The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Houston
Blazers Dominate Houston, 43-21
11/17/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 17, 2001
Final Stats?|? Notes
HOUSTON (AP) - Thomas Cox ran for 133 yards and two touchdowns and threw for a third score to lead UAB to a 43-21 victory over Houston on Saturday night.
Jegil Dugger added 114 yards rushing as UAB (6-4, 5-2 Conference USA) won its fourth straight game to become bowl eligible.
Cox carried 25 times and completed 8 of 14 passes for 128 yards.
UAB's rushing defense, ranked first in the country allowing 53.8 yards per game, held the Cougars to a season-best minus-6 yards rushing as UH (0-10, 0-7) extended its school record for consecutive losses to 14.
On UH's opening drive, Joffrey Reynolds ran 2 yards for a touchdown, which was the first time in 12 games the Cougars had scored first.
UAB came back to score on its first three possessions, two of them touchdowns, for a 17-7 lead. Cox completed six of his first seven passes for 84 yards, including a 24-yard TD pass to Willie Quinnie.
UAB managed only Nick Hayes' second field goal the rest of the first half. But Cox's 1-yard run culminated a 72-yard drive that made the score 27-7 early in the third.
Houston's Orlando Iglesias extended his string of catching at least one pass to 42 games. His career-high 13 catches for 105 yards moved him into second on the Cougars' receptions list with 216, just four behind Manny Hazard's school mark.
Iglesias caught 10 passes for 83 yards and a touchdown in the third quarter as Houston scored twice to come from 20 points down and close the gap to 27-21.
But the Blazers scored two touchdowns and a field goal the final period, capped by Thurman Pearson's 43-yard interception return for a touchdown.
