Before Tennessee football and UAB even kicked off, the broadcast produced a viral moment. Blazers head coach Trent Dilfer was seen with his phone on the sideline, seemingly taking a video or picture of Neyland Stadium. Fans were quick to screenshot it with questions about what was happening.
After the game, Dilfer was asked about the moment. His answer was one that certainly clears him of any criticism he may have been receiving for being on his phone on the sideline before the game.
“My phone is out on the sideline every game,” Dilfer said. “I have a daughter who is getting ready to give birth. I wanted to show her the environment. And I always FaceTime or send a video to my grandson.”
Take it all in, coach. pic.twitter.com/KzOhuTVHiT
— BirminghamSports (@BirminghamSport) September 20, 2025
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Tennessee won the game 56-24 after a strong first half. The Vols got out to a demanding 28-0 lead early in the second quarter and went into the half with a 42-7 advantage.
However, in the second half, UAB played much better with reserves on the field. The Blazers outscored Tennessee 17-14 in the final 30 minutes.
The UAB attack was primarily through the air with Jalen Kitna at quarterback. He threw for 364 yards and two touchdowns with an interception on 38-for-51 passing. A good bit of this came on some plays that featured wonky formations and wrinkles in the offense.
“We felt like we needed every tool in the toolbox,” Dilfer said. “Never once did I think we could line up and just play our normal offense against them. We felt like we needed to score 35 points or more. If this was a game that was going to be in the teens or low 20s, maybe you don’t use those tools. We felt like we were going to have to score a lot of points so we wanted to use all the tools necessary. Those are things that we practice. We have a thing called Funky Fridays all spring and summer. Funky Fridays are our way to kind of introducing new tools to the tool belt of offense and they were pretty successful today.”
