McBride’s Career Day Leads UAB Past Georgia Southern, 35-21

Saturday, September 17

Protective Stadium

2:30 p.m.

UAB

2-1 , 0-0

Georgia Southern

2-1 , 0-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Ga. Southern

UAB

McBride’s Career Day Leads UAB Past Georgia Southern, 35-21

9/17/2022 7:53:00 PM | Football

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BIRMINGHAM – DeWayne McBride ran for a career high 223 yards and four touchdowns and UAB's defense shut down the nation's second ranked offense as the Blazers defeated Georgia Southern 35-21 on Saturday afternoon at Protective Stadium.

Noah Wilder led a stout defensive effort with a career-high 18 tackles and in the process moved into UAB's career top 10 for tackles. Wilder now has 262 career stops and has a team-high 34 tackles this season (11.3 per game).

The Blazers held Georgia Southern's offense to 160 yards under its season average and had three interceptions, 11 pass breakups and three tackles for loss. Eagles' quarterback Kyle Vantrease was just 24-of-50 for 204 yards.

McBride's career day moved him over 2,000 career rushing yards and he scored touchdowns 19, 20, 21 and 22 for his career. McBride is now averaging 105.2 yards per game for his career.

After stopping the Georgia Southern offense on the opening drive of the game, UAB used a 16-play, 77-yard drive to take an early lead. The drive was capped by McBride's first touchdown of the day and fourth and goal.

The Blazers got on the board once again after Mac McWilliams gave UAB great field position with a 21-yard punt return to the Georgia Southern 39-yard line. Dylan Hopkins found Terrell McDonald just three plays later to make it 14-0.

Another big punt return by Starling Thomas V set up another scoring drive. McBride did all of the work, taking the ball on all three plays and finishing the drive with a 31-yard touchdown rush.

The Georgia Southern offense picked up after a scoreless first quarter where the Eagles put up only 46 total yards. The Eagles got on the board with a 6-yard touchdown pass, making the score 21-7 in favor of UAB with 5:43 left in the second quarter, which would be the score at halftime.

GSU's Jalen White ripped off a 71-yard touchdown run on 4th-and-1 late in the third quarter to make the score 21-14, but McBride answered early in the fourth, moving the Blazers back ahead by two scores.

White scored his second touchdown with 9:54 left in the game, making it a one score game once again, but McBride's fourth touchdown once again gave UAB a 14 point lead with 4:46 left.

The Blazers' defense came up huge in the fourth with two interceptions, one from Tyler Taylor and one from Keondre Swoopes to ice the game. Jaylen Key also had an interception in the third quarter for his team-high second INT of the year.

GSU outgained UAB 418-413, but UAB won the turnover battle 3-0 which proved to be the difference in the game.

The Blazers are now 26-3 at home since returning to action in 2017, and 9-2 against non-conference opponents. UAB is 5-2 at Protective Stadium.

UAB is off next week and then travels to Rice to open Confernece USA action on Saturday, Oct. 1 in Houston.