A road win still eludes the UAB football team despite overcoming the turnover bug the last few weeks and outgaining the opposition in total offense.

The Blazers rallied in the second quarter but could not hold onto the lead in a 24-17 loss to FAU, Saturday, Oct. 29, at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida.

UAB falls to 4-4 overall, 2-3 in league action, and is eliminated from the C-USA title game race.

DeWayne McBride led the rushing attack with 24 carries for 168 yards and a touchdown, bringing his season total to 1,143 yards and 12 touchdowns, and eclipsed the century mark for an eighth straight game. Jermaine Brown Jr. added 63 yards on 12 rushing attempts.

Trea Shropshire led the receiving effort with two catches for a game-high 60 yards, and T.J. Jones had a team-high four receptions for 29 yards and a touchdown. Brody Dalton added 45 yards and Dexter Boykin had 30 yards, both hauling in two catches in the game.

The Blazers outgained FAU on offense, 472-359, and did not commit a turnover. Defensively, UAB held the Owls to a 6-of-16 on third-down conversions, but did not record a sack and allowed FAU to go 2-of-2 on fourth down. Tyler Taylor led the defense with 9 tackles, and Noah Wilder finished with 7 tackles to give him 305 tackles for his career.

Zeno plays admirably in first-career start

Redshirt junior and Baylor transfer Jacob Zeno received the first start of his career, taking over for Dylan Hopkins who did not play after suffering a concussion last week at Western Kentucky. Zeno finished 18-of-32 for 192 yards and a touchdown, adding 49 yards on six rushing attempts.

Zeno was efficient in the passing game, despite missing on his final throws, and completed passes to nine different receivers. He also showcased his running ability in the fourth quarter, converting two third downs with his legs, and directed the UAB offense twice into scoring territory after falling behind 24-17 late in the third frame.

In the first half, Zeno was 11-of-15 for 132 yards, adding a touchdown on a 4-yard jet sweep to Jones, but only 1-for-5 on third-down conversions. The lone passing conversion was an 18-yard pass to Shropshire on UAB’s second scoring drive. He helped lead the Blazers to 14 unanswered points after falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter.

Second-Quarter Turnaround

UAB took command following the opening frame, overcoming a 10-0 deficit with 14 unanswered points in the second quarter. The Blazers flipped the script offensively, producing 232 yards after accruing only 37 yards in the first quarter, and held FAU to three straight three-and-outs and only 34 yards of offense.

Following an 11-yard catch by T.J. Jones and a short run to end the first quarter, McBride broke through the FAU defensive front on the first play of the second frame, hurdling a couple of defenders on his way to the end zone for a 63-yard touchdown run. UAB was pinned at the 1-yard line following a three-and-out, but Zeno got the Blazers down the field immediately on a 42-yard pass to Shropshire on the first play of the drive. Shropshire converted a third down on an 18-yard reception, McBride carried UAB down inside the red zone and Jones scored on a 4-yard jet sweep to give the Blazers a 14-10 lead with 8:08 remaining in the first half.

The first quarter was a disaster for the Blazers as they allowed FAU to take a two-possession lead in the first 15 minutes of action. UAB was forced to punt on its initial drive, following a 9-yard run by McBride for a first down, and went three-and-out on its next two possessions, amassing only 37 total yards and going 0-for-3 on third-down conversions.

FAU scored on its second drive, taking a 3-0 lead in a 20-yard field goal after an offsides penalty resulted in a re-kick on a missed attempt, and powered ahead 10-0 when running back Johnny Ford got lost in coverage and walked into the end zone on a 35-yard touchdown reception on fourth down.

Second-Half Collapse

As well as the Blazers played in the second quarter, they played as worse as they did in the first quarter to open the second half. FAU stormed ahead to a 24-14 lead on two long touchdown drives and held the UAB offense to only 82 yards and a field goal in the third quarter.

FAU quarterback N’Kosi Perry converted a 3rd-and-13 on the opening drive of the half and a late-hit penalty on Grayson Cash moved the Owls to midfield. Perry connected with Je’Quan Burton for a 50-yard touchdown pass on the next play to put the Owls up 17-14. Following a failed UAB possession, FAU put together a 9-play, 90-yard drive, aided by a 45-yard run by Zuberi Mobley and a 19-yard catch by Johnny Ford, and took a two-possession lead on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Perry to Tony Johnson.

The Blazers had two opportunities to tie or win the game following a third-quarter field goal but were unable to score either time. The first chance came near the end of an early fourth-quarter drive as UAB converted three consecutive third-down plays into FAU territory. Zeno took off for a 21-yard run on a 3rd-and-4, Brown converted a 3rd-and-8 and McBride converted a 3rd-and-4, but a loss on a 3-and-2 at the 14-yard line forced a fourth-down decision to go for it and a pass to Rudolph fell incomplete.

UAB’s final chance came to an end on three consecutive incompletions after driving to the FAU 23-yard line with less than two minutes left in the game. Zeno completed a 6-yard pass to Tejhaun Palmer on 4th-and-5 to the UAB 47-yard line and McBride carried the Blazers to the brink of the red zone on a 10-yard and 16-yard run. Zeno spike the ball following McBride’s final attempt and passes to Rudolph, Dexter Boykin and Palmer fell incomplete.