Why Everett Roussaw Jr., Chris Bracy flipped sides in Memphis-UAB rivalry

During a visit to Memphis football while he was in the transfer portal, linebacker Everett Roussaw Jr. sent a photo of the “Battle for the Bones” trophy to a group chat of UAB players.

“Traitor,” one replied, half-joking.

During his visit, Roussaw actually lifted the trophy. It was the first time he’d gotten to do that because Roussaw — who began his career at UAB and played there for two seasons before entering the transfer portal — had never won it with the Blazers. The trophy, a 94-pound rack of ribs, goes to the winner of the Memphis-UAB football game.

The Tigers have won that game the past two seasons in convincing fashion, and this offseason they beat the Blazers in another battle, but off the field. Both Roussaw and safety Chris Bracy have transferred from UAB to Memphis, fanning the flames of the rivalry as they left the firebreathers for the Tigers.

“It was tough,” Bracy said. “But at the end of the day, I’m just here to play football.”

More: Why Memphis football is heading to UAB with a 94-pound rack of ribs and 25 years of history

The rivalry has been downplayed by some sections of Memphis fans, and it hasn’t been competitive recently. The Tigers blew out UAB in 2023 in the first meeting between the teams in more than a decade, then flat-out embarrassed them with a 53-18 win in 2024.

Still, there’s heat to the rivalry because of the football history (UAB leads all-time 10-7) and a couple of seasons of highly charged men’s basketball games, including this year’s social media back-and-forth between Memphis’ Dain Dainja and UAB’s Yaxel Lendeborg.

And, as Memphis fans will be yelling at this point, the fact that the Tigers went 3-0 against the Blazers in 2024-25.

On the football field, Bracy and Roussaw knew what they were signing up for when they left UAB for Memphis. Each wanted a fresh start, somewhere they’d…

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Publish date : 2025-04-23 10:05:00

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