North Texas Loses At UAB
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BIRMINGHAM, AL – For the third time this year, North Texas fell behind by a staggering four touchdowns before scoring its first points, and, for the third time, the deficit was too great for the Mean Green to overcome.
A pair of UAB defensive touchdowns midway through the first quarter began digging the North Texas hole, and a third defensive TD early in the third quarter ended any Mean Green comeback hopes in a 56-21 loss Saturday at Legion Field.
“It’s a sorry excuse for Mean Green football,” an emotional North Texas coach Dan McCarney said. “I hope our fans won’t desert us, because they have every right to. This was a sorry excuse for college football, coaches and players alike. This was sorry football.
“As a football team, every one of us has to do a much better job.”
North Texas has struggled with inconsistency and the inability to maintain momentum as the thick of the Conference USA schedule loomed, and those trends did not reverse Saturday. Although the Mean Green out-gained UAB in total offense, 451-448, North Texas committed five turnovers and gave up some big plays to the Blazers.
North Texas, now 2-4 on the year and – more importantly – 0-2 in C-USA play, opened the
game with its defense containing the speedy UAB attack and the Mean Green offense moving but unable to sustain a drive. The game’s momentum, however, was thrown solidly in UAB’s favor in a stunning 12-second span. At 6:49 of the first quarter, North Texas quarterback Dajon Williams was stripped of the ball and the Blazers’ Jovanti Morris scooped up the fumble and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown and 7-0 lead. On the Mean Green’s next play, Williams was intercepted by UAB’s Lamarcu Farmer, who easily scored for a 14-0 lead.
North Texas regrouped behind its ground game and started pounding the ball with its senior-laden offensive line. But that, too, stalled when the Mean Green appeared to convert a third-and-two but was called for holding, killing the drive. From that point, UAB’s offense seized the momentum generated by its defense and drove to a pair of touchdowns for a 28-0 lead.
North Texas rallied for a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter before its comeback hopes died early in the third period when UAB (4-2, 2-1) got its second interception return for a touchdown for a 42-14 lead.
