Cougar fans have been waiting 40 days to see the football team play at Robertson Stadium. Houston has not played at home since their season-opener against Southern, but the Cougars proved tonight it was worth the wait.
Houston outscored Alabama-Birmingham 42-0 in the second half to complete the come-from-behind 45-20 victory.
The Cougars (3-3, 2-0 C-USA) remain undefeated in Conference USA and the Blazers fall to 1-6 on the season (0-3 C-USA).
"In conference play, that’s a big momentum boost for us in every game," head football coach Kevin Sumlin said. "There’s a lot to be learned from this."
Sophomore quarterback Case Keenum completed 24-of-36 passes for 360 yards, 250 which came in the second half, and two touchdowns, including a 70-yarder to freshman wide receiver Patrick Edwards to open the fourth quarter.
UAB junior quarterback Joe Webb single-handedly ran up a 20-3 Blazer lead going into halftime, throwing for 161 yards and one touchdown on 11-of-17 passing. He also led UAB on the ground with 86 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.
However, the Cougar defense contained him in the second half, holding him to 73 passing yards in the last two quarters.
He finished the night with 234 yards and one touchdown, completing 24-of-40 passes and three interceptions.
The Cougar defense sacked Webb four times, three in the second half. Senior defensive end Phillip Hunt led the team with three sacks for 25 yards and junior linebacker Matt Nicholson added one for a loss of 15 yards.
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Tyron Carrier caught a 14-yard pass from Keenum to open the third quarter, sparking a 42-0 run on UAB in the second half. Carrier led the team with 108 yards on seven catches and a touchdown.
Freshman running back Bryce Beall led the Cougars on the ground with 107 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.
"He doesn’t surprise me. He’s getting better every week," Sumlin said.
Junior cornerback Brandon Brinkley got his first career interception for a touchdown in the third quarter, picking off Webb and running 35 yards to score.
Senior kicker Ben Bell completed a 35-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter to give the Cougars their only score of the first half. He ended the night a perfect six-for-six on extra point attempt.
