Tyler Johnston, a freshman quarterback from Spanish Fort, scrambles to avoid being sacked and runs the ball down the field. The game ended in a 36-21 win for the Green team. Photo by Ian KeelJack Ryan - Staff Writerjackryan@uab.edu
On Thursday, Oct. 20, the UAB football team took to BBVA Compass Field for a sell-out rematch of the Green and Gold scrimmage, as part of a week-long series of homecoming festivities. The Green team was able to dominate on defense and won 36-21 over the Gold team.
Offense
The Green team’s offense outperformed the Gold team with 302 yards of total offense. Freshman quarterback Tyler Johnston went 19-28 on passing attempts with 216 yards and a touchdown. He also threw two interceptions. The Green team ran for 80 yards under leading rusher Lucious Stanley, who had 15 carries for 37 yards and one touchdown. Notably, the Green team had three rushing touchdowns to just one passing touchdown.
The Gold team had 292 yards of total offense in the game. Quarterback A.J. Erdely went 13-30 for 199 yards and two touchdowns, throwing one interception. James Noble was a standout running back for the Gold team, with nine carries for 56 yards. Most of the production for the Gold team came through the air, as they scored two touchdowns on passing plays.
The impact on the offensive side of the ball for either team came in the form of the receivers; both teams had a receiver gain over 100 yards. The two receivers, John Nixon and Andre Wilson, boast a combined total of ten catches for 238 yards and three touchdowns.
The biggest improvement on offense came from Johnston, who was recovering following shoulder surgery, did not have his best outing in the first Green and Gold Game in August. In the first scrimmage, he went 14-30 with only 104 yards passing and four interceptions. Coming out of high school Johnston was undefeated, 35-0, and this was his first loss of his career. On Thursday night, both his accuracy and arm strength improved, leading to fewer interceptions and a better handle on the game.
Defense
Both defenses performed well as far as not giving up long plays down the field. The longest pass of the game was 55 yards and the longest run of the game was 38 yards, so the defense was mostly able to keep everything in front of them.
One of the best performers for the Green team was defensive lineman Shaq Jones. Jones was one of the players who stayed at UAB after the program was canceled in 2014. He totaled five tackles, all of which were unassisted, and had a fumble recovery for 32 yards. Over the course of the two games, he tallied nine unassisted tackles, three of which were for losses.
The Gold defense had two top performers: linebacker Zachary Williams, who amassed eight total tackles in the Thursday’s game with two sacks, and cornerback Brontae Harris, who tallied seven tackles, one interception and one pass deflection.
There were several notable alumni who returned for homecoming. Joe Webb, a special teams player for the Carolina Panthers and quarterback for the Blazers from 2006-2009, and Ty Long, kicker for the Blazers from 2012-2014, were both in attendance for the game.
This was the last open scrimmage for the fall for the Blazers, as the time is just under a year away from returning to Football Bowl Subdivision play on Sept. 2, 2017.
Editors note: All statistics
are from uabsports.com
