A mistake-plagued UAB team lost its fifth game of the season. Houston claimed a 39-17 win over the Blazers. The Houston win was aided by two turnovers and x penalties for xx yards. Meanwhile, quarterback Austin Brown continued his practice of holding on to the ball too long, taking eight sacks for the day.

UAB got the ball first, but the first possession was full of mistakes. The Blazers got the ball at the 14, after a bad decision to run back the kickoff instead of taking the ball at the 25. Then the Blazers got a penalty before the first snap, when a false start penalty moved the ball back to the nine. Quarterback Austin Brown completed a pass to the 19, but a delay of game penalty pushed it back to 14. An incomplete pass and a sack ended the possession.

UAB's punt gave Houston the ball at their own 44. Houston took three minutes and eleven plays to put the first touchdown of the game on the scoreboard. The score came on a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback David Piland to Shane Ros.

This time UAB responded well, going 75 yards in eight plays to tie the game 7-7. Brown hit Jay Davis on a 16-yard touchdown pass to cap the drive.

UAB got a break when Houston fumbled on the second play of its next drive. Chris Walton recovered the ball at the Houston 34, but the Blazers couldn't take advantage. After a sack on fourth down, Houston got the ball at their own 41.They marched to UAB's six before settling for a 23-yard field goal and a 10-7 lead.

Houston added another field goal, a 27-yard kick, for the first score of the second quarter that gave them a 13-7 lead. An interception set up another Houston score, a 23-yard field goal that gave them a 16-7 lead.

UAB got the ball back with 2:26 remaining in the half and quickly marched to the Houston three. The Blazers had to settle for a 27-yard field goal from Ty Long to cut the halftime score to 16-10.

Houston took control of the game in the second half. The Cougars took the second half kickoff and marched 75 yards for a touchdown. Kenneth Farrow capped the drive with a one-yard plunge that gave Houston a 23-10 lead with 12:25 remaining in the third quarter.

The Cougars added to their lead on their next possession, marching to the UAB 12 before settling for a 29-yard field goal and a 26-10 lead. Another touchdown and two more field goals quickly followed, and Houston had a 39-10 lead with 12:50 remaining in the game.

UAB got a chance to cut the margin, moving the ball to the Houston five-yard line. But two incomplete passes and two sacks ended the drive with no points for the Blazers.

Jonathan Perry took over under center for the final seven minutes of the game. Perry led the Blazers on a 45-yard drive, capped by a five-yard Greg Franklin touchdown run, that cut the score to 39-17.

Quarterback David Piland led Houston's offense, completing 32-of-44 passes for 372 yards and one touchdown pass. Houston's kicker Matt Hogan set a new school record with six field goals in the game.

Philip Steward led the Houston defense with 13 tackles, 2.5 sacks and an interception.

Austin Brown hit 20-of-43 passes for 302 yards and a touchdown. Greg Franklin led the Blazer ground game with 50 yards and a touchdown on five carries. Patrick Bastien led the UAB defense with five tackles, one sack and one forced fumble.

UAB returns home next week to host Eastern Carolina at Legion Field next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 6:00 pm.


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