10-16-2005, 06:29 AM
Blazers mount rally, miss FG at the end
Sunday, October 16, 2005
STEVE IRVINE
News staff writer
HUNTINGTON, W.Va - Darrell Hackney is generally a good place to start when searching for the mood of the UAB football team.
On Saturday, the UAB quarterback delivered once again.
"I'm speechless," Hackney said while sitting in an otherwise empty room just outside the Blazers' locker room at Joan C. Edwards Stadium on the campus of Marshall University.
That's understandable. Finding the right words to explain what happened in UAB's 20-19 Conference USA loss to Marshall might not have been impossible, but it sure was difficult.
"I don't even know where to start," UAB coach Watson Brown said after spending several seconds to get to that point. "We played unbelievably hard, unbelievably tough - played good enough to win and we didn't."
That doesn't come near to summing up everything which happened on a weird afternoon and evening before a Marshall homecoming crowd of 27,182. For the record, the winning touchdown came with 6:32 left when Marshall quarterback Bernie Morris burst 40 yards on an option play. The outcome wasn't sealed until UAB kicker Parker Mullins' 52-yard field goal try curved to the left with no time left on the clock.
UAB H-back Chico Cleveland suggested a different script should have unfolded in the final 6:32. Cleveland said he caught a two-point conversion pass from Hackney following Corey White's 2-yard touchdown run with 11:01 left in the game. But game officials ruled that the ball came out before Cleveland made the catch - even though he contends he took three steps before the ball was raked out by a Marshall defensive back. Replay officials agreed with the call on the field and UAB's lead was 19-14.
Give UAB those two points and Marshall probably goes for the tie after Morris' touchdown run, which makes for a very different final six minutes and possibly overtime.
"I think, yeah, it makes (the loss) tougher," Cleveland said. "You don't want to say it, but you feel like the game was decided by another factor than the teams - especially with the one-point loss."
But reality is that the Blazers (3-3 overall, 1-2 C-USA) lost their second consecutive heartbreaker and now need some help in the race for the C-USA East Division title. Marshall (3-3, 2-1) moves into a first-place tie in the division with UCF, East Carolina and Southern Miss.
Neither team looked much like a contender in a wacky first half that ended with Marshall leading 7-3. The Thundering Herd touchdown came when Mullins shanked a punt after chasing down a low snap from long snapper Chris Barrett. Marshall took over at the UAB 34-yard line and eventually scored on a 5-yard pass from Morris to Marcus Fitzgerald.
UAB managed just 122 yards in the first half and Hackney had thrown for just 39 yards at that point.
But the Blazers opened the second half by moving 88 yards on 12 plays with Hackney finding Lance Rhodes for a 19-yard touchdown and a 10-7 lead.
Marshall regained the lead with 8:08 left in the third quarter on a 12-yard run by Ahmad Bradshaw. The score was set up when Mullins' punt was blocked by Marshall's Ivan Clark.
UAB answered with a field goal on its next drive but it wasn't quick. The Blazers put together a 12-play, 87-yard drive that finally culminated in a 21-yard Mullins field goal.
After a defensive stop, the Blazers moved 59 yards on four plays with Cleveland catching a 51-yard pass from Hackney and White pushing in from two yards out.
Morris' game-winning touchdown run came one play after Mullins attempted a rugby-style punt which traveled just 10 yards past the line of scrimmage.
"The coaches told me to just try to give them the shoulder fake and see what happens," Morris said. "That's what I did and it turned out to be a touchdown."
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Watson....please ban the rugby-style punt!
Sunday, October 16, 2005
STEVE IRVINE
News staff writer
HUNTINGTON, W.Va - Darrell Hackney is generally a good place to start when searching for the mood of the UAB football team.
On Saturday, the UAB quarterback delivered once again.
"I'm speechless," Hackney said while sitting in an otherwise empty room just outside the Blazers' locker room at Joan C. Edwards Stadium on the campus of Marshall University.
That's understandable. Finding the right words to explain what happened in UAB's 20-19 Conference USA loss to Marshall might not have been impossible, but it sure was difficult.
"I don't even know where to start," UAB coach Watson Brown said after spending several seconds to get to that point. "We played unbelievably hard, unbelievably tough - played good enough to win and we didn't."
That doesn't come near to summing up everything which happened on a weird afternoon and evening before a Marshall homecoming crowd of 27,182. For the record, the winning touchdown came with 6:32 left when Marshall quarterback Bernie Morris burst 40 yards on an option play. The outcome wasn't sealed until UAB kicker Parker Mullins' 52-yard field goal try curved to the left with no time left on the clock.
UAB H-back Chico Cleveland suggested a different script should have unfolded in the final 6:32. Cleveland said he caught a two-point conversion pass from Hackney following Corey White's 2-yard touchdown run with 11:01 left in the game. But game officials ruled that the ball came out before Cleveland made the catch - even though he contends he took three steps before the ball was raked out by a Marshall defensive back. Replay officials agreed with the call on the field and UAB's lead was 19-14.
Give UAB those two points and Marshall probably goes for the tie after Morris' touchdown run, which makes for a very different final six minutes and possibly overtime.
"I think, yeah, it makes (the loss) tougher," Cleveland said. "You don't want to say it, but you feel like the game was decided by another factor than the teams - especially with the one-point loss."
But reality is that the Blazers (3-3 overall, 1-2 C-USA) lost their second consecutive heartbreaker and now need some help in the race for the C-USA East Division title. Marshall (3-3, 2-1) moves into a first-place tie in the division with UCF, East Carolina and Southern Miss.
Neither team looked much like a contender in a wacky first half that ended with Marshall leading 7-3. The Thundering Herd touchdown came when Mullins shanked a punt after chasing down a low snap from long snapper Chris Barrett. Marshall took over at the UAB 34-yard line and eventually scored on a 5-yard pass from Morris to Marcus Fitzgerald.
UAB managed just 122 yards in the first half and Hackney had thrown for just 39 yards at that point.
But the Blazers opened the second half by moving 88 yards on 12 plays with Hackney finding Lance Rhodes for a 19-yard touchdown and a 10-7 lead.
Marshall regained the lead with 8:08 left in the third quarter on a 12-yard run by Ahmad Bradshaw. The score was set up when Mullins' punt was blocked by Marshall's Ivan Clark.
UAB answered with a field goal on its next drive but it wasn't quick. The Blazers put together a 12-play, 87-yard drive that finally culminated in a 21-yard Mullins field goal.
After a defensive stop, the Blazers moved 59 yards on four plays with Cleveland catching a 51-yard pass from Hackney and White pushing in from two yards out.
Morris' game-winning touchdown run came one play after Mullins attempted a rugby-style punt which traveled just 10 yards past the line of scrimmage.
"The coaches told me to just try to give them the shoulder fake and see what happens," Morris said. "That's what I did and it turned out to be a touchdown."
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Watson....please ban the rugby-style punt!
