2006 UAB Blazers Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews
Nov. 25
UCF 31 ... UAB 22
UCF got up early on two Mike Walker touchdown passes and a
Jason Peters ten-yard touchdown run, but UAB bounced back wit three Swayze
Waters field goal s and a 14-yard Joseph Webb touchdown run to get close. Then
things got really close as Chris Felder picked up a fumble and took it 44 yards
for a score, but the Webb two-point conversion attempt failed. UCF was able to
stop the run and put it away on six-play, 80-yard drive finishing with a
four-yard Kyle Israel scoring run. Player of the
game ... UCF WR Mike Walker
caught seven passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns Stat Leaders: UCF- Passing: Kyle Israel,
19-22, 270 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Jason Peters, 19-129, 1 TD Receiving:
Mike Walker, 7-133, 2 TD UAB - Passing: Joseph Webb, 25-39, 289 yds
Rushing: Dan Burks, 8-45 Receiving: Willie Edwards,
5-100 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
The team still didn't have an identity even in the final game of the season.
Losing the final six games in a variety of way, including the last two weeks on
late comebacks after getting down early, the offense showed the ability to
produce, it just couldn't do it out of the gate.. Joseph Webb appears to be the
future of the team and the player to revolve the offense around, but he'll need
rushing help, and better defense, to have a shot at making the Blazers a
potential player.
Nov. 18
Southern Miss 26 ... UAB 20
Southern Miss got out to a 23-0 lead helped by a 48-yard
Jasper Faulk interception return for a touchdown and two scores from Chris
Johnson, but had to hang on for dear life as UAB scored 20 fourth quarter points
on a one-yard Corey White run, and 19-yard Sylvester Mencer touchdown catch, and
a 67-yard fumble return for a touchdown from Brandon Register. USM finally
closed it out with a safety in the final minute.
Player of the game ...
Southern Miss RB Damion Carter ran 27 times for 163 yards and caught two
passes for 41 yards UAB - Passing: Joseph Webb, 8-12, 137 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Joseph Webb, 13-33 Receiving: Willie Edwards, 3-80 Southern Miss - Passing: Stephen Reaves, 7-14, 125 yds, 1
TD Rushing: Damion Fletcher, 27-163 Receiving: Shawn Nelson,
3-59 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Give UAB credit for fighting back in the fourth quarter against Southern Miss
when it could've just rolled over and taken a fifth straight loss in stride.
Offensive consistency has been a problem all season long, and with Joseph Webb
taking over at quarterback, there was yet another wrench thrown into the mix.
Webb ran well and had to carry the entire attack late, but he was sacked five
times. A win over UCF to close out the year is a must to finally end the
disastrous losing streak in the disappointing season. To get the win, the
offense has to start out hot and put points up on the board right away.
Nov. 10
UTEP 36 ... UAB 17
Jordan Palmer threw four touchdown passes with two to Johnnie
Lee Higgins including a 79-yard play and a four-yard pass in the fourth quarter
to pull away. Corey White caught a four-yard touchdown pass and ran for a
nine-yard score for UAB, but the big-play Miner passing game proved to be too
much to overcome. Higgins added an eight-yard touchdown run late in the first
half and Palmer connected with Donald Buckram for an 80-yard touchdown in the
third quarter.
Player of the game ...
UTEP QB Jordan Palmer completed 24 of 38 passes for 447 yards and four
touchdowns Stat Leaders: UAB - Passing: Sam Hunt, 12-21, 223 yds, 2
INT Rushing: Corey White, 7-41, 1 TD Receiving: Willie Williams,
6-130 UTEP - Passing: Jordan Palmer, 24-38, 447 yds, 4 TD Rushing: Marcus Thomas, 11-9 Receiving: Johnnie Lee Higgins,
9-173, 2 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
UAB's run defense did a great job against UTEP, but the pass defense wasn't even
close. There was a decent pass rush on Jordan Palmer and there weren't enough
long drives to keep the Miner offense off the field. It would've been nice if
there was more of a running game to keep Sam Hunt or Chris Williams from having
to carry the offense, but Corey White and Dan Bucks didn't get enough work. With
the final two games on the road at Southern Miss and UCF, the four-game losing
streak might finish up with an ugly six-game slide.
