Takeaways from Georgia Southern's first loss to UAB and its running game on Saturday

UAB lived on the run, and Georgia Southern died through the air.

The host Blazers, behind a career day from running back DeWayne McBride with 223 yards and four touchdowns, handed Georgia Southern its first loss this season 35-21 on Saturday at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama.

UAB (2-1, 0-0 Conference USA) rushed for 288 yards and passed for 125 yards, building a 21-0 lead in the second quarter and keeping Georgia Southern's high-flying offense under wraps for much of the game.

Eagles quarterback Kyle Vantrease finished 24 of 50 for 204 yards, one touchdown pass and three second-half interceptions.

Here are key takeaways as the Eagles (2-1, 0-0 Sun Belt) look toward coming home against Ball State on Sept. 24 for homecoming at 6 p.m. at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro.

Analysis: Turnovers, UAB's ground game too much for Georgia Southern to overcome in first loss

About the captain: Georgia Southern linebacker Todd Bradley-Glenn leaves UAB game after injury. Here's what to know about him.

Game recap: UAB Blazers hand Georgia Southern season's first loss, 35-21

Preview: Why UAB is a solid favorite, and 4 more things to know when Georgia Southern plays Saturday

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More: Georgia Southern football vs. UAB on Saturday: Kickoff, how to watch and more

Having no answer for DeWayne McBride

Georgia Southern's defense had showed some vulnerability in the season opener against Morgan State when it came to stopping the run. The Bears got behind in a big way in the second half as the Eagles outscored them 42-0 for a 59-7 victory. But MSU's Alfonzo Graham did put up 106 yards on 14 carries.

The offensive showcase at Nebraska featured a lot of yards through the air and on the ground for both teams. Huskers star running back Anthony Grant lived up to his advanced billed with 138 yards on 27 carries and one touchdown. But that game, too, resulted in a Georgia Southern victory, 45-42, as quarterback Vantrease and the Eagles put up huge offensive numbers.

DeWayne "Debo" McBride was one of two Blazers running backs who came into Saturday's game with a lot of attention — fellow junior Jermaine "Skull" Brown Jr. being the other.

McBride was the story Saturday, rushing 28 times for a career-high 223 yards and four touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 215-pounder ran through, around and over would-be tacklers, and sometimes he ran untouched as on one of his career-best-tying four TDs.

UAB finished with 43 carries for 288 yards rushing, a 6.7 average per attempt. Quarterback Dylan Hopkins was conservative in his passing and was 12 of 20 for 125 yards.

The Blazers, who had four turnovers a week earlier in a 21-14 loss at Liberty, did not have any against GS, compared to three drive-killers for the Eagles.

Run success forges early lead

The Blazers ran, and ran some more, gashing the Eagles defense for big gains. Then, when they did pass, the Blazers hit for some key first downs.

UAB was clearly sharper in the first quarter, when it ran 11 times for 48 yards and completed five passes for 26 yards in forging a 7-0 lead.

GS had five carries for 14 yards and quarterback Vantrease was 5 of 11 for 32 yards.

The Blazers kept rolling into the second quarter in going up 21-0.

Bulldozing running back McBride had 15 carries by halftime for 109 yards, a 7.3 average, including touchdown runs of 1 and 31 yards.

Quarterback Hopkins was 8 of 12 for 85 yards, including a 5-yard scoring toss to tight end Terrell McDonald.

Establishing a ground game went a good way to giving UAB an edge for the game in time of possession: 31 minutes, 46 seconds, to 25:53 to Georgia Southern. The Eagles don't necessarily need a lot of time to score, but they're probably not scoring if the offense doesn't have the ball.

Knocked down, and getting up

While the UAB offense was sticking to its identity, its veteran defense was getting the GS offense off the field with a few three-and-out series.

The Eagles needed to respond down three touchdowns, and their passing game was out of sync. They were unable to exploit the UAB pass defense in the same way they had against Nebraska on Sept. 10, when they tallied 642 yards of total offense (409 passing, 233 rushing) and Vantrease was 37 of 56.

Georgia Southern did close the gap, getting a 6-yard shovel pass from Vantrease to Derwin Burgess Jr. for a TD in the second quarter. Jalen White (14 attempts, 116 net yards, two TDs) broke off a 71-yard TD run on fourth-and-1 in the third quarter.

The Eagles, playing from behind the entire game, did close to one-touchdown deficits after each of White's scores in the second half, 21-14 and 28-21. But they never completely got out of that hole.

Make plays, not mistakes

The Eagles needed to make plays, big ones, to have a chance against a defense that played physical, tight pass coverage and stuffed the interior. They needed some breaks, too, and got two when the Blazers missed field-goal attempts of 24 and 21 yards in the third quarter.

Georgia Southern also needed to avoid mistakes, unforced errors that took away good plays and derailed drives.

In third quarter, Amare Jones' 27-yard punt return to the UAB 48 was negated when a teammate away from the ball waved an arm similar to a fair catch.

Moved back to their 25, the Eagles drove to their 36. Vantrease, who had been targeting receivers along the sun-soaked right boundary with little success, threw to the shaded left sideline. The Blazers' Mac Williams blanketed the receiver, and the pass was tipped to his UAB teammate Jaylen Key, who reversed field and ran 45 yards along the sideline before Vantrease knocked him out of bounds with a big hit.

The turnover was not converted to points, however, as kicker Matt Quinn booted the ball off the right upright from 21 yards.

Injury to team captain Todd Bradley-Glenn

Inside linebacker Todd Bradley-Glenn, one of the team leaders as a captain and a seventh-year player, was injured during the game and did not return. Head coach Clay Helton said on the Georgia Southern Sports Network after the game that Bradley-Glenn has a dislocated elbow and would get an MRI.

"We'll see how significant it is," Helton said on the postgame show. "They did get it back in place and they've got it slinged up. Depending on what the MRI says later on, we'll see how it goes. Just an emotional player for us and the rock of your defense. A guy that guys listen to. He made plays all over the field today, he really did. When he got his opportunity to make tackles, he got it down."

Bradley-Glenn had four solo tackles and three assisted tackles for seven total, which was second on the team to safety Wylan Free's eight total tackles. Bradley-Glenn also had one quarterback hurry.

Nathan Dominitz is the Sports Content Editor of the Savannah Morning News and savannahnow.com. Email him at ndominitz@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @NathanDominitz

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Georgia Southern Eagles football team loses to UAB Blazers on Saturday