Beef O’Brady’s Bowl
VS 
Game Notes
--- Here we were once again, the conclusion of another season. A rough ending to the season saw us lose our final game of the year, dropping to third in the West Division and fall down to the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl against old Conference USA foe UAB.
We could not have possibly ended up with a worse opponent to face, as the Blazers entered the game led by their senior QB, who had just cleaned up in national awards, winning the Heisman trophy, the Maxwell trophy, the Walter Camp trophy and the O’Brien trophy, to go along with being a first team NCAA All-American. On top of that, their #1 wide receiver won the Biletnikoff trophy and was also a first NCAA All-American.
UAB had the stats to back through awards up, as 80% of their offense came through the air, the #1 team in the nation in passing offense, putting up 401.9 yards/game, as well as the #1 team in the nation for total offense, with 506.3 yards/game. While their defense wasn’t quite up to the statistical standards of the offense, with a #49 ranked pass defense (209.5 yards/game), a #56 ranked rush defense (174.4 yards/game) and a #57 ranked total defense (384.0 yards/game), to go along with a #14 ranked in turnover differential at +8, we were going to have our hands full today. UAB won the coin toss and elected to kick.
A 17 yard kickoff return by Jason Johnson got the game opened up, our offense beginning at our 19 yard line. Starting the drive on the ground, Will Oliver was able to fight his way to a 6 yard gain, before being brought down for no gain to leave third and four. Dropping back to pass on third down, Brad Stephens was able to find Robert Harper for a four yard gain and a first down at the 29. Continuing through the air, a quick pass to Carl Barnes picked up 15 yards and another first down at the 44 yard line. Returning to the run game, Oliver was able to manage three yards on the first down carry, followed by a 5 yard pickup to leave third and two. Oliver would keep our drive alive, punching it up the middle for a 6 yard gain and a first down at the UAB 42. With the defense starting to cheat on the run, we returned to the air, taking a shot deep down the middle, Barnes jumping up and able to get his hands on the ball, but unable to hold on, the incomplete pass bringing up second down. A pass intended for Johnson was nearly intercepted, and we were left facing third and long. P.J. Stephens would come through in the clutch, hauling in the third down pass and racing up the sideline for a 20 yard gain and a first down at the 21 yard line. We would strike first blood on the first down play, Joe Vaughn pulling down a pass in the middle of three defenders and falling into the end zone for a 21 yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 5:42 left in the first quarter.
A 19 yard kickoff return got UAB on the field at their 20 yard line to begin their drive. It was a poor start to the game for the Dragons, as dropped passes by Robert Little and Tim Beck effectively neutralized Adam Gardner’s Heisman-winning arm. Beck would take the ball on third down, managing only 6 yards on the carry to leave fourth and four. A fair catch by Johnson on the 41 yard punt gave us the ball at our 33.
Lining up on first down, Oliver was able to steamroll his way up the middle to a 7 yard carry, before going around the right tackle and breaking free into the secondary for a pickup of 10 yards and a first down at midfield. The defense would respond back on first down, sacking Stephens for an 8 yard loss before he could release the ball, leaving second and 18. An incomplete pass intended for P.J. Stephens left us in dire straits. We would only continue to go backwards, as the middle linebacker blitzed through untouched and sacked Stephens for a second time for a 9 yard loss, leaving us punting on fourth and 27. A 7 yard return on the 43 yard punt gave UAB the ball at their 31 yard line.
UAB still couldn’t get their drives started positively, as a holding penalty immediately pushed the Blazers back, leaving them facing first and 20. It would only get worse and worse, as a rush by Beck for a loss of three yards was followed with another penalty, this time for false start and an incomplete pass, pushing UAB back into a third and 28 situation. The Blazers would make up most of those yards, as Gardner connected with Jared Witherspoon for a 25 yard gain, but the punt team was still forced to come out on fourth and three, the high-powered UAB offense so far contained. A 5 yard return by Johnson on the 41 yard punt got us lined up at our 27.
Starting the drive on the ground, we would instantly double our lead as Oliver took the pitch around the right side, breaking loose from a pair of ankle tackles and racing into the open and up the sideline for a 73 yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead with 2:29 left in the first quarter.
