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THE CAMPUS GAZETTE
UAB UNIVERSITY NEWSPAPER
Saturday October 24th, 2015

LOVE TO WIN:
ADAM LOVE'S FOURTH QUARTER INTERCEPTIONS HOLD'S OFF PESKY GATORS 34-27

Gainesville, FL - No one said it would be easy, after all this was a confident Florida Gator team playing at home in the swamp. But if it wasn't easy the #4 UAB Blazers first half showing had blowout written all over the game after going up 24-6. But the Blazers needed two Adam Love fourth quarter interceptions to hold on to the dramatic win 34-27. "I knew I had to make a play for my team." Love said. "We knew if we could get one stop we could win this thing." Love's interceptions now tie him with the single season record at 9. Last week he broke the career record with 17. His two interceptions over shadowed a 103-yard interception return to put the Blazers back up for good the end of the third quarter by Travis Barnes, his second return for a touchdown on the season.

Quarterback Adam Dyks played a near perfect game throwing 13-19 for 293 yards and three touchdowns. A bad interception late in the fourth quarter almost gave the gators a chance to tie. att Ford led the receivers with a huge day catching four passes for 152 yards and two scores. Tight end Charles Randle and receiver Travis Jackson both grabbed three receptions, Randle catching Dyks third touchdown pass in the first half. No running game also helped Florida get back in after Lawrence Long was knocked out with bruised ribs. He would finish with 32 yards on five carries while backup Ellis Fox finished with 36 yard son 14 carries.

For the Gators, It was a Jekyl and Hyde affair from quarterback Vincent Waller who finished the game 8-20 for 149 yards and two touchdowns as well as two interceptions. The first half he had only 68 yards on 2 of 12 passing. His legs helped get the Gators back in the game in the second half. He rushed for 90 yards and a score while tailback Willie Lowe added 162 yards. Most of the damage on the ground was during that third quarter. Daniels would lead the Gators with 82 yards and four receptions with a score.

Dyks and the Blazers wasted no time to get on the scoreboard. A 78-yard pass play to Matt Ford put the Blazers up 7-0 after the games first play. Ford would hit the Florida defense with a double move then he showed his speed on his way for the score. A fired up Blazer defense led by Timi McCollum would help stymie the Gators who had early success getting down the field. His only sack of the game would force a T. Pratt Field goal getting the gators on the board. When the first quarter ended UAB was up 10-3
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(BOTH FORD AND MCCOLLUM HELPED UAB OUT TO A 10-3 FIRST QUARTER LEAD)

The second quarter was all UAB. The Gators would get stopped again and forced to grab another T. Pratt field goal. The ensuing kickoff saw Barnes nearly break one for the score after a 35 yard return. the next play saw Dyks hit his speedster Ford this time Ford just out ran the Florida coverage on his way to a 65-yard touchdown reception putting UAB up 17-6. With the momentum from the offense as well as a shocked swamp crowd the Blazers defense again went to work eventually ending in a Travis Jackson sack forcing a Gator three and out. Adam Dyks would then use a brilliant 2-minute drill to get the Blazers in scoring range, facing a third and goal he would hit freshmen tight end Charles Randle on a quick out pattern, Randle would then power his way to the end zone putting UAB up 24-6 heading into overtime to the sound of boo's from the Ben Hill-Griffin crowd of over 90+ thousand.
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(JACKSON ALSO HELPED SHUT OUT THIS GATOR ATTACK IN THE FIRST HALF WITH A SACK, WHILE TE CHARLES RANDLE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF HIS OPPORTUNITY TO HELP THE BLAZERS INTO A 24-6 HALFTIME LEAD)

It was a tail of two halves for the Blazers and the Gators. The Blazers looked to be doing what they do and run away from the Gators. While the Gators looked like they were not ready for the challenge UAB possessed. But Whatever head coach Josh Burke said to his Gators at halftime lit a match underneath them. The Gators adjusted accordingly and needed just four plays, all runs before quarterback Vince Waller kept a option read and sprinted 56-yards for the score. Trying to establish a running game UAB faced a 3rd and 1 after two straight runs, back up tailback Ellis Fox was stopped in his tracks forcing a punt back to the Gators. The Gators then stayed with the run as sophomore tailback Willie Lowe gashed the defense for huge runs get the Gators inside UAB's ten yard line. Waller would then use a play fake before firing a slant pass to R. Sutton to get the Gators back within four at 24-20.
UAB managed a 36 yard Shane Jordan field goal to go back up seven. But the Momentum was Florida's to lose, with just 6 seconds left in the quarter Waller who gashed the Blazers on the ground during the third quarter used a option pass that found Daniels wide open for the 40-yard touchdown as the gators tied the game 27-27 heading into the fourth quarter. Or so they thought.
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(WHETHER BY HIS LEGS OR ARM, WALLER LED A FURIOUS GATO COMEBACK TO TIE THE SCORE HEADING INTO THE FOURTH QUARTER)

