SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 17, 2011

Alabama-Birmingham scored three rushing touchdowns, and Ty Long kicked a game-winning 38-yard field goal to give the Blazers a 34-31 upset win over No. 20 Southern Miss on Thursday night at Legion Field.

The loss means the Golden Eagles (9-2, 5-2 Conference USA) will have to wait one more week to clinch a spot in the Conference USA Championship Game against either Houston or Tulsa. Southern Miss, which had its eight-game winning streak snapped, plays at last-place Memphis on Nov. 26 to close the season.

Alabama-Birmingham (3-8, 3-5 Conference USA) won its second straight game after losing eight of its first nine to open the season.

After Southern Miss quarterback Austin Davis scored on a 1-yard sneak on fourth-and-goal to tie the game at 31-31 with 10:27 left, the Blazers responded with a clock-eating drive to regain the lead.

Alabama-Birmingham capped a 12-play, 49-yard drive that milked 7:23 off the clock with Long’s field goal to take a 34-31 lead.

Southern Miss had one final chance to either tie or win the game, but Davis’ pass to Ryan Balentine on fourth-and-6 near midfield fell incomplete.

Greg Franklin, Darrin Reaves and quarterback Jonathan Perry all scored on the ground for the Blazers, who led 24-21 at the break to give Southern Miss its first halftime deficit of the season.

Perry also found D.J. Vinson for a 3-yard touchdown in the first half.

Davis threw for two scores and ran for one more for Southern Miss, and his 8-yard pass to Quentin Pierce in the second quarter gave him 10,000 career passing yards.

Alabama-Birmingham has now won three straight matchups with the Golden Eagles.