Jacob Zeno threw four touchdowns, UAB rushed for 219-yards and its defense slowed down South Florida in a 56-35 Blazers victory over the Bulls Saturday in front of an announced 23,792 at Protective Stadium.
USF (3-3; 2-1 AAC) struck first and early with a touchdown run by quarterback Byrum Brown just 1:25 seconds into the game. But UAB (2-4; 1-1 AAC) responded with three consecutive touchdowns – one on a 75-yard pass and another on a 61-yard pass. Brown scored again on a 14-yard run at the end of the first quarter but it only put a band aid on a gunshot wound because the Blazers scored three straight touchdowns to give themselves a 42-14 cushion.
Brown completed 24-of-43 passes for 260-yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed for 136-yards on 16 attempts.
Safety Logan Berryhill and linebacker Jhalyn Shuler each posted 10 tackles to lead the Bulls defense which had nine players produce 10 tackles for loss.
BullsInsider.com was covered the game and here is our Instant Analysis:
IT WAS OVER WHEN: Zeno threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Tejhaun Palmer giving the Blazers a 50-burger with 13:15 to play.
HE STOLE THE SHOW: Zeno completed 19-of-25 passes (76.0 percent) for 353-yards, four touchdowns and one interception. He simply played at an elite level for UAB connecting with 11 different receivers on the day.
THE STAT DOESN’T LIE: UAB entered the game averaging 420.2 yards per contest. Today the Blazers churned out 608 yards of total offense. The last time a USF opponent had 600+ yards of offense was on Nov. 5, 2022 (at Temple, 321).
WHAT A PLAY: On a first and ten on the USF 40, during its first possession, Brown rushed up the middle for 60-yards for a touchdown with 13:35 left in the first quarter. Brown ran almost untouched through the heart of the UAB defense for the score.
THE BOTTOM LINE: For the second consecutive week South Florida failed to protect the football early in the game. This time UAB turned two early Bulls turnovers into 14-points and used that momentum for an explosive day on offense and a USF loss. Up next is homecoming vs. Florida Atlantic next Saturday at 3:30 at Raymond James Stadium on ESPN 2.
