The UAB football team will not be bowl eligible for the first time since the 2013 season following a 31-6 loss to Navy, Saturday, Nov. 11, at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.

Jacob Zeno finished 25-for-36 passing for 206 yards and a pair of interceptions. Jermaine Brown Jr. had 61 total yards to set the UAB career record for all-purpose yardage, and Lee Beebe carried the ball five times for 43 yards.

Tight end Dallas Payne hauled in five catches for 41 yards and true freshman Amare Thomas had four receptions for 33 yards. Jackson Bratton led the defense with 11 tackles, followed by Everett Roussaw with 8 tackles, and Keondre Swoopes had five tackles and forced two turnovers.

Offensive No-Show

Jacob Zeno entered the Navy game coming off a career performance in throwing for 484 yards and five touchdowns, but it did not translate against the Midshipmen as the junior led the UAB offense to four three-and-outs and threw two interceptions in critical moments. He was also sacked four times, two coming on third down in the second and third quarters, and was 6-of-10 on third-down passing in converting four to first downs.

The plan for UAB was to establish the run early, in an effort to open up the passing lanes, but it never materialized with the Blazers gaining only two yards or less on first down on four of their nine possessions. In all, UAB ran the ball 30 times for 115 yards but managed only a 3.8 average per rush.

The Blazers were 6-of-16 overall on third-down conversions and gave up seven tackles for loss, including the four sacks of Zeno. UAB amassed 321 yards of offense against the Midshipmen, more than 200 yards less than its season average. Considering the offense’s lackluster and abhorrent performance, UAB’s defense was relegated to defending short fields despite having one of its better games this season.

Defense Wears Down

Although it allowed two late scoring drives and 24 total points, UAB’s defense played its best game of the season in holding the Midshipmen to 363 total yards and 6-of-12 on third-down conversions. The defense also forced two turnovers, both by Keondre Swoopes, but only came up with three tackles for loss and a sack.

The Blazers allowed only 171 yards and a single score in the first half but wore down as the UAB offense was kept in check and never able to create a consistent attack against the Navy defense. Following an interception by Zeno, which was returned 47 yards to the 31-tard line, UAB’s defense stepped up to force a field goal to keep the deficit manageable at 10-6 early in the third frame.

After throwing an interception on the first possession of the second half, the Blazers went three-and-out on its next drive, resulting in an epic and soul-crushing 20-play, 80-yard drive from Navy that took 12:44 off the clock and extended into the final frame. UAB committed back-to-back penalties on its next offensive series, forcing a punt, and the Midshipmen took to task the waning UAB defense and Xavier Arline scored on a 50-yard run up the middle.