Charles Huff isn’t treating Saturday like just another date on the schedule.
With Memphis set to host UAB at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in the latest edition of the “Battle for the Bones,” the Tigers’ head coach made it clear Tuesday that he wants the city locked in from the start. Memphis enters at 4-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play, while the Blazers come in at 3-2 and 1-0.
“We need 901, Grind City, Shelby County, Memphis to truly stand up this weekend to help us achieve the goal of winning the Battle of the Bones,” Huff said in a press conference Tuesday. “We need our students to finish your homework early Friday so you can get plenty of rest, so you can show up early and be loud and affect the game, we cannot win this game without you.”
That kind of urgency fits the matchup. Memphis is coming off a 45-24 win over Arkansas State in the home opener, and Huff has already downplayed the Paint Bucket Bowl as “another game.” This one, though, carries a different weight inside the city.
Huff also had high praise for UAB head coach Alex Mortensen, calling him one of the smartest offensive minds he’s ever worked with. The two crossed paths under Nick Saban at Alabama and were on the staff for the 2020 National Championship run, alongside Steve Sarkisian and Pete Golding.
Mortensen took over for former UAB head coach Trent Dilfer after six games last season, and in his first game as a head coach he stunned the No. 22 Tigers. That loss snapped Memphis’ three-game winning streak in the series and cost the Tigers the 94-pound bronze rack of ribs they had held from 2012 to 2025.
Memphis, though, has plenty of firepower of its own. Offensive coordinator Kevin Decker has helped build one of the American Conference’s most productive attacks, with quarterback Marcus Stokes leading the league in passing touchdowns and ranking third in passing yards. Jaylin Carter has been just as dangerous on the ground, sitting second in rushing yards and first in yards per carry among running backs with at least fifty carries.
The offense has carried itself with consistency, but the defense has had a bumpier path. The unit was expected to be the stronger side early on, then faded in the loss to Boise State and gave up 21 points against UT Martin. Memphis responded by holding Charlotte to eight points, with that lone touchdown coming on a 75-yard run, and Huff said the Tigers missed just seven tackles in that game.
Starting defensive tackle Taylor Burton said the bye week gave the defense a chance to reset.
“Coming off that bye week, we had a lot of time to figure stuff out, get stuff right defensively...we got a lot of time to just slow everything down and see our mistakes and see what we can do better,” said Taylor Burton, starting defensive tackle, said Tuesday in a press conference.
Burton is one of the few players left from last season’s team, and he said that experience gives him a different angle on this rivalry. He’s been helping the newer Tigers understand what Saturday can become.
“I just kind of told them like, they're a team that’s going to fight. It’s gonna be a dog fight and we got to keep our foot on their neck...”
One of the biggest names to watch is tight end Hunter Tipton. He has been a matchup problem all season, turning heads with plays like stiff-arming a defender into his own teammate and leaping over would-be tacklers. Tipton leads the nation among tight ends in both touchdowns and yards per reception, and if he keeps rolling, the Mackey Award conversation could be waiting later on.
Memphis closes out the first half of its regular season on Saturday, looking to move to 5-1 and stay perfect in conference play at 2-0.
In Other News...
Hunter Tipton Is Giving Memphis Another Dangerous Weapon Right Now
Hunter Tipton has quietly become one of the more dangerous pieces in Memphis' offense, and the recognition is starting to match the production. The tight end was named an honorable mention for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award's Player of the Week, a nod that comes as he leads all FBS tight ends in receiving touchdowns this season and ranks third in receiving yards.
For a Tigers team heading into a home game against UAB on Oct. 10, that kind of production gives the passing game a different kind of edge. Defenses already have to account for Memphis' usual playmakers, but Tipton's emergence adds another matchup problem, and it is still clear there may be more coming as the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]