A touchback got UAB underway at their 25 yard line, finding themselves suddenly trailing by 14 points, a result no one had foreseen. UAB still was flailing around on offense, as an incomplete pass by Gardner was followed with a 7 yard rush by Beck to set up third and three, before the defense broke through and sacked Gardner for a four yard loss, bringing out the punt team yet again on fourth and 7. A fair catch by Johnson on the 43 yard punt get us back in action at our 28 yard line.
Oliver wasn’t able to repeat his performance from the last drive, managing three yards on the ground before being brought down. Lining up to pass on second down, Johnson dove and stretched out enough to pull in the wide pass from Stephens for a 14 yard completion and a first down at the 45. Continuing through the air, the pass intended for Vaughn was nearly intercepted, leaving second and long. Forced to dump off the ball to avoid a sack, Stephens was able to hook up with Barnes, but only for a two yard gain to leave third and 8. Stephens was able to complete the third down pass to Vaughn, but the four yard gain wasn’t enough, our punt unit coming out on fourth and four. A downed ball on the 48 yard punt left UAB absolutely buried, starting their next drive at their one yard line. That would be the final play as the first quarter came to an end, surprisingly holding a 14-0 lead.
Opening up the second quarter, starting just outside their goal line, UAB was able to find some breathing room as Gardner rushed for four and one yard gains, leaving third and 5 from the 5 yard line. The drive however would end the same as the previous drives, an incomplete pass dooming it and bringing out the UAB punt team on fourth and 5. A 6 yard return by Johnson on the 45 yard punt gave us our best field position of the day, starting at the UAB 44 yard line.
Handing the ball off to Oliver to begin the drive, he was able to break free into the secondary for a 10 yard gain, leaving second and inches. Another rush by Oliver went for 6 yards to pick up the first down at the UAB 27. Handing off the ball again, Oliver was able to manage a three yard gain to leave second and 7. Turning to the air on second down, Eric Silva was able to pull down the desperation throw from Stephens, complete for a 16 yard gain to set up first and goal from the 9 yard line. Pounding the ball up the middle, Oliver was able to pick up 5 yards, before Silva took the handoff and raced up the middle and into the end zone for a four yard touchdown, giving us a commanding 21-0 lead with 6:30 left in the second quarter.
A touchback on the kickoff got UAB lined up from their 25 yard line, the offense still trying to get it together. An incomplete pass and a dropped ball by Little spelled doom for yet another drive, Gardner able to hook up with Little for an 8 yard gain on third down, but it wouldn’t be enough as the Blazers were forced to punt once more on fourth and two. A three yard return by Johnson on the 39 yard punt got us set up at our 30 yard line.
Shaking off a tackle in the backfield, Oliver was able to fight his way to a three yard gain on first down, before an incomplete pass intended for Vaughn brought up third and 7. Vaughn would come through on third down, hauling in the pass on a comeback route for a gain of 16 to get a first down at midfield. The drive would come crashing to a halt on the first down play, as outside linebacker Tom Hunter intercepted the pass intended for Johnson, giving UAB possession at their 47 yard line.
After an incomplete pass on first down, UAB finally found success on offense, as Gardner connected with Little for an 11 yard gain and a first down at our 42. After another incomplete pass, Gardner found Harvey Sullivan over the middle for a 5 yard gain, but a third down pass intended for Little would be batted incomplete, leaving UAB facing fourth and 5 at our 37. The Blazers would go for it on fourth down, but Little would commit his third dropped pass of the game, resulting in a turnover on downs.
