Johnston III Throws for 319 Yards and Four TD in 31-20 Win at Akron

Saturday, September 7

Akron, OH

11 a.m.

UAB

2-0

Akron

0-2

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
UAB	7	10	14	0	31
AKRON	6	0	0	14	20

Johnston III Throws for 319 Yards and Four TD in 31-20 Win at Akron

9/7/2019 3:31:00 PM | Football

Box Score Box Score 2019 Season Statistics Postgame Notes vs Akron

AKRON, Ohio – Tyler Johnston III threw for 319 yards and four touchdowns as the UAB football team defeated Akron 31-20 on Saturday afternoon at InfoCision Stadium in Ohio.

The Blazers (2-0) had a field day through the air as UAB's top three receivers, Austin Watkins Jr., Kendall Parham and Myron Mitchell all had at least 85 receiving yards and a touchdown. Johnston III found eight different receivers in total and has now thrown for over 300 yards in three of his seven career starts.

Watkins Jr. finished with 95 yards and two touchdowns, while Parham had 94 yards and a touchdown and Mitchell 88 yards and a score.

The defense also a monster day, picking up five sacks, 13 TFL and four pass breakups. Noah Wilder had a career afternoon and led the Blazers with 10 tackles, 1.5 TFL and 0.5 sacks, while Kristopher Moll returned to the lineup after missing last week and had eight tackles.

Reigning Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week Garrett Marino added two sacks and five tackles.

The Zips (0-2) received the opening kickoff, marched down the field in 10 plays, and converted a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line as Deltron Sands punched it in for the touchdown. The extra point was no good and Akron led 6-0 early on.

UAB responded on its second possession with a six play, 88-yard drive which resulted in a 49-yard touchdowns pass from Johnston III to Parham. That was the start of 31-unanswered points from the Blazers.

Following a second quarter field goal from Nick Vogel, Johnston III found Watkins Jr. on a 28-yard strike with 4:57 to go in the half which gave the Blazers a 17-6 lead and that was the score at halftime.

Out of the break, Johnston III once again connected with Watkins Jr., this time a 40 pass with 12:50 left in the third quarter to give UAB a 24-6 lead. After a defensive three-and-out, UAB's first play on the next possession was a 78-yard strike to Mitchell.

Akron added two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but it was too-little, too-late as the Blazers improved to 2-0.

The Blazers held Akron to 4-of-16 on third down, and in two games combined are holding their opponents to just 7-of-31 on third down (22.5%).

The Blazers have a bye next week and then return to Legion Field to host South Alabama on Sept. 21. The game kicks at 2:30 p.m. on NFL Network and the Blazers look to extend their home winning streak to 14.