UAB wide receiver Kendall Parham is off to the endzone after catching a pass from quarterback Tyler Johnston against South Alabama at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., Saturday, September 21, 2019.

The Komodo Dragon statue outside of Legion Field may have stood still, but the UAB Blazers had no problem running up and down the field this past Saturday. UAB, the Nations #1 Young University, according to Times Higher Education, with the Nations #1 football comeback story, and a very young team torched in-state rival, South Alabama. The Blazers were strong on the ground and in the air. The offense continues to improve with 514 total yards for the game. Most of the near 28,000 in attendance were very happy with the Blazers strong performance.

UAB wasted no time taking control of the game in the first half. Tyler Johnston hit Kendall Parham on a 67 yard TD pass to take the early 7-0 lead. The Blazers never looked back. UAB followed that score with an 81 yard, 11 play drive, to take a 14-0 lead. Not to be outdone by the deep blue sky looming over the Old Grey Lady, the Blazers offense was looking just as beautiful. South Alabama managed an 11 play drive but had to settle for a field goal. However, UAB drove back down the field with another 11 play, 74-yard drive, to take a 21-3 lead. The Blazers were not done with the first half though. UAB proved they could score quickly. The Blazers scored on a three-play drive, covering 67 yards, capped off by Johnston’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Austin Watkins, ending the first half with a 28-3 lead.

The only scoring in the second half was a 15 play (82 yards) touchdown drive. The UAB defense dominated South Alabama all day, allowing just 190 total yards. UAB’s defensive effort was led by sophomore linebacker, Noah Wilder, who led the team with eight total tackles. Defensive Lineman, Garrett Marino, had two sacks on the day.

Spencer Brown lead the Blazers on the ground with 80 yards on 18 carries. The outstanding wide receiver group was lead by Kendall Parham, 3 receptions for 107 yards, and Austin Watkins with 90 yards on 6 catches for the day. Quarterback, Tyler Johnston, was 22/27 for 313 yards.

The victory was UAB’s 14th straight home win since the restart of their football program. UAB improves to 3-0 and moves to Conference USA action next week. UAB will play at Western Kentucky next Saturday at 6 p.m. on ESPN Plus.

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