Taking over at our 37 yard line, Stephens came out firing on first down, completing a pass to Johnson for 13 yards and setting us right back up with first down from midfield. Firing over the middle, the pass intended for Marcus Mullins was way off-target, falling incomplete. Barnes would come through on second down with a 17 yard reception, moving the chains to the UAB 33. Taking a shot at the end zone, the pass intended for Johnson was accurate, but just barely overthrown, sailing out of the back of the end zone and incomplete. Lining up on second down, Stephens would complete the pass to Johnson this time on a slant route, good for a gain of 20 yards and a first down at the 13 yard line. Stephens dropped back to pass on first down, but was flattened as he threw the ball, resulting in an incomplete pass and second down. Another incomplete pass, this time intended for Harper, left us facing third and long. Vaughn would save the drive on third down, coming across the middle to haul in the pass, then letting his momentum carry him through a tackle and over the first down line for an 11 yard gain to set up first and goal at the two yard line. Oliver took the ball on first down, stuffed for no gain. Trying to punch it in a second time, Oliver was stood up for a one yard gain, leaving third and goal at the one yard line. Third time would prove to be a charm for Oliver, rushing it in untouched for the one yard touchdown, giving us a dominating 28-0 lead with 2:01 left before halftime.
No return on the kickoff started UAB at their 25 yard line. This time the Blazers offense made a true appearance, as Gardner came out firing with a 13 yard pass to Little and a first down at the 38. After an incomplete pass on first down, Little came through again with a 17 yard reception, moving the chains to our 45 yard line. After yet another incomplete pass, this time intended for Sullivan, it was Little proving to be the hero of the drive, hauling in a 17 yard pass from Gardner to advance the ball to our 27 yard line. Cornerback Jonathan Chambers would prove to be the antihero, as he intercepted the first down pass intended for Little, returning it 12 yards to set us up at our 27 yard line with 58 seconds left in the half.
With a chance to do something in the time remaining, P.J. Stephens would do exactly that, beating the safety to the pass over the middle, then racing up the middle of the field for a gigantic 60 yard gain and a first down at the UAB 13 yard line. Hurrying to the ball, the first down pass intended for Barnes was way off the mark and incomplete, bringing up second down and stopping the clock with 35 seconds to go. The second down pass to Oliver was briefly caught, before Oliver dropped the ball while trying to turn up the field, leaving third and long, 31 seconds remaining. Johnson would plunge the dagger in the heart on third down, getting open over the middle in the end zone for a 13 yard touchdown and a decisive 35-0 lead with 27 seconds left before halftime.
A touchback on the kickoff left UAB starting from their 25 yard line, only 19 seconds left. Beck got the drive started, rushing for an 8 yard gain, UAB’s first timeout taken with 15 seconds remaining. An incomplete pass left third and two, before Jason Robertson would keep the drive moving with a 5 yard reception, UAB’s second timeout stopping the clock with 12 seconds to go. Robertson picked up 5 yards on the ground on first down, followed by a false start penalty on the offense to leave second and 10, UAB’s final timeout taken with two seconds to go. Little would pull down the pass from Gardner for a 23 yard gain, but the defense would wrestle him down and end the half, both teams heading for the locker room as we hit the halftime break with a shocking 35-0 lead that left sportswriters around the nation speechless.
Opening up the second half, no return on the kickoff got UAB started at their 25 to begin the third quarter. Drops continued to plague the Blazers, as Clayton Harris dropped a first down pass that would have been at least a 20 yard gain, instead leaving second and 10. Turning around on second down, Gardner dumped off a 5 yard pass to Little, before a 7 yard reception by Little picked up a first down at the 37. After an incomplete pass on first down, UAB’s offense again continued to gain steam, Gardner finding Brian Allen over the middle for a 24 yard completion and a new set of downs at our 39 yard line. Same as last time, just as the drive gained steam, the release valve was thrown as cornerback J.R. Miller intercepted Gardner on first down, giving out offense the ball at our 29 yard line.
Opening up our drive on the ground, Oliver found little space to run, tackled for only a two yard gain to leave second and 8. Turning to the air on second down, Johnson came through again, hauling in a pass along the left sideline for a 30 yard gain and a first down at the UAB 39 yard line. Johnson would continue to be a plague on the defense, leaving the cornerback tripping over his own ankles and pulling in the pass from Stephens for a pickup of 24 yards and a first down at the 14 yard line. Oliver was able to get the first down pass into his hands, but a big hit by the middle linebacker knocked the ball loose and incomplete. Trying to throw up a pass to Barnes, the outside linebacker was able to jump and get a hand on the ball, leaving third and 10. Silva would pull down the pass on third down, but a quick move by the cornerback left Silva tackled for a 5 yard gain, bringing up fourth and 5. The 27 yard field goal attempt by Alphonso Pratt was good, extending our lead to 38-0 with 6:24 remaining in the third quarter.
