BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- A.J. Erdely threw two touchdown passes and ran in another as UAB defeated Alabama A&M 38-7 on Saturday in the Blazers' first game following a two-season hiatus.
School officials shut down the UAB program at the end of the 2014 season for financial reasons, but it was reinstated six months later after a fundraising effort generated what eventually became more than $40 million in contributions. The Blazers then sat out the 2015 and 2016 seasons in order to rebuild their roster.
There was a true game-day atmosphere outside Legion Field in the hours before kickoff, something the program lacked while going through nine consecutive losing seasons.