Mortensen to Birmingham: 'Make a great showing' Friday night

Alex Mortensen used his press conference this week to do something head coaches don't always do — he stopped talking about football and started talking about community.

Before taking questions about Navy's triple option or his offense's struggles at Louisiana, Mortensen spent the opening minutes of his weekly presser promoting Friday night's game at Protective Stadium. The message was direct: show up.

"With it being a home game on ESPN on a Friday night, just want to encourage our community, our fans, alum, everyone that can get there and make a great showing," Mortensen said. "It's a great opportunity for us to be on the stage of this magnitude."

UAB hosts Navy at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN in the Blazers' American Conference home opener. The game is designated as Salute to Service presented by Pepsi, and the program has built the evening around honoring the men and women who serve.

"We're doing a Salute to Service, so we want to honor the men and women that serve our country," Mortensen said. "Our university wants to do that as well. We will have military members in our tunnel as our team takes the field, so we're really incredibly appreciative of them and what they do."

The Tickets for Troops promotion has been a success, Mortensen noted, and the evening's military recognition includes Three Hots and a Cot and static military displays in Blazer Village.

Mortensen also highlighted a guest appearance that connects UAB to another Alabama sports story making national headlines.

"The Little League World Series team out of Phenix City is gonna be at the game, so that'll be neat," Mortensen said. "They're gonna be a part of our Blazer Walk. Really want to encourage Game Green, our entire student body to really come out and support them."

What to know before you go

Kickoff: 6 p.m. CT, Friday, Sept. 25

TV: ESPN (national broadcast)

Theme: Salute to Service presented by Pepsi

Blazer Village highlights:

• Marine Forces Reserve New Orleans Brass Band
• Red, White, & Brews — $5 domestics stadium wide (21+)
• Honor the Brave rally towel giveaway courtesy of UAB Veterans Services
• Blaze's Home Field Collection at the UAB Bookstore tent
• Static military displays and military partner appearances

Family Fun Zone: Phenix City 12U All-Stars meet and greet

Halftime: UAB Marching Blazers performance, followed by the Dr Pepper Tuition Toss — one UAB student wins $10,000 in tuition, the runner-up gets $2,500. Registration details on UABSports.com and UAB social media.

Ticket offers:

• Family Four Pack — discounted pre-sale only, limited availability
• Military Appreciation tickets — contact the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at tickets@uab.edu or 205-975-UAB1

For the full game day guide, visit BlazerGameday.com.