It’s back to square one for the UAB football team following a 41-20 loss to UTSA, Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

The Blazers outgained UTSA on offense, 364-360, but gave up six sacks, three turnovers and went 7-for-19 on third-down conversions.

Jacob Zeno finished 13-of-21 passing for 110 yards and an interception, adding 34 yards and a score on the ground, and backup Landry Lyddy was 7-of-9 for 51 yards and a pick in relief. Harrison Barker got in the game for the final series and rushed for 26 yards on three carries.

Jermaine Brown Jr. was almost disqualified due to a targeting call on the fifth play of UAB’s second drive, ultimately overturned, and finished with 57 rushing yards and a touchdown, along with six receptions for 116 yards. Amare Thomas led the receiving corps with nine catches for 41 yards, followed by Tejhaun Palmer with three receptions for 36 yards.

Colby Dempsey and Ike Rowell finished tied for a game-high 10 tackles, the former adding two pass breakups, and Michael Moore had six tackles (1 for loss). BJ Mayes posted five tackles and his second interception of the season.

Digging an early grave

The Blazers shot themselves in the foot early and faced a 14-point deficit not even five minutes into the game. UAB conceded a 75-yard scoring drive on the opening UTSA possession and then backward three straight plays on its first offensive series. Jacob Zeno completed consecutive receiver screens for a loss and then fumbled on third down, resulting in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Frank Harris to Joshua Cephus on the first play following the fumble recovery.

UAB managed to cut the advantage to 14-7 on a 3-yard run by Zeno, following a 10-play, 75-yard drive, but allowed a 58-yard return by UTSA’s Willie McCoy on the ensuing kickoff. The Roadrunners scored six plays later on Harris’ second touchdown pass to Cephus and added a 46-yard field goal to push the lead back to a 14-point advantage midway through the second frame.

Despite allowing 24 points and a 6-for-8 showing on third down, the UAB defense held the Roadrunners to 218 yards in the first half and BJ Mayes grabbed a crucial interception to prevent a last-minute scoring drive before entering the break.

Backsliding special teams

Matt Quinn knocked back two field goals, improving to 6-for-10 on the season, and Patrick Foley averaged 52.7 yards on three punts, but miscues on kickoff returns were a primary contributor in losing the field position battle. Additionally, UTSA place kicker Chase Allen was 2-for-3 on field goals with makes of 46 and 53 yards and a 33-yard miss in the final frame.

The Blazers cut the UTSA lead to 14-7 on a short rushing score from Zeno but Roadrunner receiver Willie McCoy returned the ensuing kickoff 58 yards down to UAB’s 41-yard line to set up a swift 6-play drive that ended on a Joshua Cephus’ second receiving score of the first quarter. UTSA struck a second time on a 22-yard return to midfield but UAB’s BJ Mayes intercepted a Frank Harris pass in the end zone to prevent further damage before halftime.

UAB’s inspired second-half opening drive was short-lived after another UTSA scoring possession, conceding a 31-20 advantage late in the third quarter, and a promising return from Colby Dempsey was negated on an illegal block in the back. The Blazers went three-and-out and, despite an excellent 51-yard punt from Foley, were unable to flip the field with UTSA taking over at its 45-yard line and driving across midfield before pinning UAB in terrible field position once more.

Trench (non)-warfare

Jacob Zeno has proven to be one of the better quarterbacks in the nation this season but has found himself on the ground more often than not with an offensive line that is unable to sustain a clean pocket throughout a complete game. The Blazers gave up six sacks and 12 tackles for a loss — three of the sacks coming third down – and the offensive line was also called for four false start penalties.

On the other side, UAB’s defensive line is currently dealing with a pair of injuries and continues to allow opposing running games to impose their will at leisure. The Blazers allowed 183 rushing yards for a 4.8 average per attempt and collected only a single sack by Fish McWilliams. UTSA went 8-of-13 on third-down conversions and half of those came on running plays directed through the middle of the defensive line, including the Roadrunner’s final touchdown of the game.