UAB Blazers Overcome Sloppy First Half to Secure Easy Win

© Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

A heavy downpour on Aug. 29 did not keep 21,267 fans away from watching the UAB Blazers start the second year of the Trent Dilfer era with a 41-3 win over the Alcorn State Braves at Protective Stadium.

The Blazers' defense limited the Braves to less than 200 yards of total offense. That is a good sign for UAB as the defense struggled to get off the field last season.

Game Summary

Football players are creatures of habit. With an hour-long delay at the start of the game, the fact that the Blazers came out as sharp as they did was impressive. UAB marched down the field in 11 plays, scoring on a 2-yard run by Lee Beebe Jr. The defense then took the field and forced a three-and-out before blocking a punt, setting up the offense with a short field. The Blazers took three plays to score again on a Jacob Zeno pass to Brandon Hawkins Jr., pushing the lead to 14-0.

UAB's offense saw its next three possessions end in turnovers. Two Beebe fumbles and a Zeno interception off a tipped pass, however, only resulted in three points for the Braves. On the Blazers' sixth first-half possession after a Braves fumble, Zeno found Amare Thomas for his second touchdown pass to make the score 21-3. The Braves never got any closer as they struggled to get any offense going.

Turning Point for Blazers

The turning point in the game was the Blazers' third touchdown drive. After three straight possessions with turnovers, the Blazers settled in and completed the game rather cleanly.

As a coach, Dilfer has to be happy to see all three aspects of the team contribute. The Blazers had a special teams score as Kam Shanks returned a punt 57 yards for a touchdown, the first such TD for the Blazers since a game in 2013 against Northwestern State.

What it Means

For UAB: The Blazers start the year off with a victory. They head to Louisiana Monroe next week and want to get a road victory before a Southeastern Conference matchup in Arkansas. While the game was never in jeopardy, the Blazers' coaching staff will have plenty to work on leading up to the ULM game.

For Alcorn State: The Braves are picked to finish near the top of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. To do so, they need to find a passing game. The Braves only had 29 yards passing yards in the entire game. They ran a two-quarterback system with Xzavier Vaughn and Tyler Macon. Both struggled to get anything going through the air. Next up for the Braves is a contest with the Vanderbilt Commodores.

A win is a win. For the Blazers to get out of the game with no major injuries, and with all-around team contributions, they are in a good spot heading into Week 2. Beebe will have to work on ball security as he fumbled twice in an otherwise productive game. He had 82 yards rushing with 2 touchdowns. Defensively, the Blazers held the Braves to 4-of-15 on third downs. That was a big struggle point for UAB last season. Shanks looks to be a threat anytime he catches a punt, even with just a little room.