The UAB Blazers were game, but couldn't finish enough drives to pull off the potential road upset Saturday afternoon against the Ohio State Buckeyes, who won 29-15.
UAB Vs. Ohio State Final Score: Buckeyes Bend, Don’t Break To Win, 29-15
Buckeyes quarterback Braxton Miller scored two rushing touchdowns, the second of which came in the fourth quarter to essentially put the game away. He then ran in a two-point conversion to give the Buckeyes their biggest lead of the game, at 14.
After a scoreless third quarter, UAB’s Ty Long kicked a 34-yard field goal in the fourth to cut Ohio State’s lead to 21-15. Long missed a 46-yard field goal attempt on the next drive that would’ve brought the Blazers to within three.
The Buckeyes (4-0) didn’t take the lead until late in the first half. Zach Boren had a 2-yard rushing touchdown to make it 21-12 with 37 seconds left in the half. The touchdown came after the Buckeyes recovered a UAB fumble deep in Blazers territory. Ohio State took its first lead lead just over a minute prior on a 12-yard rushing touchdown by Miller. The extra point put the Buckeyes up, 14-12.
UAB got out to a 9-0 lead before the Buckeyes finally scored with 6:31 left in the first half, when Rod Smith got in the end zone on a 1-yard run that capped a 10-play, 75-yard drive.
The Blazers led 6-0 after the first quarter. They opened the scoring with 9:24 to play in the first when Cortez Webb blocked the punt of Ohio State’s Ben Buchanan, allowing UAB wide receiver Nick Adams to recover and return it 20 yards for a Blazers touchdown. Long missed the extra point, but made up for with two long field goals. UAB extended its lead to 9-0 with 9:27 left in the half on a 47-yard field goal by Long, and then again to 12-7 on a 54-yard field goal with 3:44 left.
Box Score Hero: Miller didn’t put up gaudy numbers, but he scored two big rushing touchdowns to help cement the game. He completed 12 of 20 passes for 143 yards while rushing for 64 yards on 11 carries.
Rankings Ramifications: Ohio State probably didn’t impress any voters who watched, but the team shouldn’t move too far in one direction or the other from its No. 16 perch.
But Did They Cover? Cold comfort for Blazers fans, but UAB easily covered the 36 points Ohio State was favored by. The game stayed under the over/under line of 57.5.
For More On This Game: For more on Buckeyes football, visit Ohio State blog Land-Grant Holy Land, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire and SB Nation Cleveland.
Next Week’s Schedule: This was a tuneup for the Buckeyes, who have to travel to play the Michigan State Spartans next week (Sept. 29) in one of the biggest early Big Ten games of the season. UAB will look for its first win of the season next weekend at home against Tulsa.
See More:
