The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Army
Blazers Dominate Army, 55-3
9/22/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept 22, 2001
Final Stats?|? Notes
By JAY REEVES
Associated Press Writer
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Jeff Aaron threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score as UAB beat mistake-prone Army 55-3 on Saturday in a game full of patriotism.
Four of UAB's touchdowns followed Army turnovers, and another came off a blocked punt. The 55 points was the most scored by the Blazers since moving to Division I-A.
Army's only points came on a 27-yard field goal by Derek Jacobs.
The game, which began with a flag-waving tribute to America and a moment of silence for victims of the terrorist attacks, was the second meeting between UAB (2-1 overall, 1-0 Conference USA) and Army (0-2, 0-2).
T.J. Simmons and Maurice Gallery each caught 15-yard scoring throws by Aaron, who ran 10 yards for a touchdown. Jegil Dugger had touchdown runs of 28 and 3 yards.
Torrey Hale, Patrick Burchfield and Avery Warner all picked off passes by Chad Jenkins, leading to scores. Deijon Hart helped block a punt by Dan MacElroy, setting up Aaron's scoring run.
Andrew Kopecky returned a fumble recovery 36 yards for a late touchdown, and Kendal Gibson ran 7 yards for a score. Rhett Gallego added field goals of 45 and 34 yards.
UAB held Army to 237 yards - just 46 of that rushing - while piling up 459 yards offense. Aaron was 17-of-23 passing for 89 yards, and Dugger had 89 yards on 17 carries.
Jenkins completed 15 of 25 passes for 136 yards with four interceptions before being replaced late by Curtis Zervic, who was 4-of-7 for 31 yards with no interceptions.
The Blazers didn't commit a turnover.
With war looming and a military academy in action, the game was heavy with patriotic symbolism.
Both Army and UAB ran on the field behind players carrying American flags. The teams stood at attention during a moment of silence, and the cadets saluted during the national anthem.
Later, the crowd of 25,000 chanted "U-S-A! U-S-A!" as four parachutists sailed into Legion Field during halftime carrying American flags. Many hometown fans dressed in red, white and blue instead of UAB's colors - green and gold.
The game was the first time Army played in the state of Alabama.
