The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Southern Miss
Blazers Edged By Southern Miss, 25-20
11/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 18, 2006
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) -- Damion Fletcher ran for 163 yards on Saturday, inching his way toward a school record and helping Southern Mississippi to 25-21 win in a key conference game against UAB.
Fletcher became just the second freshman tailback in Southern Miss history to run for 1,000 yards in a season, with 1,126.
Chris Johnson scored twice for Southern, once through the air and once on the ground.
The Blazers (3-8, 2-5) are 0-7 against the Golden Eagles. Quarterback Joseph Webb came off the bench to make his Blazer debut and helped spark UAB back from a 23-0 deficit.
UAB scored 20 points in the final quarter, but the rally was thwarted when Webb was sacked in his own endzone for a USM safety with :38 remaining on the clock.
"We hung in there," said UAB head coach Watson Brown. "That's all I can say. Southern Miss' line of scrimmage again was tough, especially on our offense. I thought their defensive front controlled us. We fought hard and had a shot at the end, but just couldn't do anything with it."
The win also assured Southern Miss of its 13th consecutive winning season, one of only five Division IA teams in the country with that distinction.
After a scoreless first quarter, Southern Miss took control by scoring 16 points in the second quarter.
Jasper Faulk put the first Southern Miss points on the board when he picked off a Sam Hunt pass and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown at the 12:12 mark.
Stephen Reaves, who alternated with Southern Miss starter Jeremy Young at quarterback, then threw a 20-yard scoring pass to Chris Johnson.
The Blazers came back with three touchdowns in the fourth -- Corey White scored on a 2-yard run and Webb hit Sylvester Mencer with a 19-yard scoring pass.
Brandon Register then returned a Southern Miss fumble 67 yards for a score with five minutes to play, pulling UAB within two.
But the Golden Eagles sacked Webb in the end zone with 38 seconds left for a safety.
UAB closes out its 2006 season next Saturday when the Blazers travel to Orlando, Fla. to meet C-USA foe UCF. Gametime is 12:00 p.m. ET (CSS-TV).
