Tulsa Adds Another W To Win Column

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Paul Smith threw for 333 yards and three scores and ran for another to help lead Tulsa to a 38-30 victory over Alabama-Birmingham on Saturday. <br/><br/>UAB reduced a 14-point, fourth-quarter

Saturday, September 29th 2007, 10:58 pm

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Paul Smith threw for 333 yards and three scores and ran for another to help lead Tulsa to a 38-30 victory over Alabama-Birmingham on Saturday.

UAB reduced a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit to eight after Sam Hunt threw two touchdown passes, but Tarrion Adams gained 63 of his career-high 183 yards on Tulsa's final clock-killing possession.

Smith has now exceeded 300 yards passing in all four games this season for Tulsa (3-1, 1-0 Conference USA).

The Blazers (1-3, 0-1 CUSA) rolled up 403 yards on offense.

Leading 31-16 early in the fourth quarter, Tulsa got a key stop when linebackers Nelson Coleman and Chris Chamberlain brought down Joseph Webb at the 1-yard line on a fourth-and-goal play from the 2.

Smith then directed a 99-yard drive, helped by a 70-yard run by wideout A.J. Whitmore on a misdirection play. Smith plunged in from the 1.

UAB came back as Hunt passed 10 yards to Frantrell Forrest for one score, then led a 59-yard drive capped by a 4-yard pass to Mario Wright with 3:47 to play. That cut the lead to 38-30.

The Blazers elected not to try an onside kick and Tulsa took over at its own 23. Adams had runs of 5, 24 and 29 yards as Tulsa ran out the clock.

Smith completed 19 of 37 passes and also ran for 58 yards while Marion Brennan led TU's stable of receivers with three catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns.

Hunt, who started the game before being replaced by the more mobile Webb, completed 13 of 26 passes for 152 yards with one interception. Webb completed 9 of 20 for 90 yards and a score and also ran for 81 yards.

Despite two interceptions and 14 first-half incompletions, Smith still threw for 179 yards and TU managed a 17-10 halftime lead. Smith threw a 24-yard touchdown strike to Cameron Clemons to break a 3-3 tie.

Tulsa followed that with an 80-yard drive led by Adams, who carried seven times for 43 yards including a 4-yard touchdown dash. TU led 17-3 and was driving late in the first half when Smith suffered his second interception of the half, a pickoff by Kevin Sanders.

UAB capitalized when Webb found Forrest across the middle for a 28-yard touchdown pass with 23 seconds left in the half.