UAB quarterback Jacob Zeno has played a few meaningful snaps this season and a few at his former school but received the first start of his career in a must-win scenario for the Blazers to keep their championship hopes alive.

The redshirt junior Baylor transfer led a second-quarter rally from a 10-0 deficit but could do the same late in the fourth quarter as the Blazers fell 24-17 to FAU, Saturday, Oct. 29, at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida.

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

The Blazers were anemic on offense in the opening frame, producing a single first down in their first three possessions, and allowed FAU to open up a two-possession advantage on costly defensive mistakes.

On the Owls’ second drive, a pass interference call gave FAU a new set of downs at the 2-yard line but the UAB defense stiffened and forced a field-goal attempt that sailed wide. An offside penalty forced a re-kick and the Owls took a 3-0 lead. FAU took a 10-0 lead when Johnny Ford was left uncovered on 4-and-3 and N’Kosi Perry connected with the running back for a 35-yard touchdown pass.

DeWayne McBride got the Blazers on the board to open the second quarter, breaking loose for a 63-yard touchdown run to pull within 10-7 on the first play of the frame. McBride finished with 168 yards and a score on 24 rushing attempts, eclipsing the century mark for an eighth straight game, seventh this season, and amassing 1,143 yards and 12 touchdowns for the season.

“Offensively, we played really hard up front,” Vincent said. “Our running backs played well.”

The UAB defense forced a quick three-and-out and Zeno went to work guiding the offense on a go-ahead scoring drive.

Standing in his own end zone, resulting from an incredible punt by FAU’s Riley Thompson that was downed at the 1-yard line, Zeno showed no fear in zipping a 42-yard pass to Shropshire on the first play of the drive. The duo hooked up again for an 18-yard gain on 3rd-and-6 and the former tossed a short pass to T.J. Jones on a jet sweep for a 4-yard touchdown and a 14-10 lead following a couple of key runs from McBride.

Despite a strong finish to the first half, the Blazers allowed FAU to surge ahead 24-14 on its first two drives of the third quarter. Following a 13-yard run by Perry on 3rd-and-13, Grayson Cash was tagged with a late hit penalty and Perry connected with Je’Quan Burton on the next play for a 50-yard touchdown pass. On their next possession, Perry led the Owls on a 90-yard drive and capped it with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Tony Johnson.

The Blazers held FAU to 359 total yards of offense, 187 passing and 172 rushing, but inopportune lapses on third down permitted the Owls to take another two-possession lead late in the third frame.

Facing a 24-14 deficit, Zeno led the Blazers on three promising drives to end the game but only one ended in points.

UAB cut the lead to a single score with less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter, capping an 11-play, 60-yard drive with a 32-yard field goal by Matt Quinn. Zeno was exceptional on the possession, running for a first down and completing passes to Dexter Boykin and Brody Dalton to move the Blazers into the red zone before the drive ultimately stalled at the 15-yard line.

In the final frame, Zeno twice led the Blazers deep into FAU territory but came away empty-handed each time.

Beginning at UAB’s 15-yard line, Zeno shot a pass to Boykin on the first play of its penultimate drive and converted a 3rd-and-4 on a 21-yard scamper. McBride and Jermaine Brown combined to carry UAB into the red zone but a pass to Samario Rudolph on fourth down fell incomplete.

Zeno’s final opportunity for hero status came with 2:15 remaining in the game.

The possession opened with two straight incompletions but Zeno connected with Tejhaun Palmer on a 4th-and-5 to extend the drive. The Blazers surprised FAU with two solid runs from McBride and Zeno spiking the ball at the Owl’s 23-yard line. Despite three opportunities at the end zone, Zeno’s passes to Rudolph, Boykin and Palmer all fell incomplete.