Brown's 3 TD runs help UAB beat UTEP 42-25

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- — Jermaine Brown Jr. ran for three touchdowns, Dylan Hopkins added two TD passes and UAB beat UTEP 42-25 on Friday in the regular-season finale for both teams.

UAB (8-4, 6-2 Conference USA) and UTEP (7-5, 4-4) await bowl invitations.

Hopkins completed 15 of 20 for 108 yards and threw one interception. Brown finished with 16 carries for 88 yards and DeWayne McBride 99 yards rushing on just seven carries. He bounced off a would-be tackler and then plowed through two more to reach the goal line on a 17-yard run that opened the scoring with 4:50 left in the first quarter and ripped off a 67-yard scamper to the 4 that set up the first of Brown's TDs — a 1-yarder on fourth-and-goal that made it 14-all with 9:15 left in the second quarter. McBride appeared to have injured his ankle and was later seen on the sideline wearing a walking boot.

The Miners lost 10 yards as they went three-and-out and the punt, which was partially blocked, went just 25 yards. Four plays later, Brown capped a 40-yard drive with and 1-yard touchdown run with 8:41 left in the third quarter. UTEP fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Hopkins threw a 4-yard TD pass to Hayden Pittman that made it 28-17 about 2 minutes later.

Quardraiz Wadley scored on a 7-yard run late in the first quarter and Deion Hankins ran for an 11-yard TD early in the second. Gavin Baechle's 23-yard field goal with 5 seconds left made it 17-14 at halftime.

UAB, which shut down its program following the 2014 season, has won at least eight games four of the five seasons since re-instating football prior to the 2017 campaign. The Blazers went 6-3 and won the Conference USA Championship in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

------

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP--Top25.

Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25