University of Houston
UAB
Huge Second Half Comeback Lifts Football over UAB, 45-20
10/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Houston-UAB Game Book (Oct. 9, 2008) 
HOUSTON - Trailing by three scores in the third quarter, the University of Houston football team tied a school record by engineering a 17-point comeback and outscoring the Blazers 42-0 in the second half on their way to a 45-20 victory in front of a national television audience Thursday at Robertson Stadium.
In their first action in Houston at Robertson Stadium since the season-opening win over Southern on Aug. 30, the Cougars rolled up 549 yards of total offense, 375 of which came after halftime, en route to improving their overall record this season to 3-3, including a 2-0 mark in Conference USA action.
The 17-point comeback tied a similar effort that helped the Cougars defeat Texas A&M on Oct. 13, 1990.
The Blazers, who fell to 1-6 overall and 0-3 in league play, made the first impression on the scoreboard after forcing a three-and-out from the UH offense, UAB kicker Swayze Waters connected on a 50-yard field goal.
Playing on their heels much of the first half, the Cougars caught a break as UH linebacker Matt Nicholson's first career interception thwarted another potential first quarter scoring drive by the Blazers, pulling in an errant Joe Webb pass in the end zone for a touchback.
Webb made up for his miscue on the second play of the second quarter, converting a nine-play, 61-yard UAB drive with a three-yard touchdown run that pressed the visitors lead to 10-0.
The situation for the home standing Cougars did not improve as the Webb engineered a second straight scoring drive after the UH offense again was unable to achieve a first down, this time with Waters converting a 23-yard field goal.
Houston's offense was finally able to put points on the board in the final minutes of the first half as Ben Bell's 35-yard field goal closed the gap to 13-3 with 1:27 to play in the period. Despite the score, the Cougar offense was sluggish throughout the first half, producing only 174 yards of total offense.
UAB, however did not have the same problem as the Blazers racked up 277 yards in the opening period, including a five-play, 80-yard drive just before the half that put another touchdown on the board and stretched the UAB advantage to 20-3 heading into the intermission.
Webb, who was the biggest thorn in the Cougars side in the first half with 86 yards on the ground and 161 through the air, found tight end Zach Langford alone in the end zone for a 21-yard score.
Out of the intermission, a defensive hold and a break on special teams gave the Cougars the opportunity they needed to get back into the contest. After forcing a punting situation deep inside UAB territory, a fumbled snap on the punting attempt gave UH a first-and-10 at the UAB eight-yard line. Four plays later Case Keenum and the Cougars cashed in as the Cougar signal caller found Tyron Carrier for a 14-yard touchdown, cutting the lead to 20-10.
The score gave the momentum to the home time as the Andre Kahn capped off a six-play, 89 yard drive with a three-yard plunge into the end zone, leaving the Cougars within a score at 17-20.
It would be another big play, this time from the defense that would put the Cougars in front for the first time on the night as UH cornerback Brandon Brinkley picked off a Webb pass and returned the turnover 35 yards to give UH the advantage 24-20.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, it was another big play that extended the Cougar lead to 31-20 as Keenum found Patrick Edwards, who raced 70 yards to pay dirt. The subsequent extra point made it 28 unanswered points for the Cougars in the second half.
The offensive explosion continued as on the first play of the next UH possession, freshman Bryce Beall found a seam down the home sideline and raced 78 yards to the UAB two-yard line. Two plays later, Beall crashed into the end zone to leave the score 38-20.
Even a spectacular punt from Waters that left UH in the worst possible field position could not cool the red-hot Cougar offense. Keenum and the offensive unit marched 99 yards down the field and the sophomore quarterback reached the end zone himself on a one-yard dive with 7:14 to play in the game.
For his part, Keenum turned his seventh consecutive 300+ yard passing game, finishing with 360 yards and two touchdowns on 24-of-36 passing.
The ground game was also a big part of the Cougar's success as UH grinded out 132 rushing yards, with 107 coming from Beall, who topped the century mark in yardage for the second straight contest.
The second half saw the Cougars dominate in every facet of the game, finishing with 375 yards compared to only 75 by the Blazers.
Senior defensive end Phillip Hunt was a force on the defensive line all night, tying a career-high three sacks, while Nicholson led all tacklers with 14 stops on the night, including his
Senior safety Ernest Miller produced 10 tackles on the night with a pair of pass break-ups.
The Cougars are back in action next week as they travel to Dallas to renew the rivalry with an old Southwest Conference foe and fellow Conference USA member SMU. The game is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff from SMU's Gerald J. Ford Stadium.
