The UAB football team came off the wrong end of two lackluster performances but showed renewed effort and spirit in a 49-21 loss to No. 1 Georgia, Saturday, Sept. 23, at Sanford Stadium in Athens.

The Blazers were outgained on offense, 581-336, but showed exceptional energy and improvement when compared to its last two losses to Louisiana and Georgia Southern.

Jacob Zeno finished 32-of-51 for 250 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, and added 22 yards and a score on eight rushing attempts. Isaiah Jacobs and Jermaine Brown Jr. combined for 95 total yards on 22 touches.

True freshman Amare Thomas led the receiving effort, hauling in nine receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown, followed by tight end Bryce Damous with four catches for 24 yards and a score.

Ike Rowell finished with a team-high eight tackles, along with a pass breakup and forced fumble, and Keondre Swoopes and Damien Miller had six stops each.

Better Effort, Similar Result

The Blazers showed stark improvement from the last two weeks but still faced a double-digit deficit at the half in facing the top-ranked team in the nation. UAB tied the game on the first play of the second quarter and held it for a little more than four minutes before the Bulldogs reeled off three straight scoring drives to take a 28-7 lead with 1:26 remaining in the opening half.

UAB’s defensive line was more aggressive and able to punch through the Georgia offensive front, holding the Bulldogs to only 58 rushing yards in the first half. The Blazers also forced three fumbles — Damien Miller causing two that were both recovered by Lee Beebe on a punt and kickoff return — but gave up 265 first-half passing yards to Georgia quarterback Carson Beck.

Offensively, Zeno led UAB on two scoring drives in the first half, totaling 163 total yards in the first two quarters, and capped both possessions with a passing score to Damous and Thomas. Zeno also threw an interception late in the second quarter that was tipped at the line of scrimmage. After going down 21-7 late in the half, Zeno constructed a 10-play, 70-yard drive in 1:16 and cut the deficit in half on a 2-yard touchdown pass to Thomas, who also reeled in a 19-yard pass at the 2-yard line of Georgia.

Second-Half Exhaustion

As well as the Blazers played in the first half, Georgia’s depth eventually took its toll in the second half as UAB could not score while mustering 173 yards from scrimmage. The first three possessions netted 36 yards but the Blazers came close to making another dent in the scoreboard on a 14-play, 55-yard drive that ended with a turnover on downs.

Despite allowing three touchdown drives in the second half and 259 second-half yards, UAB refused to lay down and trimmed the deficit to 49-21 on a 1-yard run by Zeno to cap an 8-play, 75-yard drive midway through the final frame. Following the scoring drive, true freshman Ricky Lee III intercepted the first pass of his career and returned it to the 22-yard line of Georgia, but the Blazers were unable to convert and turned the ball over on downs.