BIRMINGHAM, Ala.-- David Johnson threw three touchdowns to lead Tulsa to a 45-22 victory over UAB in a season-opening Conference USA matchup Saturday.
The Golden Hurricane (1-0) trailed 22-21 at halftime. But Tulsa's defense held strong in the second half, holding UAB to 21 yards of total offense in the third quarter.
Tarrion Adams scored on a 9-yard run with 12:12 left in the third quarter to give Tulsa a 28-22 lead. Then Courtney Tennial added a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Golden Hurricane a 14-point lead in the third.
Charles Clay caught two touchdown passes for Tulsa, including a 73-yard score in the fourth.
Quarterback Joe Webb, who rushed for 136 yards, threw for 169 yards and two touchdowns for the Blazers (0-1). He also had one interception.
Johnson connected with Jacob Collums on a 10-yard touchdown and had a 5-yard passing score to Clay in the first half.
Tulsa, which led the nation in total offense last year, had 601 total yards on offense. UAB totaled 414 yards on offense.
The Golden Hurricane went ahead 21-13 when Tarrion Adams scored on a 3-yard run.
The Blazers cut the lead to 21-19 in the second quarter when Frantr Forrest returned a kickoff for a 90-yard touchdown. Swayze Waters made a 32-yard field goal before halftime to give UAB a three-point lead.
