What could have been?

That’s the season-long thought process when it concerns the impotence of the UAB football team and more evidence to support that claim came in overtime fashion.

The Blazers rallied in the final frame but the comeback fell short in a 44-38 double-overtime loss to UTSA, Saturday, Nov. 5, at Protective Stadium in Birmingham.

UAB falls to 4-5 overall and 2-4 in C-USA action, all losses coming in one-possession games.

DeWayne McBride led the rushing effort with his eighth 100-yard rushing game of the season, finishing with 19 carries for 141 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jermaine Brown Jr. added 43 yards on 5 attempts and caught 5 passes for 30 yards.

Tejhaun Palmer led the receiving corps with 8 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown, followed by Tejhaun Palmer with 8 receptions for 97 yards and the tying score to send the game into overtime. Samario Rudolph had 3 catches for 43 yards and tight end Bryce Damous finished with 2 receptions for 41 yards.

Defensively, UAB collected only 4 tackles for loss, and a single sack, and allowed the Roadrunners a 9-of-15 third-down conversion rate. The Blazers were penalized 10 times for 63 yards, seven of which were false start calls.

Red-zone defense stiffens in first half

The UAB defense may have allowed the Roadrunners to score on four of their six first-half drives, but it stood tall in the red zone when called upon to keep the Blazers within striking distance. UTSA drove three times in the UAB red zone and came away with a single touchdown and two field goals.

Frank Harris connected with a wide-open Oscar Cardenas for a 54-yard gain on UTSA’s initial possession, and Zakhari Franklin finished off the drive on the next play with a 20-yard touchdown reception. The next two trips into the red zone for UTSA did not end as productively, settling for two field goals from Jared Sackett.

Following a Jacob Zeno interception, UTSA took six plays to get into the red zone but was turned away on two short runs and an incomplete pass from Harris on third down, resulting in Sackett’s 29-yard field goal.

The Roadrunners called up a bit of trickeration on the kickoff, recovering a surprise on-side kick at their 46-yard line, and quickly marched into the UAB red zone on passes to Franklin and Joshua Cephus. Facing a 3-and-2 at the 14-yard line, a Harris pass fell incomplete and UTSA settled for a 31-yard field goal from Sackett.

Zeno rallies UAB into overtime

Jacob Zeno made his second straight start for UAB and was outstanding despite a few inopportune mistakes. He finished 27-of-38 for 332 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception, adding 15 carries for 37 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter, and converted all six of UAB’s third-down conversions by either ground or air.

The junior quarterback led the Blazers to a go-ahead score in the second half, taking a 17-16 lead on a 2-yard touchdown run by McBride that capped a grueling 13-play, 90-yard drive. Facing a 31-17 deficit midway through the final frame, Zeno led UAB on a quick 9-play, 77-yard drive and pulled the Blazers to within a single score, 31-24, on a 1-yard touchdown plunge.

Zeno got a final opportunity to lead the Blazers on a game-tying drive and did just that with 1:15 remaining on the clock. The San Antonio native completed three passes to Palmer, giving UAB a first down at UTSA’s 38-yard line, and connected with Shropshire for a beautiful over-the-shoulder pass into the end zone for the game-tying score.

Despite the impressive outing in leading the offense, Zeno was also sacked three times, all on third down, and threw an interception after sailing a pass over the head of Palmer inside UTSA territory.