The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Western Kentucky
UAB Rallies Past WKU 42-39 With Strong Second Half
10/4/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) - UAB scored 21 straight points to open the second half and never looked back on its way to a 42-39 win over WKU Saturday night.
UAB running back Jordan Howard rushed for a career-high 183 yards with two touchdowns as the Blazers racked up 591 yards of total offense against the Hilltoppers. Blazer quarterback Cody Clements connected on 22-of-25 passes for a career-best 300 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while also rushing for a score.
The Blazers outscored the Hilltoppers 28-12 in the second half and outgained WKU 281-133 in total yards.
"This was such a great win tonight," UAB head coach Bill Clark said. "What a team they've got. Offensively, we didn't know if we could slow them down. We made some good adjustments for the second half, came back and played well. We tried to give it away, but you know at the same time they made plays. It was just a classic game."
UAB (3-2, 1-1 Conference USA) opened the game with a J.J. Nelson 100-yard kick return for a touchdown, but trailed 27-14 at halftime. WKU's Anthony Wales led the Hilltoppers in the opening period as he scored three touchdowns in the first half and finished with 138 rushing yards for Western Kentucky (2-3, 0-2).
After failing to force a punt in the first half, the Blazer defense stymied the Hilltopper offense and forced two punts and a failed fourth-down conversion on WKU's first three possessions of the second half. Meanwhile, UAB's offense struck quickly in the third quarter, scoring on its first three possessions -- a Howard 1-yard touchdown rush, Clements' 5-yard touchdown run and a 75-yard TD pass from Clements to UAB wide receiver Josh Magee.
The 21-unanswered points to open the second half gave the Blazers a 35-27 advantage before WKU's Ricardo Singh intercepted a rushed Clements' pass and returned it 85 yards for a touchdown, giving the Hilltoppers a 39-35 lead as the third quarter expired.
Howard then pushed through for the go-ahead touchdown on a 15-yard run with 12:17 left in the fourth quarter as UAB held on for the 42-39 victory.
UAB now returns home for its Homecoming game against North Texas on Saturday at Legion Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT.
For more information on the UAB football team, follow the Blazers on Twitter @UAB_Football. For more on all Blazer teams follow @UABAthletics.
