday from 42, 46 and 36 yards — the seventh time he has hit three or more field goals in a game. He hit his 50th career field goal at halftime — only the fourth player in program history to reach that number — and now owns 52, third all-time at UAB. His 21 field goals this season are one short of Swayze Waters' program record of 22, set in 2007. The milestones keep coming because the offense keeps stalling in field goal range.

WHAT THEY SAID

Mortensen on winning despite the turnovers: "Here's what ticks me off — on offense, it's kind of the same thing. Unfortunately, I've had to say this one other time this year. If you're not gonna play great at certain points, don't beat yourself. I hate the word punt. But if we have to punt it, that's better than turning the ball over, and if we gotta play field position for a little while until we get going ... it's better than the alternative."

Mortensen on the fourth quarter: "What got us going a little bit in the second half is we really started to dominate and control the line of scrimmage up front. The offensive line played much better in the second half, and then our backs ran really hard and really well. They were hard to get on the ground."

Mortensen on the adjustments: "Primarily executing. We did adjust in a few areas where we felt like there were certain things we could do in the running game. ... But I'm gonna be frank — we probably mitigated risk more too."

Gulley on Charlotte targeting him: "He was scared to come at me at first. Then I felt like they needed something in the pass game, and they had nowhere to go with the ball, so they come to me."

3 STARS

Marlin Dean, DE, UAB — 3 sacks for 22 yards, 4 tackles, 1 forced fumble. Career-high sack game. His season total is fifth in UAB's single-season record book and the most by a Blazer since Larry McSwain's 13.0 in 2004.

Rod Robinson II, RB, UAB — 14 carries, 101 yards (7.2 avg), 4 receptions (career high), 30 yards, 131 all-purpose yards. His second 100-yard rushing game this season.

Jonah Delange, K, UAB — 3-for-3 on field goals (42, 46, 36 yards), 2-for-2 on extra points, 11 of UAB's 23 points.

FINAL TAKEAWAYS

The fourth quarter showed the formula. UAB ran the ball, hit short passes and checkdowns to the backs, got it out of Burton's hands and let Robinson, Simpkins and Bam McReynolds do the work. Robinson had 14 carries for 101 yards. McReynolds added 12 for 54. Simpkins scored twice — a career high. It was the fifth time this season UAB has rushed for 170 or more yards. Mortensen called it "mitigating risk." Whether the simplified approach holds up against Temple, UTSA and North Texas is the question that will define the next three weeks.

The defense is carrying this team. That is no longer a talking point. It is a fact backed by nine games of evidence, and it will get its own accounting. Dean, Gulley, Jo'Tavion Pierce, Muaaz Byard, Ike Esonwune — the names that have turned Grantham's unit into one of the best in the conference made plays again Saturday. They will continue to make them.

Saturday was Children's Harbor — the tradition dating to the Bill Clark era in which every Blazer wears a gray jersey bearing the name of a child fighting a serious illness. Ninety-nine names on 99 jerseys. The Blazers are now 9-1 all-time in this game. Dean said he and Lehvyn Slaughter — the child he'd been paired with — had worked out a celebration dance during the week. He got to do it on the field Saturday. "I hope he got to see it," Dean said. "That was my focus."

NEXT UP

UAB travels to Temple on Saturday, Nov. 14, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Kickoff at noon CT on ESPN+. They are 0-4 on the road this season.