If you’re a supporter of the transitive property of equality, the UAB football team has what you need after improving to 2-0 this season over opponents with a win over a Power 5 conference member.

The Blazers were firing on all cylinders as they cruised to a 41-14 victory over Middle Tennessee State in the annual Children’s Harbor homecoming game, Saturday, Oct. 8, at Protective Stadium in Birmingham.

The announced attendance for the game was 23,694.

Dylan Hopkins was a man-possessed, finishing 17-of-27 passing for 279 yards, adding 52 yards on 5 carries. He completed passes to 6 different receivers and was an even more impressive 6-of-7 for 64 yards on third-down passing.

UAB (3-2, 1-1) outgained the Blue Raiders on offense, 581-289, and amassed 24 first downs and a 34:20 time of possession. Although the Blazers committed a single penalty in the first half, they were eventually flagged 9 times for 94 yards in the game.

Defensively, UAB collected 7 tackles for loss and 3 sacks and forced a single turnover. Keondre Swoopes led the way with a career-high 14 tackles and Noah Wilder was one tackle shy of moving into eighth place on UAB’s all-time tackles list.

(Almost) Perfect Start

The Blazers were dominant from kickoff to the final gun, building an insurmountable 38-7 halftime lead and outgaining MTSU on offense, 439-130, in the first two quarters alone. UAB was called for a single penalty in the opening half, a pass interference call that eventually led to the only score of the half for the Blue Raiders.

Dylan Hopkins played exceptional, finishing 15-of-21 passing for 265 yards in the first half and adding 12 yards on 2 carries. The junior quarterback was 6-of-6 for 64 yards on third down, converting 5 times and never hesitating on the throw. Trea Shropshire had a career day in the first half alone, pulling down 6 receptions for 193 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown catch to give the Blazers a 38-7 lead at the break.

DeWayne McBride and Jermaine Brown Jr. combined for 160 yards on the ground in the first half and put the Blazers up 14-0 on respective touchdowns to open the game, McBride adding two more scores to give UAB a 31-7 lead with 5:43 remaining in the half. UAB finished the opening stanza by averaging 10.5 yards per play and 8.3 yards per rushing attempt.

On an even more positive note, UAB was flagged once for 10 yards in the first half. The Blazers finished with 9 penalties for 94 yards.

Owning 3rd Down

The Blazers were able to take complete control in the first half because of their insistence on staying off the field, defensively, and keeping its offense on the field and thriving. The UAB offense was an impressive 6-for-8 on third-down conversions in the first two quarters, finishing 6-of-12 for the game, and converted its only fourth-down attempt with a 27-yard rushing score by McBride.

Defensively, UAB held the Blue Raiders to a 3-of-7 third-down performance in the first two quarters, 10-of-18 for the game, and allowed only one drive of more than 32 yards in the opening half. MTSU allowed 3 sacks and faced an average of 5.7 yards to go on third down, compared to an average of 8.3 yards for the Blazers.

Shropshire’s Best Good Day

Trea Shropshire had his best effort of the season last week, in a losing effort at Rice, but removed all doubt about his place in the pecking order of UAB’s passing game. The senior receiver finished with a career-high 6 catches for 193 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown reception on a long corner-post route.

Shropshire was hit on his first target in UAB’s season opener and brought down one catch against Liberty — a 56-yard reception on the first play of the second half — before being suspended one game due to a violation of team rules. With Shropshire’s return to the lineup in the past two games, UAB has seen a drastic increase in passing and an uptick in usage for a deep but unproven group of receivers.

Double-Double Toil and Trouble

The Blazers entered the game facing the top-ranked rushing defense in the league, ranked 30th in the nation, but manhandled said defensive unit for a season-high 303 total yards on the ground, almost 200 yards more than average for the MTSU defense (107.5 ypg).

Both Brown and McBride eclipsed the century mark and were responsible for 77.2 percent of the rushing production. McBride led the attack with 120 yards and 3 touchdowns on 12 rushing attempts and Brown added 114 yards and a score on 10 carries. A.J. Gates received his first rushing attempts of the season, finishing with 14 yards on 8 carries, and Hopkins added 52 yards to the cause.