A 23 yard kickoff return got UAB lined up at their 27 yard line. The offense once again was put in an immediate hole, as Harris dropped the first down pass, the seventh dropped pass of the game for UAB, before Little pulled in a ball from Gardner for a 5 yard completion to leave third and 5. The drive would come to an end with little fanfare, as Gardner was hit as he threw, the ball skipping along the ground and incomplete to bring out the punt team on fourth down. A three yard return by Johnson on the 46 yard punt gave us the ball at our 26 yard line.
Oliver took the ball on first down, rushing for a four yard gain to start the drive, followed by a two yard rush to leave third and four. A quick pass over the middle to Vaughn was complete for a 6 yard gain, moving the chains and keeping the drive alive at our 38. We got some free yards on first down as an encroachment penalty set up first and 5 from the 43. Fighting his way through the pile, Oliver was able to pick up 5 yards on the first down play, resetting the downs at the 48 yard line. Keeping the ground game going, Oliver was able to rush for four yards on first down, followed by a 6 yard rush by Silva to leave third and inches from the UAB 42. Handing the ball off on third down, the defense end came through unblocked and tackled Oliver for a 5 yard loss, leaving the punt team coming out on fourth and 5. A touchback on the punt gave UAB the ball at their 20 yard line to start the next drive.
UAB got some help to start this drive out positive, as the defense was flagged for pass interference on first down, the 15 free yards giving UAB the ball at their 35. That free help was nearly squandered as two incomplete passes left UAB facing third and long, before Little pulled down a pass for a 12 yard gain to move the chains to the 47. Finding a rhythm again, a 7 yard pass to Beck was followed with a 5 yard completion to Allen for a first down at our 40. The Blazers at long last would finally get on the board, Gardner throwing up a bomb to Little for a 40 yard touchdown, cutting our lead to 38-7 with 1:29 left in the third quarter.
A 24 yard kickoff return by Johnson got us in great field position, starting at our 39. Oliver took the ball on first down, fighting his way to a 5 yard gain, before getting brought down for no gain to leave third and 5. A quick pass to Harper was complete, but wouldn’t be enough as it went for a four yard gain, leaving fourth and one near midfield. A three yard return by Witherspoon on the 41 yard punt got UAB lined up at their 13 yard line.
Gardner got the drive started for UAB with a 5 yard completion to Witherspoon, the final seconds running off the clock, bringing the third quarter to an end, our lead at 38-7.
Opening up the fourth quarter, UAB picked up where it left off as Gardner dropped back and found Allen for a 13 yard gain and a first down at the 31 yard line. The Blazers would return to the end zone on the next play as Beck received the handoff and broke free around the left side and up the sideline for a 69 yard touchdown, further cutting our lead down to 38-14 with 8:31 remaining in the game.
A 21 yard kickoff return by P.J. Stephens gave us the ball at our 21 yard line, looking to nail the coffin shut. Oliver took the ball on first down, but never had a chance on the play, quickly brought down for a one yard loss to leave second and 11. A pass to Silva went for a gain of 5 yards to set up third and 6. The third down pass intended for Harper was nearly intercepted by the outside linebacker, bringing out the punt team on fourth down. A 10 yard return on the 42 yard punt gave UAB great field position, starting at their 45.
UAB opened up its next drive with an incomplete pass, before Gardner found Allen for a 5 yard gain to leave third and 5. Our defense would end up gift wrapping a first down to UAB as a roughing the pass penalty gave the Blazers a first down at our 34. Gardner would keep the positive momentum going with a 17 yard strike to Beck to move the chains to our 17 yard line. A four yard rush by Beck was followed with a 13 yard pass to Little, a desperation ankle tackle saving the touchdown, but leaving first and goal right outside the goal line. Beck would finish off the drive on first down, punching it in for a one yard touchdown. Going for the two-point conversion, Beck was took the ball and rushed through the middle of line and into the end zone and suddenly our dominating lead had been cut to 38-22 with 5:51 left to play.
