Ja’Quinden Jackson ran for 147 yards and a touchdown as Arkansas overcame an early two-touchdown hole to upend UAB 37-27 on Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark.
Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns and finished 11-for-26 passing for 161 yards. His main target was Andrew Armstrong, who had a game-high eight catches for 137 yards. The Razorbacks (2-1) ran for 266 yards and averaged seven yards per carry.
Both teams were coming off disappointing losses. UAB (1-2) was the sharper team in the first quarter, opening the game with a 15-play drive that ended with a 27-yard field goal by Jonah Delange and took 7:27 off the clock.
Green’s second pass of the game was intercepted and run back to the Razorbacks 15 by Michael Moore. The Blazers only needed two plays to score from there with Jacob Zeno (23 of 32, 235 yards, three TDs, one INT) making a tap pass to Kam Shanks, who raced 15 yards to make it 10-0.
UAB, a three-touchdown underdog, scored on the first play of the second quarter to make it 17-3. Zeno fired to Amare Thomas on a quick slant, who went 34-yards for the score.
But Arkansas dominated the rest of the half. Braylen Russell finished a 12-play, 75-yard drive by Arkansas with a 2-yard TD plunge to make it 17-10. Green scrambled 14 yards on the Razorbacks’ next possession to tie the score before the teams traded field goals to make it 20-20 at halftime.
Arkansas took the lead for good on the first drive of the second half with Jackson scoring on a 12-yard run up the middle. The run put him over 100 yards for the eighth time in his career as a Razorback.
UAB cut the lead to 30-27 with 6:55 to go when Zeno threw his third touchdown pass of the game, a 21-yard toss to Dallas Payne to cap a 12-play, 83-yard drive. Green answered with a 9-yard touchdown run around the left side with 3:36 left.
Arkansas entered the game with the nation’s No 2 ranked offense, averaging 667.5 yards a game. They finished with 427.
UAB wide receiver Brandon Buckhaulter was stretchered off the field late in the first half. He was hit up high after his helmet had been twisted off after catching a quick screen. Per UAB’s radio sideline reporter, Buckhaulter had movement in all of his extremities.
