BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Ja’Vin Simkins punched in two rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter and UAB pulled away for a 23-12 home win over Charlotte on Saturday night, keeping the Blazers unbeaten in Birmingham this season.
UAB (5-4, 3-2 American Conference) is now 5-0 at home and is edging closer to a bowl invitation, something the program has not had since a run of six straight bowl seasons ended in 2022. The offense needed most of the night to get rolling. Jonah Delange finally put the Blazers on the scoreboard with a 42-yard field goal that left two seconds on the first-half clock and sent the teams to the locker room tied at 3-3.
They traded field goals again in the third quarter. Delange then hit his third kick of the night to open the fourth and give UAB a 9-3 lead. Simkins finished the job from a yard out with eight minutes remaining and added a 5-yard score with about two minutes to play.
Charlotte’s only touchdown came in the final minute, when Conner Harrell found Jaden Barnes for a 14-yard score with 61 seconds left. The 49ers managed 234 yards against a UAB defense that came in ranked 24th in the country in yards allowed, at 306.6 per game. Rod Robinson II led the home ground game with 101 yards.
Official scoring totals also showed Harrell passing for 175 yards, Khamani Alexander running for 40 and Barnes catching 80 yards worth of passes. Ryder Burton threw for 141 yards for UAB, and E.J. Reid had 57 yards receiving. The Blazers won the opening toss and deferred, so Charlotte received to start the game. The 49ers visit East Carolina next Saturday.
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