Oct. 31
SMU 22 ... UAB 9
SMU's offense scored on a three-yard Vincent Chase catch in
the second quarter and a 39-yard James Mapps run in the fourth, but it was the
defense that starred holding UAB to three Swayze Waters field goals and allowing
just 222 yards of total offense. UAB had chances, but couldn't get into the end
zone. Down 15-8 with under three minutes to play, the Blazers saw its final
drive get snuffed out by an 11-yard Tony Hawkins interception return for a
score.
Player of the game ...
SMU QB Justin Willis completed 18 of 23 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown
with an interception and ran five times for 27 yards Stat Leaders: UAB- Passing: Chris Williams, 18-36, 133 yds,
1 INT Rushing: Dan Burks, 17-58 Receiving: Rashad Slaughter, 10-62 SMU - Passing: Justin Willis, 18-23, 148 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: James Mapps, 5-48, 1 TD Receiving: Reynaldo Pellerin,
6-35 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
UAB was able to move the ball a little bit on SMU,
but it wasn't able to take advantage of all its chances. The running game wasn't
nearly effective enough, while Chris Williams didn't get anything going deep
with the passing attack. Eventually, Williams has to star hitting on something
deep to open things up for the running game. SMU brought everyone up and dared
to get torched. It didn't happen. Finding more points is a must with UTEP coming
up next.
Oct. 21
Marshall 31 ... UAB 24
Marshall RB Ahmad Bradshaw ran for 242 yards with touchdown
dashes of 26 and 67 yards, and was able to run out the clock with runs of 11 and
ten yards. UAB stayed alive helped by a 45-yard Marculus Elliott touchdown run,
a scoring run from Chris Williams and a 34-yard scoring pass to Jordan Ervin,
but was never able to get the lead. Player of the game ...
Marshall RB Ahmad
Bradshaw ran 25 times for 242 yards and two touchdowns Stat Leaders: Marshall- Passing: Bernard Morris, 5-7, 100
yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Ahmad Bradshaw, 25-242, 2 TD Receiving: Matt
Morris, 2-59, 1 TD UAB - Passing: Chris Williams, 18-30, 205 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Marculus Elliott, 14-129, 1 TD Receiving: Willie Edwards, 4-59 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
The offense had a nice game against Marshall with
Chris Williams running and passing reasonably well and Marculus Elliott coming
up with some good runs, but the run defense couldn't handle Ahmad Bradshaw and
the offense didn't get enough chances in the second half. Now it'll take a
tremendous effort to get a bowl bid with three road dates in the final four
against SMU, Southern Miss and UCF along with a home game against UTEP. The
offense doesn't appear to have enough firepower to keep up with those four.
Oct. 14
Rice 34 ... UAB 33
Rice got a nine-yard touchdown pass to Jarrett Dillard with
three seconds to play for a thrilling win. UAB took the lead with less than four
minutes to play on a 49-yard Steven Brown touchdown catch, but Rice drove back
getting in a position to win the game only to
apparently blow it when Kris Guyton intercepted a Chase Clement pass with 23
seconds remaining, but he fumbled the ball on the return and the Owls recovered
on the UAB 19 with 28 seconds
to play. Chris Williams threw four touchdown passes for the Blazers in the
see-saw game, but Rice always had an answer as Clement ran for two scores and
threw for three to Dillard. Player of the game ... Rice QB Chase Clement completed
21 of 33 passes for 191 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions and
ran 17 times for 141 yards and two touchdowns.. Stat Leaders: Rice- Passing: Chase
Clement, 21-33, 191 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Chase Clement, 17-141, 2 TD. Receiving:
Jarett Dillard, 9-111, 3 TD UAB - Passing: Chris Williams, 15-28,
288, 4 TD
Rushing: Dan Burks, 18-121, 1 TD Receiving:
Willie Edwards, 4-112, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
UAB was this close to being on the way to a
huge season with an overtime loss to Mississippi State and a fumble off an
interception from beating Rice. Losing to the Owls is a crusher to title hopes
with road games still to go against SMU, Southern Miss and UCF, but there are
positives with Chris Williams bombing away well and getting the deep ball going
throughout the game. He did what he needed to do to win the game, but the
defense didn't come through.
Oct. 7
UAB 35 ... Memphis 29
Corey White ran for three touchdowns including two in the
third quarter with a two-yard dash giving UAB its first lead of the game.
