Keenum leads Houston to 45-20 win over UAB

Published 8:20 am Friday, October 10, 2008

HOUSTON – Case Keenum threw for 360 yards and two touchdowns as Houston rallied to score six touchdowns in the second half to beat Alabama-Birmingham 45-20 Thursday night.

Keenum, who went 24-for-36, threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Tyron Carrier and a 70-yard TD pass to Patrick Edwards as the Cougars (3-3, 2-0 Conference USA) erased a 20-3 halftime deficit and scored 42 straight points in the second half.

Bryce Beall rushed 12 times for 108 yards for the Cougars, who had 375 yards of total offense in the second half after getting only 174 in the first half.

UAB quarterback Joe Webb completed 24 of his 40 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown and also had 25 carries for a team-high 72 yards and one touchdown on the ground.

The Blazers (1-6, 0-3 C-USA) dominated the first half as Webb carried the ball 16 times for 86 yards, but Houston’s defense shut him down in the second half. He gave UAB a 10-0 lead just 37 seconds into the first quarter with a 3-yard run.

After Ben Bell got Houston its first points with a 35-yard field goal with 1:27 left in the first half, the Blazers answered with a quick 80-yard scoring drive capped by a 21-yard touchdown pass from Webb to tight end Zach Lankford.

The Cougars regrouped at halftime and scored 21 points in each the third and fourth quarters en route to their second straight win after losing three straight.

The comeback equaled Houston’s largest in a win. They also came back from 17 down in a 36-31 win against Texas A&M in 1990.