The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Army
UAB Edges Army, 29-26
10/26/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct 26, 2002
By CONNOR ENNIS
Associated Press Writer
WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) - UAB receiver Willie Quinnie didn't like his team's chances when Army took the lead with 1:29 left in the game.
"It didn't look good," Quinnie said.
Eighty seconds later, it looked much better.
Darrell Hackney threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Quinnie with eight seconds left as UAB defeated Army 29-26 on Saturday. It marked the first road win this season for UAB (4-4, 3-1 Conference USA).
It was a tough loss for Army (0-8, 0-6), which seemed poised to win its first game of the season when Josh Holden ran for a 2-yard touchdown with 1:29 left to give the Black Knights a 26-22 lead.
Holden's score capped a 16-play, 90-yard drive, the longest in both plays and yards for the Black Knights this season.
The Blazers' game-winning 10-play, 67-yard drive was led by Hackney, who was 8-of-10 for 72 yards. Hackney finished the game 25-of-42 for 254 yards and threw four touchdowns despite struggling early.
Aris Comeaux had an 88-yard punt return for a touchdown and caught a 9-yard pass for another score for the Black Knights, who are off to the second-worst start in school history. Only the 1973 team, which finished 0-10, started worse.
After Holden's score, the Blazers marched right down the field. With 14 seconds left, Hackney threw a pass to Quinnie in the end zone that was broken up. Hackney went back to his favorite receiver on the next play, hitting him on a post-corner route down the right sideline for the game-winning score.
 Quarterback Darrell Hackney gets a pass away in the second quarter against Army.  |
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"(Hackney) did not play his best game to be very honest with you," UAB coach Watson Brown said. "He did not play up to Darrell's standards. Yet to turn it around and make that drive is something special."
The winning touchdown capped off Quinnie's best receiving game of his career as he finished with a career-high 159 yards.
Army recovered the first fumbled punt and converted it into a Paul Stelzer field goal that made the score 13-0 in the first quarter.
Quinnie's 32-yard touchdown catch came at the beginning of the fourth quarter to give UAB its first lead of the game. Hackney connected with Sam Dudley for the 2-point conversion to make it 22-19.
That UAB drive was kept alive by two Army penalties, one for defensive holding and another for pass interference, on separate third-and-long situations.
Army was in control of the game in the first half, holding a 13-0 lead - its largest of the season - after the first quarter. For nearly three quarters, the Black Knights defense, which gave up 546 total yards in a 56-42 loss to Houston last week, controlled UAB. The Blazers finished with 301 total yards.
It was an ugly first half for UAB, which lost three of five fumbles, drew seven penalties for 60 yards and had minus-2 yards rushing.
Trailing 19-7 at halftime, the Blazers began their comeback in the third quarter thanks to a fumble by Army backup quarterback Reggie Nevels, which Carlos Hendricks recovered at the Black Knights 33.
Seven plays later, on a drive that was kept alive by a late hit penalty on third down, Hackney threw a 1-yard touchdown to Cedric Hampton to make it 19-14 with 5:53 left in the quarter.
UAB will have an open date next Saturday before resuming Conference USA action on Saturday, Nov. 9 when the Blazers play host to Southern Mississippi at Legion Field (2:00 p.m. CT).