Despite still trailing by 16 points, UAB kicked off normally, P.J. Stephens returning the ball 17 yards to our 24 yard line for our next drive, looking to kill off some clock. That plan lasted all of one play as Oliver was swarmed for no gain on the first down rush. Going into the air on second down, Vaughn was able to somehow come down with the ball between the safety and cornerback, complete for a 15 yard gain and a first down at the 39. Oliver still could not find anywhere to go on the ground, managing a single yard on the first down carry. Returning to the air, Johnson managed to pull the ball in from behind the cornerback’s head, complete for a 12 yard gain to move the chains to the UAB 48 yard line. A pair of rushes by Oliver for gains of one and three yards left us facing third and 6. A pass to Silva on third down went for a four yard gain, but came up short, the punt team coming out on fourth and two, UAB calling their first timeout with 2:14 left in the game.
A touchback on the punt set UAB up at their 20 yard line with just a hair over two minutes remaining. The dropped pass counter would increase on first down, as Allen dropped a ball from Gardner, before Harris was able to pull down a second down pass for a 16 yard gain to move the sticks to the 36 yard line. After an incomplete pass intended for Beck, Harris went from hero to goat, dropping a ball to bring up third and long. The defense would rise to the occasion on third down, sacking Gardner for a two yard loss to leave UAB facing fourth and 12, their hopes coming down to this one play with 1:39 left to go. The fourth down pass intended for Allen was on-target and well beyond the first down marker, but a desperation dive by the safety knocked the ball away at the last second, forcing the turnover on downs and giving us possession at the UAB 34 yard line with 1:26 left in the game.
Oliver took the ball on first down, rushing up the middle for a 5 yard gain, but a facemask penalty on outside linebacker Kenny Pollock during the tackle gave us 15 free yards, setting up first down at the 15 yard line. The Blazers were able to bring Oliver down on second down without penalty, stuffing him for no gain and calling their second timeout with 1:21 to go. Another rush by Oliver picked up four yards on the play, leaving third and 6 at the 11 yard line, UAB’s final timeout taken with 1:17 to go. Taking the third down handoff up the middle, Oliver was able to weave his way straight through the line for a 10 yard rush, finally brought down short of the end zone to set up first and goal at the one yard line. Stephens would drop to a knee two times to run out the final 56 seconds, sealing the 38-22 win to end our 2018 season on a high note.
With the win, we end our 2018 season at 7-6, 5-3 in Big East action. With the loss, UAB’s year comes to a close at 8-5, 5-3 in Conference USA play.
Final Score
38,
22
Stat(s) of the Game:
- Tulsa Offense – A mostly good day by Stephens, ending 24-39 for 351 yards and two touchdowns, only sour note was the one interception. Rushing, it was all Oliver as he finished with 183 yards and two touchdowns on 34 carries. Silva ended with 10 yards and one touchdown on two attempts. Receiving, Johnson led the way with 126 yards and one touchdown on seven receptions. Vaughn had 73 yards and a touchdown on six receptions and P.J. Stephens had 80 yards on two receptions. In all, seven receivers caught a ball today, five receivers ended with double digit yards, Johnson the only player to reach triple digits.
- Tulsa Defense – Incredible for pretty much the entire game. Shut UAB down for the first half, gave up a lone touchdown in the third quarter, and while UAB scored twice in the fourth quarter, the Blazers were led by a Heisman-winning QB after all. The defense also managed to pick off Gardner twice. The most damning stat for the UAB offense, besides the two drive-killing interceptions, was
9 total dropped passes between Little (3 drops), Allen (1 drop), Beck (2 drops) and Harris (3 drops). 9 dropped passes that almost constantly killed all momentum UAB had manged to build up and regularly doomed drives in their infancy.
- Tulsa Kicking – Pratt closes out his collegiate career going 1-1 in field goals with a 27 yard kick, and 5-5 in PATs.
