The UAB football team dominated all three phases of the game en route to a 31-0 shutout victory over Jacksonville State on Wednesday night in the Montgomery Kickoff at the Cramton Bowl.
The Blazers outgained the Gamecocks 518-155, marking UAB's first 500-yard game since Week 3 of last season and its first shutout since 2018 (when the Blazers had three that season). Bill Clark is now 6-0 in season openers as UAB's head coach.
UAB (1-0) scored on three straight possessions starting late in the second quarter through the opening drive of the second half, building a 17-0 lead just under three minutes into the third quarter. The Blazers had 336 of their 518 yards in the second half, and overall featured a very balanced attack, throwing for 371 yards and running for 147 yards on the ground.
Redshirt senior quarterback Tyler Johnston III led the Blazers' offense with 320 passing yards and two touchdowns. Johnston III moved into tie for third all-time in UAB career touchdown passes (37) and is alone in fourth for career passing yards (4,749). The Spanish Fort native had his fifth career 300-yard passing performance this evening.
Senior safety Dy'jonn Turner paced a dominant defensive performance with six tackles and a pass breakup. UAB's defense allowed just two Jacksonville State drives to travel over 25 yards, holding the Gamecocks under 100 yards of total offense until the 2:38-mark in the third quarter. UAB had nine pass breakups total, including a game-high three by freshman Mac McWilliams.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Gamecocks downed a 61-yard punt at UAB's 3-yard line. Despite being backed up on their own goal line, the Blazers ripped off chunk plays of 10 yards, 46 yards and 30 yards to score their first points of the season.
Just four plays after redshirt junior Rajae' Johnson-Sanders hauled in a career-long 46-yard reception, the wide receiver snagged a pop pass from Johnston III for a 3-yard touchdown. Johnson-Sanders' first-career touchdown reception capped off a nine-play, 97-yard scoring drive with 4:53 left in the second quarter.
Following another defensive stop, safety Grayson Cash broke through Jacksonville State's punt protection to block and then recover the ball at the Gamecocks' 15-yard line with 2:37 remaining in the first half. Kicker Matt Quinn then converted the turnover into points with a 27-yard field goal, extending UAB's lead to 10-0 at the half.
The Blazers' defense limited the Gamecocks to just 64 yards of total offense in the first half, posting a first-half shutout in consecutive games (also blanking Marshall in the first half of the C-USA Championship Game). Jacksonville State's longest drive of the first half traveled just 17 yards with five of its six drives progressing less than 10 yards.
UAB marched down the field with its opening drive of the second half, needing just five plays to travel 75 yards to push its lead to 17-0. A 32-yard pass from Johnston III to tight end Hayden Pittman opened the scoring drive before the UAB quarterback connected with fellow tight end Gerrit Prince for a 23-yard score.
Two drives later, running back Jermaine Brown Jr. tallied his first rushing touchdown of 2021 with a 10-yard plunge, cutting to the right side and stiff-arming an opponent to accelerate into the end zone for a 24-0 lead. Brown Jr. paced the rushing offense with 78 yards.
Trea Shropshire would conclude the scoring with a 42-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Dylan Hopkins. Shropshire led the receivers five catches for 128 yards, his second consecutive 100-yard receiving game.
The Blazers recorded their first shutout since Oct. 27, 2018, when UAB blanked UTEP 19-0 in El Paso, Texas. UAB posted three shutouts in 2018, a Conference USA record.
UAB returns to action on Sept. 11 with a road matchup at No. 5 Georgia at Sanford Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CST on ESPN2.
