A much-needed bye week is on the docket for the UAB football team following a 45-21 loss to Memphis in the renewal of the “Battle for the Bones,” Saturday, Oct. 21, at Birmingham’s Protective Stadium.

Jacob Zeno was a late scratch and the combination of Harrison Barker, Landry Lyddy and Trace Campbell went 15-for-28 passing for 173 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions, while adding 64 yards on the ground.

Jermaine Brown Jr. had another productive outing, rushing for 83 yards and a touchdown and amassing 137 all-purpose yards, and is now 268 yards away from setting the program record for all-purpose yardage. Lee Beebe had five carries for 36 yards.

True freshman Amare Thomas led the receiving effort with three catches for 28 yards, followed by Tejhaun Palmer with two receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Bryce Damous had two catches for 31 yards and a score.

UAB linebacker Michael Moore led the defensive unit with a game-high 12 tackles, followed by Ike Rowell with 10 tackles and Jackson Bratton with eight tackles. The Blazers gave up 352 yards of offense and allowed a 9-of-15 showing from Memphis on third-down conversions.

Quarterback by committee

Jacob Zeno was a true game-time decision and UAB head coach Trent Dilfer opted to keep the signal-caller on the bench rather than risk an injury too soon after suffering a concussion. In his place, the Blazers played quarterback roulette with third-stringer Harrison Barker earning the start and Landry Lyddy and Trace Campbell also rotating in an effort to confuse the Memphis defense.

Barker finished 5-of-10 for 58 yards, a touchdown and an interception, along with a fumble, and added 37 rushing yards on nine carries. His interception came on a tipped pass that saw a Memphis defensive back collide with the receiver while the ball was in the air and Malik Feaster returned the turnover 36 yards for a touchdown. Lyddy was 6-for-9 for 68 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, and Campbell was 4-of-9 for 47 yards while adding 38 yards on the ground.

UAB’s plan to keep the Tigers on their toes was successful in the first half, amassing 332 yards, but it failed in the final 30 minutes as Memphis made defensive adjustments to hold the Blazers to 49 yards and no points in the second half. While the Blazers held Memphis to 353 total yards, the four turnovers produced by UAB’s quarterback trio resulted in 20 points for the Tigers.

Back to basics

With Zeno holding a clipboard and UAB rotating through its quarterback depth, the Blazers returned to their roots and took to the ground in racking up 208 rushing yards on 39 carries for a 5.3 average per rush. Jermaine Brown Jr. produced 83 rushing yards and a touchdown, Lee Beebe had five attempts for 36 yards and Barker and Campbell combined for 75 yards.

Similar to its use in quarterback rotation, UAB was unable to continue its dominance on the round in the second half and was held to a mere 18 rushing yards on 11 attempts (1.6 avg) in the final two frames. The Blazers turned the ball over three times in the second half, along with a three-and-out and a turnover on downs, and had only 21 second-half plays compared to 43 plays run by Memphis.

The UAB offense is developing into a more balanced attack but the need to match or play catch up with opposing teams — due to defensive lapses — is concerning and places even more pressure on the offense to make plays and stay on the field.

Missed opportunities

UAB jumped on Memphis with an 8-0 lead in the first minute of action, leading to a tied ballgame at halftime, but aggressiveness on fourth down — and a few defensive miscues — ultimately cost the Blazers a few scoring opportunities to take a one-score lead into the break.

Memphis cut the early lead to 8-7 on its first offensive possession and the Blazers responded with a grueling 14-play, 75-yard scoring drive to extend its lead to seven points before the PAT. However, UAB opted for a second-straight two-point conversion and failed on the attempt – costing the Blazers a single point and leaving the score at 14-7 with less than five minutes in the opening frame.

On the ensuing drive, a Memphis scoring play was called back on an illegal man downfield but UAB allowed the Tigers to gain 13 yards on 3rd-and-14 and convert on fourth down. Memphis scored two plays later to knot it up at 14-all early in the second quarter. The Blazers responded and had an opportunity to take the lead but went for it on fourth down at the Memphis 12-yard line and failed to convert, leaving another three points on the field.

UAB’s defense forced consecutive three-and-outs on the next two Memphis possessions but Barker sandwiched a pick-6 — intercepted off a tipped pass — between the two failed drives while Lyddy tied the game on a 29-yard touchdown pass to Damous. Once more, the Blazers drove inside the Memphis red zone and came away empty-handed a second time after failing on a fourth-down attempt with 17 seconds remaining in the first half.