Samford Holds Halftime Lead Over UAB But Fall 33-14
After a 34 year wait, Samford and UAB finally found themselves on the same football field. Samford held a 14-13 lead at halftime but UAB shut out Samford in the second half to get the 33-14 win. No one beats the Samford Bulldogs by 30 and a half points as our friends out west set it. Samford gave their all and battled to the end but it just was not enough.
The Bulldogs fall to 1-4 after a tough five game stretch. They play at Chattanooga next week.
Samford head coach John Grass was proud of the team’s overall effort. No moral victories around here but he does see his team getting better.
“We are getting better,” said Grass. “That’s a good thing going into this deep run in the SoCon with these next few games back to back to back. The SoCon is wide open.”
Samford did hold a lead heading into the halftime break. The 14-13 lead was the first halftime lead over an FBS opponent since 2021 when Samford led 42-35 at Florida. The Samford offense had one of their best drives of the season going 90 yards on nine plays resulting in a four-yard touchdown pass from QB Gabarri Johnson to WR Marquise Henderson.
Johnson finished 17-of-29 with 140 passing yards, the one TD and three interceptions. Henderson led Samford in receiving yards with 57 still battling with a turf toe injury he suffered in the season opener at North Alabama/
The Samford defense held UAB to multiple field goals in the first half. The game had a chance to turn away from Samford’s favor after UAB intercepted Johnson for a second time. UAB took over after the interception on the Samford 19 yard line.
The Blazers were in striking distance to score on first and goal at the seven-yard line. Until the play of the day when Samford forces a fumble and Jalen Nelson takes the fumble 95-yards the other way to the house to give Samford the lead. The game could have been close to over if UAB scored there with all the momentum on the side of the Blazers. Instead, Samford held a halftime lead.
Minus a couple of explosive plays, the Samford defense played very well in the first half as Samford LB Spencer Conn was making plays all over the field. Conn along with LaShon Young led Samford in tackles with eight.
Samford received the second half opening kickoff but the drive ended in just two plays when Gabarri Johnson underthrew a pass down the sideline to Marquise Henderson which was intercepted by UAB. However, the Samford defense held again with UAB having goal to go forcing the Blazers to kick another field goal.
Samford has a good ensuing drive with a prime chance to retake the lead, getting the ball deep into UAB territory. However, UAB sacks Johnson on second down and six to get Samford into third and long. Two plays later, Samford kicker Ty Ippolito missed a 47-yarder and that just took the wind out of the sails of Samford.
UAB leaned on their running game in the second half to tire out Samford before connecting on a late touchdown pass to officially put the game out of reach. UAB ran the ball on 33 of their 35 plays in the second half.
Samford never quit throughout the game even when UAB was leaning heavily on their ground game.
“I thought they hung in there,” said Grass. “I thought we kept playing. That's one thing about this bunch. They don't quit, man. Even there at the end where the games kind of, you know, out hand we had to go for it on fourth and long and they, you know, um, you know, they stopped us and we get the ball on short field. Our guys play to the very last very play and I wouldn't expect anything less.”
Samford still has plenty of things to clean up but the signs are there of a potentially good football team. They just have not found ways to get over the hump but that will come eventually.