Memphis only managed a field goal in the fourth quarter to pull within six, but
couldn't get closer with a final drive snuffed out with an interception. Memphis
QB Martin Hankins had a huge day throwing three touchdown passes including an
82-yard strike to Ryan Scott on the first play from scrimmage. Player of the game ... UAB RB Corey White ran 28 times
for 129 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Memphis - Passing: Martin Hankins, 22-30, 303
yds, 3 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Joseph Doss, 18-62. Receiving:
Ryan Scott, 6-120, 1 TD UAB - Passing: Chris Williams, 12-20, 134
yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Corey White, 28-129, 3 TD Receiving:
Willie Edwards, 5-70, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
The pass defense couldn't handle the Martin Hankins
and the Memphis air show, but the defensive front did a strong job of keeping
the running game in check. After a brilliant game from Sam Hunt in the win over
Troy, Chris Williams was back at quarterback and played well, but didn't do
anything for the running attack. Corey White was brilliant getting room to move
thanks to a nice game from the offensive line. At 2-0 in Conference USA and with
winnable games against Rice, Marshall and SMU, there can't be any slip ups.
Sept. 30
UAB 21 ... Troy 3
UAB held Troy to 58 rushing yards and only allowed a 35-yard
Greg Whibbs field goal in the easy win. The Blazer offense got two touchdowns
late in the first quarter on a 22-yard Sam Hunt touchdown run and a three-yard
Trey Chaney dash, and put the game away on a Sam Hunt 29-yard touchdown pass to
Sylvester Mencer in the third. The two teams combined for ten sacks. Player of the game ... UAB QB Sam Hunt completed 11 of
16 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown with an interception and ran 21 times
for 69 yards and a score. Stat Leaders: Troy - Passing: Omar
Haugabook, 18-31, 144 yds Rushing: Justin Bray, 5-36. Receiving:
Gary Banks, 6-35 UAB - Passing: Sam Hunt, 11-16, 145 yds,
1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Sam Hunt, 21-69, 1 TD Receiving:
Sylvester Mencer, 5-96, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
While the defense did a great job getting back on track with the
dominant win over Troy, there has to be some concern that Sam Hunt was the
entire offense. He was great mixing up the pass and the run coming through win
an efficient day, but more has to come from the running backs and there has to
be more big plays down field from the passing attack to be consistent in
Conference USA play. Even so, after the overtime loss to Mississippi State, this
win over the Trojans has to be a confidence boost.
Sept. 23
Mississippi State 16 ... UAB 10 OT
Mississippi State won in overtime on a 21-yard touchdown run
from Omarr Conner after Adron Chambers had halted the UAB possession with an
interception. Mississippi State got into the end zone in the fourth quarter for
a 10-7 lead on an Anthony Dixon one-yard scoring run after Conner scrambled down
to the one on fourth and two from the three. UAB got a nine-yard touchdown run
from Chris Williams to start the scoring and forced overtime on a 37-yard Parker
Mullins field goal, but the offense sputtered and coughed all game long
finishing with just 210 yards of total offense. Player of the game ... Mississippi State QB Omarr
Conner completed 14 of 23 passes for 115 yards and ran eight times for 45 yards
and a game-winning touchdown. Stat Leaders: Mississippi State- Passing:
Omarr Conner, 14-23, 115 yds Rushing: Anthony Dixon, 19-81, 1 TD. Receiving:
Arnil Stallworth, 4-30 UAB - Passing: Chris Williams, 9-20, 2
INT
Rushing: Dan Burks, 13-45 Receiving:
Sylvester Mencer, 5-58 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
UAB just can't catch any breaks, but it's also not
making any of its own good fortune. Mississippi State, particularly QB Omarr
Conner, made the plays to win, while UAB QB Chris Williams couldn't come up with
the one game-changing play to get the momentum on the Blazers' side. Now there's
no margin for error. The team can still get to a bowl game, but it has to start
winning in a big hurry with games against Troy, Memphis, Rice, Marshall, and SMU
all winnable over the next five weeks. To get the sweep, Dan Burks and the
running game has to be better, and there has to be more consistency to the
passing game.
Sept. 16
Georgia 34 ... UAB 0
Georgia took advantage of several short fields with no scoring
drive longer than 55 yards capitalizing on field goals from 55 and 38 yards out
by Brandon Coutu and short touchdown runs from Kregg Lumpkin, Matthew Stafford
and Brannan Southerland. C.J. Byrd took a blocked punt 12 yards for the other
Bulldog score. UAB only average 1.8 yards per carry. Player of the game ... Georgia DB Paul Oliver led the D
with six tackles and one tackle for loss Stat Leaders: Georgia- Passing: Matthew
Stafford, 10-17, 107 yds Rushing: Kregg Lumpkin, 10-54, 1 TD. Receiving:
Kenneth Harris, 3-30 UAB - Passing: Sam Hunt, 6-10, 49 yds
Rushing: Dan Burks, 10-46 Receiving:
Sylvester Mencer, 3-21 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Georgia's
defense is playing at another level, so there's no reason to get too upset over
getting blanked. Now the Blazers have to figure out which quarterback can lead
the way to points with Sam Hunt and Chris Williams having equal problems getting
anything going. UAB isn't going to beat anyone of substance if it converts two
of 13 third down chances and averages 2.9 yards per play. The defense will have
to carry things for a little while until thee offense finally catches up.
Sept. 9
UAB 17 ... East Carolina 12
With just over a minute to play, East Carolina appeared to be
on the way to a thrilling win as Chris Henry caught a James Pinkney pass and
tore off up the middle of the field and on his way to the end zone, but UAB's
Chris Felder stripped the ball at the four yard line and Will Evans recovered to
save the game. Chris Williams came off the bench to throw two 12-yard touchdown
passes, one to Norris Drinkard and one to Steven Brown, for a 17-6 Blazer lead
late, but ECU came back on a one-yard touchdown catch from Davon Drew with 4:45
to play, got the ball back with just over two minutes to play, and had one last
chance before the fumble. Player of the game ... UAB DB Chris Felder made four
tackles and saved the game with a forced fumble Stat Leaders: UAB- Passing: Chris
Williams, 12-16, 144 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Corey Hunt, 16-63,. Receiving:
Norris Drinkard, 5-78, 1 TD East Carolina - Passing: James Pinkney,
20-38, 280 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Chris Johnson, 12-51 Receiving:
Phillip Hendry, 6-133 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
UAB never seemed to win the close games in the past,
but it made its own break against East Carolina with the Chris Felder forced
fumble at the goal line to save the day. Chris Williams was effective when he
got his playing time back, but there's going to be a quarterback controversy to
deal with all season long. The running game simply isn't playing as well as it
should be with only 124 yards against the Pirates.
Sept. 2
Oklahoma 24 ... UAB 17
Adrian Peterson showed why he's a favorite for the Heisman by
taking a short pass 69 yards for a touchdown late in the third
quarter to finally get past a gritty UAB. The Sooners got off to a
solid start with a 21-yard touchdown catch from Joe Jon Finley, but
UAB tied it in the second quarter on a five-yard Corey White run.
Peterson scored on a four-yard dash, but turnovers helped the
Blazers get back in the game as White took a pass 24 yards for a
touchdown and Swayze Waters hit a 43-yard field goal for a 17-14
lead. OU only ougained UAB 370 yards to 304. Player of the game ... Oklahoma RB Adrian Peterson ran
24 times for 139 yards and a touchdown and caught one pass for 69
yards and a touchdown. Stat Leaders: UAB- Passing: Sam Hunt,
9-15, 149 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Sam Hunt, 15-65,. Receiving:
Corey White, 4-53, 1 TD Oklahoma - Passing: Paul Thompson, 14-24,
227 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Adrian Peterson, 24-139 yds, 1 TD Receiving:
Joe Jon Finley, 4-79, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
UAB got tagged with one really big amazing play by
one really big amazing player. Adrian Peterson is a first-pick-overall type of
back for a reason, and he came up with a brilliant performance to save Oklahoma.
UAB did a great job of taking advantage of Sooner mistakes and got a nice game
out of QB Sam Hunt and RB Corey White. The offensive line, considering it was
going against one of the nation's best D lines, did a fantastic job. The
penalties have to be cut down after committing 11 for 77 yards.
The Blazers have appeared to be on the verge of big things year
after year after year, and last season was supposed to be when
everything was going to come together led by quarterback Darrell
Hackney and with plenty of experience and talent in most spots. Once
again for UAB, it didn't happen.
