Carter and Memphis erase UAB’s halftime lead with 28 unanswered points

Memphis turned a three-point halftime deficit into a 38-13 win over UAB on Saturday night, scoring four unanswered touchdowns after the break at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Jaylin Carter ran for 132 yards and two scores, and Marcus Stokes threw two touchdown passes as the Tigers improved to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the American.

UAB had earned its 13-10 halftime advantage through a productive opening possession and Jonah Delange's kicking. The Blazers received no second-half points to go with it. Memphis took the ball away three times, avoided turnovers itself and finished with 230 rushing yards, giving the Tigers a reliable way to move beyond the uneven first half.

Carter put Memphis ahead for good with a 24-yard touchdown run at the end of a nine-play, 81-yard drive. The score made it 17-13 with 9:33 left in the third quarter. On the next Tigers possession, Stokes found Tychaun Chapman for a 45-yard touchdown, completing an 86-yard drive in five plays and extending the lead to 24-13.

Those two possessions changed the demands on UAB's offense. The Blazers had been able to trade modest gains and field goals while the score stayed close. After Memphis struck twice, UAB needed to reach the end zone against a defense that was already creating turnovers and limiting third-down conversions.

The Blazers moved into Memphis territory following Chapman's touchdown, but Delange missed a 53-yard field-goal attempt. A fourth-quarter UAB fumble then left Memphis with a short field. Hunter Tipton's one-yard touchdown run finished that possession with 10:22 remaining, increasing the lead to 31-13. Stokes added an 11-yard touchdown pass to Aidan O'Callaghan with 5:04 left.

UAB coach Alex Mortensen addressed the 38-13 loss in the team’s postgame press conference.

UAB's strongest stretch had come much earlier. Ja'Vin Simpkins scored on an 11-yard run to end the opening drive. Carter responded from 14 yards out to tie the score, and Philippe Laforge's 33-yard field goal later moved Memphis ahead 10-7. Delange answered from 49 yards and then 57 yards, with the longer kick coming 44 seconds before halftime.

UAB's athletic department identified the 57-yarder as a school record. It gave the Blazers a lead to defend, but the second-half touchdowns left that individual accomplishment as their final scoring contribution of the night.

Stokes completed 11 of 21 passes for 164 yards without an interception. Chapman caught two passes for 57 yards. Ryder Burton finished 10 of 20 for 131 yards and an interception for UAB, which converted three of 15 third downs and failed on both fourth-down attempts. Rod Robinson II led the Blazers with 65 rushing yards.

Memphis outgained UAB 394-310 despite holding the ball for less than 27 minutes. The Tigers visit Tulane on Friday. UAB, now 3-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play, returns home to face East Carolina on Thursday.

Sources

ESPN final box score and scoring plays · UAB official final recap · Memphis beats UAB · Tigers score 28 second-half points in win over UAB