Finally!! Blazers Stop Southern Miss 30-17

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Hiram Atwater returned an interception

40 yards for a touchdown to seal UAB's 30-17 win over Southern

Mississippi on Thursday night, the Blazers' first victory over

their Conference USA rival.

The Blazers (2-3, 2-1) had set up Josh Zahn's second field goal

of the fourth quarter after recovering a muffed punt. Southern Miss

(3-2, 1-1) still needed only a touchdown and extra point to improve

to 10-0 over UAB.

Atwater stepped in front of Austin Davis's first pass of the

drive that started with 1:19 left and no timeouts. Atwater crossed

the field and raced into the end zone. He earlier recovered a

fumble to set up the go-ahead score late in the third quarter.

Joe Webb rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown and passed for

another score for the Blazers, who had lost three straight games

and were humiliated 70-14 by the Golden Eagles last season.

This time, UAB caught a Southern Miss team fresh from a 35-28

loss to No. 18 Kansas, and without leading rusher Damion Fletcher

(groin injury) and No. 2 receiver DeAndre Brown (shoulder).

Zahn hit a 51-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter and a

33-yarder with 1:27 left. The first kick was a yard shy of the

school record accomplished three times.

The Golden Eagles made it 20-17 with Davis's 20-yard touchdown

pass to Quentin Pierce with 5:24 left. Pierce had to reach back for

the ball but side-stepped a diving defender on the third-and-18

play.

Davis completed six of seven passes for 70 yards on the drive,

with the only miss coming when he was called for intentional

grounding right before the score. He couldn't pull out another one

at the end of a big night.

Davis was 24-of-32 passing for 234 yards with a couple of

touchdowns to Pierce, who caught seven passes for 108 yards and his

first two career scoring receptions. Davis completed his first nine

passes but was sacked three times in the second half.

Fletcher's replacement Tory Harrison gained 66 yards on 11

carries.

The elusive Webb was a one-man show on UAB's offense at times.

He ran 24 times against a defense that came in allowing a

league-low 64 yards a game on the ground. Webb was only 6 of 13

passing for 23 yards - most of those on a 21-yard touchdown pass to

Jeffery Andersonto make it 17-10 with 1:43 left in the third

quarter.

That was set up with a fumble by Freddie Parham, who also muffed

the late punt. Drew Luker recovered that one.

Webb also scored on a 31-yard run that ended with him barreling

through two defenders at the goal line in the first quarter for a

10-0 lead.

Southern Miss had botched a chance to jump ahead on the opening

drive of the second half. The Golden Eagles lined up to go for it

on fourth-and-1 from UAB's 25, but wound up punting because of a

false start.

It was one of four Southern Miss drives to end without points in

UAB territory.

The Golden Eagles had tied the game at 10-all at halftime when

Justin Estes booted a career-best 49-yard field goal as time

expired.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)