UAB wins Conference USA championship

MTSU quarterback Brent Stockstill (12) is sacked by UAB linebacker Tre' Crawford for a 12-yard loss in the second half of the Conference USA championship game Saturday in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
MTSU quarterback Brent Stockstill (12) is sacked by UAB linebacker Tre' Crawford for a 12-yard loss in the second half of the Conference USA championship game Saturday in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
photo MTSU quarterback Brent Stockstill (12) is sacked by UAB linebacker Tre' Crawford for a 12-yard loss in the second half of the Conference USA championship game Saturday in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Two years after reinstating its football program, the University of Alabama at Birmingham is the Conference USA champion.

Spencer Brown ran for 156 yards and a touchdown, and Nick Vogel's 28-yard field goal with 3:23 remaining put the Blazers ahead for good as they beat Middle Tennessee State University 27-25 in Saturday's league title game.

The host Blue Raiders - who beat UAB 27-3 the week before in Murfreesboro in a cross-divisional regular-season finale - were set for a final offensive series with 1:21 to play. However, they were flagged for having 12 men on the field as the Blazers prepared to punt, and UAB twice took a knee to run out the clock.

MTSU (9-4) lost for the first time in six home games this year.

UAB (10-3) earned its first 10-win season and its first Conference USA championship. The program was shut down after the 2014 season for financial reasons before being reinstated and taking two years off.

Brown's 30-yard run from the 50 was the key play in setting up Vogel's winning kick. Brown surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the second year in a row.

Trailing 13-3 after the first quarter, the Blazers scored 21 straight points in the second quarter on a 2-yard run by Brown, Tyler Johnston III's 40-yard pass to Andrew Wilson and Johnston's 3-yard run that came after Chris Woolbright intercepted Brent Stockstill's pass, giving the ball to UAB at the MTSU 35.

The Blue Raiders cut into the lead on Crews Holt's 27-yard field goal as time ran out in the second quarter, scored again on Stockstill's 46-yard pass to Zack Dobson in the third quarter and took the lead at 25-24 on Holt's 33-yard field goal with 10:08 left in the game.

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