Mustangs put out Blazers’ fire (By Nik Layman, UAB Kaleidoscope)
Mustang quarterbacks Mike and Jerad now have something in common other than their last name.
In 1989, quarterback Mike Romo completed a 4-yard pass to Michael Bowen to eke out a win against Connecticut, the first after the death penalty. That game was dubbed the “Miracle on Mockingbird.”
In 2005, quarterback Jerad Romo threw a 31-yard pass to Bobby Chase to beat 21-point favorite University of Alabama at Birmingham, giving SMU its first Conference USA win and an end to a 14-game road losing streak. It’s already being called the “Bewilderment in Birmingham.”
With 22 seconds left on the clock, SMU was on its own 20-yard line and UAB was leading 27-22. Continuing to use a passing game that has been lacking in previous games, J. Romo completed a 20-yarder to Chase, an 8-yarder to DeMyron Martin and a 19-yarder to Reynaldo Pellerin, putting SMU on the Blazer 31-yard line.
As the clock wound down, Romo threw to Chase in the left corner of the end zone. Chase evaded his defenders, caught the pass and gave SMU a one -point lead with no time remaining.
“I knew Romo was going to throw the ball to me,” Chase said. “My goal was to get to the end zone as fast as I could. When I got there, I saw the ball spinning toward me real slow. It was the most thrilling feeling in the world. It’s something I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.”
J. Romo completed 30 passes for 333, a career record for the junior college transfer. It was also the first time a SMU quarterback threw for over 300 yards.
“This game means a lot to the team both offensively and defensively,” J. Romo said. “It’s a confidence builder. The defense gave us the ball back, and we showed we could do something with it.”
The Mustangs exploited the Blazers’ best asset. UAB entered the game leading the nation in turnovers, creating 12 against opponents, and had only given the ball away twice.
SMU won the turnover game. Safety Joe Sturdivant caught two interceptions and recovered a fumble. SMU only had one turnover against them.
“The turnovers were really huge. Both turnovers came after UAB had big plays against us,” Sturdivant said. He added the plays that resulted in the two interceptions had been plays that had been drilled in practice, and he credits the entire defensive squad “doing their job” as the reason he was able to make the big plays.
Sturdivant echoed J. Romo’s sentiments about confidence. He said he and the other members of the defense feel they can trust the offense to produce points when it provides success on defense.
Phil Bennett has found a way to invigorate his team. After getting pummeled by Texas A&M, the Mustangs showed a lack of effort against Tulane, losing 31-10. Morale seemed to improve in the game against Marshall, but a late rally by the Herd handed SMU its fourth loss of the season. The win against UAB shows that Bennett has found a way to get his squad back on the right track even when they’re down; something that’s new for this squad.
“This is a much needed win for the program and for the players,” Bennett said. He added he was proud of the player’s focus. “This was a game we deserved to win.” Bennett said he didn’t consider the game a miracle, but rather an “earned win.”
It’s not all smooth sailing for SMU the rest of the season. The Mustangs’ will return to Ford Stadium next weekend to take on East Carolina, who beat Rice 41-28 on Saturday. The Pirates have only won two games this season, but they have lost to good opponents, Wake Forest, West Virginia and Southern Miss.
The Mustangs also have to deal with the loss of backup quarterback Tony Eckert. If J. Romo becomes ineffective during a game or, worse yet, gets injured, Bennett and his coaching staff will have to decide whether to go to junior Chris Phillips or bring true freshman Justin Willis up out of the redshirt ranks in the middle of the season. Willis traveled with the team to UAB but did not play.
