The UAB Blazers (1-4, 1-0) came from 10 points behind in the second half to upset the Florida Atlantic Owls (2-4, 1-3) 27-24 this afternoon in the UAB Blazers' conference opener in Birmingham, AL.
UAB trailed 10-0 right off the bat in the first quarter and was behind by 10 points in the third quarter when Damian Fortner ran in for a touchdown from four yards out with 4:00 remaining in the quarter, making the score 24-14 in favor of FAU. However, lightning struck on the ensuing kickoff as De'Vante Scott returned the kick 95 yards for a touchdown to pull the Blazers within a field goal.
UAB's defense stepped up and got several more stops until Ty Long kicked a 43-yard field goal with 2:50 remaining in the fourth quarter to tie the game up at 24 apiece. The UAB defense got another crucial stop on the Owls' ensuing drive and forced them to punt with 30 seconds remaining.
The UAB offense got the ball at approximately their own 35-yard line with under a half-minute remaining and no time outs. With an inexperienced quarterback and an offense that had struggled for much of the game, most coaches would have probably ran the time out and moved on to overtime. Maybe FAU was expecting that, too. Instead, Austin Brown hit a couple quick passes out of bounds to move the ball up the field, then threw a miraculous tipped pass to Jackie Williams which moved the ball all the way down into field goal range for the Blazers. The pass to Williams was nearly intercepted by the defense, but the ball careened off the defender's hands and into Williams' breadbasket as he was falling to the ground at the UAB 19-yard line.
Ty Long lined up for the 36-yard field goal and it was true as time expired, handing the Blazers their first win of the season and giving them a victory in their home opener.
The Blazers had very little success on the ground this afternoon, especially once Darrin Reaves was sidelined in the second quarter with a mild concussion. However, Austin Brown had his best game of the season to date as he threw for 190 yards and, most importantly, threw no interceptions.
UAB will travel to Miami to take on Florida International next week.
Way to get your first win. Given the short season, you should be able to knock off a few years in no time. LOL
Thanks. The offense seems to finally be coming alive. We were downright awful in the first few games, but now we are starting to click on that side of the football.
The UAB Blazers (1-5, 1-1) tried as hard as they could to make it two wins in a row as they scored 14 unanswered points early in the fourth quarter to take a 28-24 lead over the Florida International Panthers (4-2, 1-1), but a win wasn't to be as FIU's Shane Coleman took a run 44 yards to the house with under three minutes remaining to give the Panthers the victory, their fourth of the season.
FIU quarterback Jake Medlock threw for 254 yards and a touchdown while Jakhari Gore and Shane Coleman combined to carry the football 23 times for 244 yards and three touchdowns.
Austin Brown threw for 137 yards and a score for UAB while Darrin Reaves rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Brown also scored a rushing touchdown.
The Blazers will look to bounce back next week as they travel to San Antonio, TX to take on the UTSA Roadrunners.
UAB Blazers at Florida International Golden Panthers
The UAB Blazers (2-5, 2-1) won their second game of the year this afternoon as they turned a 21-17 halftime deficit against the UTSA Roadrunners (3-5, 1-3) into a 41-21 blowout victory through an explosive showing in the second half.
The Blazers combined great offense with lockdown defense in the second half in this one. The UAB defense forced the Roadrunners into four turnovers. Kelton Brackett was responsible for two of those turnovers as he picked off UTSA quarterback Eric Soza twice.
UAB did not find much success throwing the football today, but combined for 389 rushing yards on the day as Greg Franklin rushed for a career-high 195 yards and a touchdown on just 18 carries. Darrin Reaves rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries before he was forced to the sideline with an injury in the second half and missed the rest of the game.
With the victory, UAB is back above .500 in C-USA conference play at a mark of 2-1. They will host Middle Tennessee State in Birmingham next week.
10-31-2014, 05:07 PM
