On a cold and windy Saturday afternoon, with the sun peaking out of the clouds for just one quarter of play, the UAB Blazers defeated the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, 31-24, at H.A. Chapman Stadium. With the win, UAB finishes the season with a 4-8 record overall and 2-6 in the American Athletic Conference. Tulsa finishes 4-8, 1-7 AAC.
The Blazers got on the score board first, with 7:13 left in the first quarter, Jalen Kitna connected with Iverson Hooks on an 18-yard touchdown pass, and UAB took a 7-0 lead.
On Tulsa’s next possession, and eight-yard pass into the end zone on third down was dropped so the Hurricane had to settle for a 26-yard field goal by Seth Morgan.
During the next UAB drive, Tulsa’s Devin Robinson intercepted a pass and returned it to the UAB 24-yard line. The first quarter ended during this drive and UAB led, 7-3.
On the first play of the second quarter, it was fourth-and-four for Tulsa. They went for it but failed to get the first down and the Blazers took over.
On UAB’s next possession, Tulsa returned the favor and stopped the Blazers on fourth-and-one. Tulsa then drove 39 yards on seven plays, capped by a one-yard touchdown pass from Baylor Hayes to wide open Jewlyen Roberts in the end zone. Tulsa took a 10-7 lead with 7:51 remaining in the second quarter.
The Blazers responded with a 62-yard drive that ended with a 31-yard field goal by Jonah Delange, and UAB tied the score, 10-10, with 1:42 left before halftime.
However, Tulsa had one more quick drive before the end of the half, as the Golden Hurricane quickly drove 67 yards on five plays and scored on a five-yard touchdown run by Braylin Presley with 32 seconds remaining on the clock. Tulsa led 17-10 at halftime.
With 10:24 remaining in the third quarter, UAB tied the game with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Kitna to Brandon Hawkins Jr. The quarter ended with the two teams tied, 17-17.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Tulsa’s Ajay Allen took a handoff and carried it 22 yards into the end zone. With the extra point, Tulsa took a 24-17 lead.
In the fourth quarter, UAB was forced to punt, but the ball was dropped by Tulsa’s Grayson Tempest, and the Blazers recovered and took over on the Tulsa 31-yard line. UAB turned the short field into a four-play drive that was capped by a 20-yard touchdown run by Jevon Jackson, and UAB tied the game 24-24, with 10:42 remaining in the fourth quarter.
With 3:40 left on the clock, Jackson scored again, this time on a three-yard run, and UAB took the 31-24 lead for good.
Jackson led the Blazers’ running game with 23 carries for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Kitna completed 14-of-17 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns. UAB had 395 total yards of offense.
Tulsa was led by Hayes who completed 11-of-22 passes for 159 yards and one touchdown. Allen had 27 carries for 129 yards and one touchdown. Total had a total of 357 yards on offense.
This was the sixth all-time meeting between these two programs with Tulsa leading the all-time series 4-2. TU’s last win over UAB came in 2012, a 49–42 road victory in Birmingham.