The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
UCF
UAB Falls To UCF, 31-22
11/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 25, 2006
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- UCF's Kyle Israel completed 19 of 22 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns and ran for the game-clinching touchdown as the Golden Knights defeated UAB, 31-22, Saturday in the final game of the season for both schools.
UCF ends the year at 4-8 overall and 3-5 in Conference USA while UAB finished 3-9, 2-6.
UAB redshirt freshman quarterback Joseph Webb, making his first start, nearly led his team back from a huge first half deficit.
Israel helped take UCF to a 21-0 lead with touchdown passes of 42 and 20 yards to senior Mike Walker, who had seven receptions for 132 yards in the game. Walker broke the school record for receptions in a season with 90, eclipsing Tyson Hinshaw's record of 89.
UAB rallied back to cut the deficit to 24-22 and had a chance to tie the game after Chris Felder returned a fumble 44 yards for a touchdown with 6:27 left in the game.
Webb scored on the two-point conversion, but the play was nullified by an illegal motion call. Webb, who completed 25 of 39 passes for 289 yards, threw an incompletion on the next play to keep the score at 24-22.
Israel then marched UCF 80 yards in six plays to put the game away. The junior quarterback scrambled four yards for the touchdown that made it 31-22.
Israel and UCF owned the first half. The Knights quarterback completed his first 11 passes for 169 yards and two scores. Tailback Jason Peters, who had a career-high 129 yards rushing, blasted 10 yards up the middle for the third UCF touchdown that gave the Knights a 21-0 lead with 14:23 left in the second period.
UAB started its comeback when Swayze Waters hit a 38-yard field goal on the final play of the half, one of three field goals he kicked in the game. Waters finished 9-of-12 for the season on three-pointers and hit 7-of-8 field goal attempts after becoming the Blazers' regular placekicker in the ninth game of the season at SMU.
Webb added a 14-yard scoring run and Felder's fumble return had UAB in position to tie game, but UCF held them off.
UAB's Willie Edwards caught five Webb passes for 100 yards, his third 100-yard receiving game of the season.
