Rewinding UAB’s annual spring football game

Good evening from Protective Stadium, where the UAB football team held its annual spring game ahead of the final week of spring practice.

This is the first spring game without Bill Clark at the helm as the Blazers enter a new era under head coach Trent Dilfer, who was hired in early December 2022 and put together one of the best recruiting classes in program history to supplement losses and raise the talent level entering the American Athletic Conference.

Read more on UAB spring practice:

How UAB receiving corps became teacher and student

Demetrius Battle punishing way into role alongside Jermaine Brown

Former Alabama linebacker Jackson Bratton calling shots on UAB defense

Jacob Zeno finished 19-of-28 passing for 179 yards and Jermaine Brown Jr. amassed 47 yards on six touches. Lee Witherspoon led the rushing effort with 56 yards on 10 carries and Taven Curry added seven receptions for 63 yards. The defense forced five turnovers in the game and dominated the second half.

4th Quarter

-- Gold (defense) takes a 53-13 win over Green (offense).

-- Dilfer has unleased the bench and that’s going to wrap up the 2023 spring game for UAB.

3rd Quarter

-- Carter Putt enters the game at quarterback before the end of the third frame.

-- Campbell throws a second pick in as many possessions and the Gold takes a 46-13 lead more than midway through the third quarter.

-- Trace Campbell is now in at quarterback and throws an interception to reserve linebacker Will Sorrells on the second play of the possession. Gold now leads 35-13 after three straight interceptions.

-- Landry Lyddy enters the game at quarterback and promptly throws a pick-6 to Carl Fauntroy Jr. and the Gold leads 27-13 over the Green

-- Colby Dempsey comes down with an interception in the end zone and the Gold leads 19-13 over the Green.

-- Jacob Zeno leads the offense out of halftime but the Green go three-and-out to open the second half.

2nd Quarter

-- Jacob Zeno leads the Green team on a scoring drive before the halftime break, ending in a 30-yard field goal by Matt Quinn and taking a 13-9 lead over the Gold team.

-- Former Ole Miss transfer Trace Campbell is in at quarterback and throws an interception to Colby Dempsey, who then fumbles the ball which is recovered by the offense.

-- Jacob Zeno marches the Green across midfield but a sack and holding call brings an end to the promising drive. Taven Curry had a 27-yard reception out of the backfield and Fred Farrier II converted a third down on a 10-yard catch.

-- The Gold forces a three-and-out and cuts the deficit to 10-5 with 11:07 remaining in the first half.

-- Jacob Zeno is back under center for the Green team for the fourth possession of the game.

-- Lyddy leads the Green team to the doorstep of the goal line and delivers a strike to Dazalin Worsham for a 3-yard TOUCHDOWN pass. Green leads 10-2 over Gold early in the second quarter.

1st Quarter

-- Former Lousiana Tech transfer Landry Lyddy is in at quarterback for the third possession of the game and ends the quarter in plus-territory.

-- Zeno leads the Green on a 12-play scoring drive -- T.J. Jones converting a long third-down play on a 22-yard reception -- and the drive ends with a 25-yard field goal by Matt Quinn. The Green leads Gold 3-2 with 4:34 left in the opening quarter.

-- The opening series by the Green team ends in a punt after driving as far as the 22-yard line. Jacob Zeno was sacked on a 1st-and-10 outside the red zone and two straight incompletions ended the drive.

PREGAME

-- The first teams will compete against one another before moving to the second team and developmental players will work in the second half. The offense is assigned as the Green team and the defense is the Gold team.

-- Traditional scoring is out the window for this edition of the spring game. Offensively, touchdowns are worth seven points unless a 2-point conversion is attempted, which would result in the touchdown being worth six points. Defensively, turnovers are worth eight points, three-and-outs are worth three points, third-down stops are worth three points and fourth-down stops are two points.