Bahamas Bowl: UAB 24, Miami (OH) 20
The UAB needed a defense to stop Miami (OH) wide receiver Jalen Walker over the goal line en route to the end zone for a last-second game-winning touchdown. The Blazers wrapped up Walker and knocked him to the ground at the 2-yard line, giving him a 24-20 victory in the epic Bahamas Bowl.
It was a UAB win with mixed emotions, as interim coach Bryant Vincent, who took over the team after Bill Clark retired in July, came out victorious in his last game to lead the team. Meanwhile, on the sidelines, UAB’s incoming head coach Trent Dilfer took in the performance and was rooting for the team taking over as the program turns the page from his 2022 to his 2023.
The UAB was also without its star running back after NCAA leading rusher and Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year winner Dewayne McBride announced shortly before the game that he would not be playing. There was no indication that McBride’s absence early on would affect the final result.Backup Jermaine Brown could be productive with a heavier workload and the Blazers led 10-0. However, Miami put together an impressive touchdown drive just before halftime to cut that lead to 10-6 and give the Redhawks momentum heading into the locker room. NBA quarterback Aveon Smith, both scores came with impressive catches.
A UAB mistake forced the game to close in the second half as the Blazers fumbled a punt late in the third quarter to set up a one-play touchdown drive for Miami and lost a fumble with six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter against the Blazers. almost abandoned. End of 20-17. But the Blazers defense, like on the final play, stood tall and forced a field goal attempt after that fumble, giving the UAB offense another chance for a game tie or a go-ahead score. . Brown was the star of the drive and the star of the game, scoring his second touchdown of the day and closing out a performance of 24 carries for 116 yards.
A TD was needed to win and the final drive in Miami was hectic. There were 12 plays, multiple penalties, and two 4-down conversions by RedHawks. Ultimately, however, it was that final tackle that allowed UAB to hold on to victory, the same that first appeared in 2017 when he returned to the field after the program at the end of the program’s first season. The bowl game was shut down, giving the Blazers the win.
The Blazers turning the page from the Bill Clark era to the Trent Dilfer era and leaping from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference is a fitting end to a great era of UAB football. . His past five years have included multiple bowl bids, two conference championship appearances, and three conference title game appearances. Dilfer and the rest of this UAB team are trying to match these results at AAC. The best news for the Blazers is about their performance in the Bahamas Bowl and the current state of this team. .