Scoring Summary
| Team |
1st Quarter |
2nd Quarter |
3rd Quarter |
4th Quarter |
Final Score |
|
0 |
0 |
7 |
15 |
22 |
|
14 |
21 |
3 |
0 |
38 |
| Time |
Team |
Result |
Play |
Score |
| First Quarter |
| 5:42 |
|
Touchdown |
J. Vaughn, 21 yard pass from B. Stephens (A. Pratt kick) |
7-0 |
| 2:29 |
|
Touchdown |
W. Oliver, 73 yard run (A. Pratt kick) |
14-0 |
|
| Second Quarter |
| 6:30 |
|
Touchdown |
E. Silva, 4 yard run (A. Pratt kick) |
21-0 |
| 2:01 |
|
Touchdown |
W. Oliver, 2 yard run (A. Pratt kick) |
28-0 |
| 0:27 |
|
Touchdown |
J. Johnson, 13 yard pass from B. Stephens (A. Pratt kick) |
35-0 |
|
| Third Quarter |
| 6:24 |
|
Field Goal |
A. Pratt, 27 yard field goal |
38-0 |
| 1:29 |
|
Touchdown |
R. Little, 40 yard pass from A. Gardner (M. Walker kick) |
38-7 |
|
| Fourth Quarter |
| 8:31 |
|
Touchdown |
T. Beck, 69 yard run (M. Walker kick) |
38-14 |
| 5:51 |
|
Touchdown |
T. Beck, 1 yard run (2-point conversion good) |
38-22 |
| UAB |
Stat |
Tulsa |
| 22 |
Score |
38 |
| 16 |
First Downs |
22 |
| 400 |
Total Offense |
523 |
| 10 - 102 - 2 |
Rushes - Yards - TD |
40 - 172 - 3 |
| 23 - 50 - 1 |
Comp - Att - TD |
24 - 39 - 2 |
| 298 |
Passing Yards |
351 |
| 2 |
Times Sacked |
2 |
| 3 - 11 (27%) |
3rd Down Conversion |
9 - 16 (56%) |
| 0 - 2 (0%) |
4th Down Conversion |
0 - 0 (0%) |
| 1 - 1 (100%) |
2-Point Conv |
0 - 0 (0%) |
| 1 - 1 - 0 (100%) |
Red Zone - TD - FG |
7 - 3 - 1 (57%) |
| 2 |
Turnovers |
1 |
| 0 |
Fumbles Lost |
0 |
| 2 |
Intercepted |
1 |
| 10 |
Punt Return Yards |
17 |
| 42 |
Kick Return Yards |
73 |
| 452 |
Total Yards |
613 |
| 6 – 42.8 |
Punts - Average |
6 – 44.5 |
| 6 - 50 |
Penalties |
3 - 45 |
| 12:02 |
Time of Possession |
23:58 |
| Fail Impact |
Goal |
Progress |
Pass Impact |
 |
21+ points per game in each season |
38 |
 |
|
Win 10 games in one season |
7 |
|
|
3300+ passing yards each season |
 |
 |
|
65% pass completions over the entire contract |
60% |
|
 |
Win 6 games in one season |
 |
|
|
15+ rushing TD in each season |
3/4 Completed |
|
 |
3200+ total offensive yards each season |
3/4 Completed |
 |
|
3400+ total offensive yards each season |
3/4 Completed |
 |
|
| Hidden Goal |
|
Win a Bowl Game |
|
|
63%
Reply With Quote
Thanks to my season-ending loss to SMU, instead of what looked to be a fun game again Southern Miss in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, I'm now instead going to the Beef O'Brady's Bowl and a showdown with UAB. UAB, led by a fucking Heisman-winning, Maxwell-winning, Walter Camp-winning, O'Brien-winning, first team All-American QB and a Biletnikoff-winning, first team All-American WR. I hate my life. 
- (7-6)
- (7-5)
- (6-6)
- (6-6)
- (7-5)
- (6-6)
- (7-5)
- (6-6)
Originally Posted by souljahbill
I see that being the first C-USA team to ever make the national title game earns Marshall no love from their fellow conference teams.
*
Bookmarks