MEMPHIS (Interstat) — Marcus Stokes threw two touchdown passes, Jaylin Carter rushed for 132 yards and two scores, and Memphis scored 28 unanswered points after halftime to beat UAB 38-13 in a Football Bowl Subdivision game Saturday at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. The Tigers improved to 5-1, while the Blazers fell to 3-3. Attendance was 30,322. Memphis, the home team, won for the fourth time in five games, while UAB, the visiting team, lost for the first time in three games. The Tigers’ victory came after a back-and-forth first half that ended with the Blazers holding a three-point lead.

UAB struck first when Ja’Vin Simpkins ran left for an 11-yard touchdown and Jonah Delange added the extra point. The Blazers’ early score capped a drive that gave them a 7-0 advantage. Memphis answered later in the first quarter when Jaylin Carter broke right for a 14-yard scoring run, and Philippe Laforge’s extra point tied the game. Laforge gave Memphis the lead with a 33-yard field goal in the second quarter, but Delange connected on field goals of 49 and 57 yards to send UAB into halftime with a 13-10 advantage. The 57-yard kick was UAB’s longest scoring play of the first half and gave the Blazers momentum heading into the break.

Memphis seized control in the third quarter. Carter rushed middle for a 24-yard touchdown, and Stokes found Tychaun Chapman deep right for a 45-yard score. Laforge converted both extra points. UAB’s best chance to answer ended when Delange missed a 53-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, Hunter Tipton pushed in from 1 yard out, and Stokes hit Aidan O’Callaghan for an 11-yard touchdown. Laforge’s extra points capped the scoring. The Tigers’ defense held UAB scoreless over the final two quarters, and Memphis turned a close game into a comfortable win.

Stokes finished 11-of-21 passing for 164 yards and two touchdowns and added nine carries for 36 yards. Carter powered Memphis with 19 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Manny Covey added 11 carries for 47 yards and one reception for 9 yards. Dallan Hayden ran four times for 11 yards. Tipton had three carries for 4 yards and a touchdown. Chapman caught two passes for 57 yards and a score. Stonka Burnside had three receptions for 47 yards. O’Callaghan caught three passes for 35 yards and a touchdown. Jemyri Davis had one reception for 13 yards, and Jermane Hayes had one catch for 3 yards. Harrison Tuck punted six times for 248 yards. Philippe Laforge handled kicking duties for the Tigers.

UAB’s Ryder Burton completed 10 of 20 passes for 131 yards. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound quarterback from Springville, Utah, helped the Blazers move the ball through the air but was kept out of the end zone. Bam McReynolds led the Blazers’ running backs with nine carries for 56 yards. Rod Robinson II had 19 carries for 65 yards and one reception for 5 yards. Simpkins ran five times for 20 yards, returned one kickoff for 17 yards and scored a touchdown. KJ Daniels had two carries for 39 yards and one reception for no gain. Jayson Moll ran twice for 7 yards, and Nate Rogers carried twice for 3 yards. Ty Mims caught three passes for 79 yards and returned two punts for 17 yards. AJ Johnson had two receptions for 24 yards. EJ Reid caught one pass for 10 yards. CJ Smith had one reception for 8 yards and one tackle. Lamar White had one catch for 5 yards. Oliver Straw punted three times for 141 yards. Jonah Delange made two field goals and an extra point for UAB. The Blazers’ 13 points came on one touchdown and two field goals.

Defensively for UAB, Jo’Tavion Pierce recorded 12 tackles. Muaaz Byard had six tackles and one quarterback hurry, and Anta’Veon McKenzie added six tackles. Jeremiah Jordan, Sterling Sanders and Marlin Dean each made four tackles. Ike Esonwune had three tackles and one quarterback hurry. Braden Sullivan posted two tackles and one sack. Darrell Sweeting made two tackles. Blanche Gold had two tackles and one quarterback hurry. Mantrez Walker and Delvon Gulley each finished with two tackles. Cam Cunningham added one tackle. The Blazers’ defense forced Memphis to punt six times, but the Tigers still finished with five touchdowns and a field goal.

For Memphis, Mike Montgomery led the defense with nine tackles. Zach Ruffin had seven tackles and one sack. Dylan Smith made six tackles and intercepted a pass. Elijah Kinsler had four tackles and one sack. J’Mond Tapp recorded three tackles, one sack and one quarterback hurry. Jaden McKinney made three tackles. Ellis Ellis Jr. had three tackles. KJ Miles added one quarterback hurry. Jonathan Harding and Charlie Harrell each made one tackle. The Tigers limited UAB to two field goals after the opening touchdown and kept the Blazers off the scoreboard in the second half.

The loss ended a two-game winning streak for UAB, which had beaten Samford 33-14 and Navy 24-20 in recent weeks. UAB’s previous results this season also include a 26-20 win over Louisiana-Monroe and losses to Louisiana 21-14 and Illinois 42-23. Memphis has won three straight and five of six. The Tigers opened with a 27-21 win at UNLV, beat Arkansas State 42-24, beat Tennessee-Martin 45-21, and lost at Boise State 38-20 before defeating Charlotte 59-8. Memphis improved to 5-1 overall, while UAB dropped to 3-3.

UAB will next host East Carolina, then visit South Florida, host Charlotte, visit Temple, host Texas-San Antonio and visit North Texas. Memphis will travel to Tulane, host East Carolina, host Army, visit South Florida, visit Navy and host Temple. Those games will continue the schedules for both programs after the Saturday matchup.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Memphis 59, UAB 28. Interstat’s ELO system gave Memphis a 94 percent probability to win. UAB had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +14.5. The total score of 51 went over the over/under line of 54.5.