Maddeningly mediocre, UAB hasn't been awful over the last
several years under head coach Watson Brown, but it always comes up
just short of doing really big things with brutally painful close
losses always creeping up out of the blue for one of college
football's least clutch teams.
Last year, UAB needed to beat East Carolina for a second straight
winning season, but lost to East Carolina 31-23. Over the last eight
seasons, UAB has lost 20 games by a touchdown or less with four
coming last year. In other words, a few breaks here and there will
be the difference between UAB being good, and being in the
Conference USA title game.
In a league where Tulsa and UCF can come from out of the blue to play
for the championship, UAB certainly has to have hopes of getting a few
big performances when needed and win the East. Only 12 starters return, but
there's more than enough experience for the other spots and plenty of
decent talent to get the job done if a few key players come through.
There's no replacing Hackney's leadership, but there are decent
quarterback prospects in Chris Williams and Sam Hunt fighting it out for
the starting spot with redshirt freshman Joseph Webb not all that far
behind in the race. None of them are Hackney, but they can all play and
in the case of Williams and Hunt, bring more mobility to the position.
The rest of the offense is solid with Corey White, Dan Burks, and
Marculus Elliott forming, arguably, the league's best running back trio.
There might not be a better pair of Conference USA tackles than Quinton
Harris and Julius Wilson, and what the receiving corps lacks in
experienced production, it makes up for in speed and potential.
The defense has a chance to be much better with five good linebackers to
work around, an experienced secondary that doesn't need to do too much
to improve on last year, and First Team All-Conference USA end Larry
McSwain up front to be the focal point.
In other words, UAB has the pieces in place to be a player in the
Conference USA race, but not enough to get over the hump ... again.
The
Schedule: It all comes down to the final two weeks playing East
rivals Southern Miss and UCF on the road. If UAB wins those two, it'll
likely be playing for the Conference USA title. There's a bad break
playing UTEP from the West, but it's made up for by missing Houston and
Tulsa and getting SMU and Rice. Easters East Carolina, Memphis and
Marshall have to come to Birmingham meaning there's a shot at a great
start to the league season.
Best
Offensive Player:
Senior OTs Cornelius Rogers and Julius Wilson. The
offensive line was one of the strengths of the team last season and will
be a major plus again thanks to the return of the all-star caliber
tackles to count on. Rogers and Wilson will be in the mix for
All-Conference USA honors and will drafted next season.
Best
Defensive Player: Senior DE Larry McSwain. One of the league's best
all-around ends when he gets on a roll, McSwain has to try to generate
the pressure he did in 2004. He was a better player last season and
earned First Team Conference USA honors for the second straight season,
but he didn't get to the quarterback as much.
Key player
to a successful season: Senior QB Chris Williams and junior QB Sam
Hunt. Darrell Hackney might have been UAB football for the past four
seasons, but he had plenty of off-games to go along with his big
performances. Williams and/or Hunt has to be merely competent early on
and become great by the end of the season. They have the practice
experience to be more than fine.
The season
will be a success if ... UAB wins the East. It's dreaming big for a team that's not
nearly as complete or as strong as several others in Conference USA, but
it should be in the mix for the East title until late November. The
sky's the limit if the quarterback situation becomes a positive.
Key game:
Nov. 16 at Southern Miss. UAB is 0-6 since 2000 against the Golden
Eagles and won't win the East if it doesn't pull off the road win
in mid-November. It's not like they've been blowouts losing the six
games by a total of 32 points, but losing close games are what the
Blazers are all about.
2005 Fun
Stats:
- Second quarter scoring: UAB 110 - Opponents 56
- Penalties: UAB 75 for 639 yards - Opponents 52 for 490 yards
- Third down conversions: Opponents 71 of 157 (45%) - UAB 58 for 145
(40%)
The Last Time UAB… …played in a bowl game…2004 (Hawaii
Bowl vs. Hawaii)
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…1999 (UL-Monroe)
…was shutout…2002 (UL-Lafayette)
…scored 50 points…2004 (Tulane)
…went undefeated…never
…won a conference title…never
…had a 3,000-yard passer…2005 (Darrell Hackney)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…1996 (Carl Sanders)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2004 (Roddy White)
…had a first-round draft choice…2005 (WR Roddy White)
