Ty Long

UAB kicker Ty Long hugs Tristan Henderson after kicking a field goal against Marahall in the second quarter of a NCAA college football game at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014. (Mark Almond/ malmond@al.com)

(MARK ALMOND)

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- UAB kicker Ty Long spent four years, working to become the Blazers' all-time leader in career field goals.

After he accomplished the feat, he spent all of 17 seconds talking about it.

Long entered the game needing just one make to match former Blazers standout Nick Hayes' 10-year old record of 57 career field goals.

He tied the mark with 6:58 seconds to go in the first quarter to give UAB an early lead in their dramatic 23-18 loss against undefeated No. 18 Marshall in the Blazers' final home game of the season.

The senior surpassed it when he connected for the 58th time in his career on a 40-yarder to pull his team to within one with 5:56 to go in the second.

"Well, each year, each staff, I just try not to change anything up," said Long, who's been a constant through three coaching staffs. "I do the same thing. I had a successful year my freshman year with field goals for the most part, struggled on the kickoffs. On field goals I just try to do the same thing every year -- just keep working, get better, more consistent every time."

Through 10 games this season, the Roswell, Ga. native was third in Conference USA in scoring with 71 points. He's been good on 12 of 15 attempts this season and hasn't missed a single attempt from within 44 yards.

"That record's cool and everything, you know, I'm blessed to get that and everything," Long said. "But this team is so much more. Some people on the outside don't realize how much this team means to us and this program."

Long struggled to hold back tears on a day he made history, thinking about how close his team came to doing the same. The Blazers came up just 11 yards short of gaining bowl-eligibility for the first time in a decade and knocking off one of just two remaining undefeated teams in the AP top 25 poll in one shot. That's while remaining focused on football while concern spreads that the program could be shutdown by the University of Alabama's trustees, following a university-wide strategic planning study. The results of study won't be revealed until after the Blazers' regular season-finale next week at Southern Miss.

Earlier this week, both current and former players gathered to witness the Birmingham City Council formally demonstrate its support of the team.

"The stuff that goes on behind the cameras that no one sees," you know,," Long said when asked to elaborate on how much the program means to him. "It's hard for some of the comments people have said about this program. It just means so much to us. Through everything we've been through, man. It was just hard to take off that green jersey."