BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Running back Jermaine Brown Jr. and quarterback Jacob Zeno each accounted for four touchdowns as the UAB football team routed South Florida 56-35 for its first AAC victory on Saturday afternoon at Protective Stadium.
Brown Jr. tallied his ninth career 100-yard rushing game and set a career high with four rushing touchdowns, highlighted by three first half scores. He finished the game with 18 carries for 116 yards. In the process, Brown passed Jordan Howard for fifth place on UAB’s career rushing list (2,541) and is now tied for fifth on UAB’s career rushing touchdowns list (25).
Zeno completed 19-of-25 for 353 yards and a career-high four touchdowns. It was his second 300-yard passing game of the season and he was assisted by Tejhaun Palmer who had two catches that both went for touchdowns of 61 and 58 yards. Zeno’s other two touchdown passes to Brandon Buckhaulter and Amare Thomas went for 75 and 49 yards, respectively.
UAB put up 608 yards of total offense in the win, which was the first time UAB has had 600 yards of offense since the 2018 season.
UAB’s defense shut down the high-powered USF offense, and despite allowing 471 yards, a majority of those were given up in the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach. UAB held USF to just 300 yards through the first three quarters and stifled South Florida quarterback Byrum Brown all afternoon.
Keondre Swoopes led the defensive charge with seven tackles, and interception and a forced fumble, each of which came in the first quarter to help the Blazers build an early 21-7 lead.
The Blazers tallied three sacks, five TFL and seven pass breakups overall, while holding Brown to 24-of-43 for 260 yards. Nikia Eason Jr. had two of the team’s three sacks, while Colby Dempsey had a career-high three pass breakups.
After USF’s Brown rushed for a 60-yard touchdown on the first possession of the game, Buckhaulter answered on UAB’s first possession with a short shovel pass which he took 75 yards to tie the score. Swoopes’ interception led to Palmer’s 61-yard touchdown, and Brown Jr. added a 21-yard rushing touchdown to give UAB a 21-7 lead. USF’s Brown scored on the last play of the quarter to make the score 21-14 after one.
UAB outscored South Florida 14-0 in the second quarter on two Jermaine Brown Jr. touchdowns to give the Blazers a 35-14 lead at the break.
The Blazers’ lead would grow to 28 on two separate occasions in the third quarter, and Palmer’s second touchdown of the game in the fourth gave UAB its largest lead of 35 (56-21). USF scored the final two touchdowns of the game to make the final score 56-35.
Today was UAB’s seventh annual Children’s Harbor game and UAB is now 6-1 when playing for Children’s Harbor.
UAB is back in action next weekend with a road contest at UTSA. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPNU.