The Gators made a 21-3 run in that third quarter to tie the game. For the most part they shut down that high explosive offensive of UAB, but the hidden stat was still in UAB's favor as return man Travis Barnes was averaging close to 40 yards per return. He would make the Gators pay with no time left in third quarter. He would catch the kickoff three yards deep ion the end zone before sprinting out, a hesitate quick move to the left had Barnes seeing green as he cut on the jets down the sideline out running all the Gators for a school record 103 yard kick off return putting UAB back up 34-27 heading into the fourth.
The defense needed to step up but a strong running game saw the Gators inch themselves all the way into the red zone but also taking off three minutes of the clock. After being stuffed on two option runs, the Gators were forced to pass, thats when Adam Love made a play. He would jump high for the interception in the end zone giving UAB the ball back with 2 minutes left. But Adam Dyks would give the ball right back to the gators. After two straight runs trying to run out the clock the Blazers themselves face a third down situation. Dyks being pressure would throw a jump ball to tight end Charles Randle but Linebacker R. Clarke would make a spectacular one handed interception. A few plays got the Gators back in scoring range, but with 30 seconds left Adam Love would come up with the play of the game grabbing his second interception and helping UAB hold on for the dramatic win.
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(BARNES GAME CHANGING KICK OFF RETURN TOOK THE WIND OUT OF THE GATORS, BUT IT WAS ADAM LOVE'S INTERCEPTION IN THE END ZONE THAT ENDED ANY HOPES FOR A GATOR COMEBACK)

"If I could go back I would definitely have could a run play on that third down." Head coach Travis Rhatigan said. It was the first time this season that the Blazers were completely shut down in any half scoring only three points on offense after a 24 point first half. "That was a very good Gator team we just played. Im glad were done on the road, hopefully we correct our mistakes and mishaps and get ready for a good Louisville team next week at home."



BOX SCORE:

#4 UAB 34 - Florida 27
(CORNER MATT GATEWOOD KNOCKING DOWN A PASS IN THE FOURTH QUARTER, IT WAS THE UAB PASS DEFENSE THAT FINALLY MADE THE PLAYS TO CLOSE OUT THE GATORS))

Photos | Season Stats | Game Book | Quotes | Notes

	1	2	3	4	F
#4 UAB (8-0, 6-0)	10	14	10	0	34
#11 UF (5-2, 3-2)	3	3	21	14	27

Quick Stats	UAB	UF
Total Yards	361	429
Passing Yards	293	149
Rushing Yards	68	280
First Downs	9	15
Turnovers	1	2
Penalties - Yards	4-45	1-7
3rd Down Conversions	6-11	3-8
4th Down Conversions	0-0	0-0
Sacks	2	0
Time of Possession	13:12	10:48

Statistical Leaders - UAB
Passing	C-A	Yards	TD/Int	Long
A. Dyks	13-19	293	3/1	78
Rushing	Rushes	Yards	TD	Long
E. Fox	14	36	0	11
Receiving	Rec	Yards	TD	Long
M. Ford	4	152	2	78
T. Jackson	3	44	0	27
C. Randle	3	33	1	14
Defensive	Tackles	Sacks	TFL	TO
D. Rhodes	9	0	1	0
T. McCollum	4	1.0	3	0
A. Love	1	0	0	2 INT

Statistical Leaders - Florida
Passing	C-A	Yards	TD/Int	Long
V. Waller	8-20	149	2/2	57
Rushing	Rushes	Yards	TD	Long
W. Lowe	13	162	0	41
Receiving	Rec	Yards	TD	Long
J. Daniels	4	82	1	40
A. Long	1	57	1	57
Defensive	Tackles	Sacks	TFL	TO
J. Green	9	0	1	0
M. Fitzpatrick	4	0	0	0
J. Smith	4	0	1	0