The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Florida
Florida's Second-Quarter Outburst Does In Blazers
8/31/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
For the Blazers (0-1), it was their most lopsided defeat since joining Division I-A status in 1996. The previous worst loss was a 47-3 setback at Wake Forest in 1999.
UAB moved the ball seven times into Florida territory during the contest, including all three of its possessions in the opening quarter but could not turn those drives into points, other than a 32-yard, third quarter field goal by Nick Hayes.
"We just got it handed to us," said Blazer head coach Watson Brown. "They put us away in the second quarter and then it became a one-dimensional game for us. When that happens against a team like Florida, it gets awfully difficult.
"I think Florida is the best team physically that we've played in my eight years here," Brown said, "and I thought that coming down here. This is really a good team we played. I don't see a weakness.
Despite the 48-point loss to open the campaign, Brown saw some positives in the contest. "I am proud of our kids," he said. "I thought we continued to play hard in the game. We kind of lost our poise, especially in the second quarter, but I think we will come back ready to play Troy State next week."
UAB plays host to Troy State Saturday, Sept. 7 at Legion Field (6:00 p.m. ET).
After leading the country in rushing last year when it yielded just 57 yards per game, UAB saw Florida roll up 262 yards on the ground, including 182 by Earnest Graham. "Nobody has run the ball on our defense the past two years," said Brown.
Grossman hooked up with wideout Taylor Jacobs for a pair of touchdowns, one for 45 yards and the other for 18. Jacobs finished with a Florida record 246 yards in receiving yards.
UAB had 234 yards of total offense in the game, only 90 of which came through the air. Sophomore RB Kendal Gibson led the way on the ground for the Blazers with 52 yards on seven carries.
