Montgomery – The UAB defense picked up where it left off in 2020, with a season-opening 31-0 win over in-state rival Jacksonville State on a rainy night at the historic Cramton Bowl in the 2021 Montgomery Kickoff.

The Blazers (1-0) posted their first shutout since the 2018 season and limited the Gamecocks to 155 total yards to improve to 6-0 in season-openers under head coach Bill Clark.

UAB recorded four three-and-outs and held JSU to negative yards each of those four possessions. The JSU offense only crossed midfield twice in the game.

After a slow start on offense, UAB scored on three straight possessions in the second and third quarter to take a 17-0 lead.

UAB quarterback Tyler Johnston III capped a 97-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Rajae Johnson-Sanders to put the Blazers up 7-0 with 5:38 left in the first half.  Matt Quinn’s 27-yard field goal with one minute left in the half extended the lead to 10-0. Quinn’s late field goal was set up by a blocked punt from safety Grayson Cash.

UAB scored on its opening drive of the third quarter to seize control of the game Johnston hooked up with tight end Gerrit Prince for 23-yard scoring strike to make it 17-0 less than three minutes into the third quarter.

Johnston completed 17-of-21 passes for 320 yards and two TDs in his season debut.  It was his fifth career 300-yard passing game.

Jermaine Brown added a 10-yard TD run with 2:35 left in the third quarter to push the lead to 24-0.

UAB’s reserves put up a fourth-quarter touchdown when backup quarterback Dylan Hopkins aired out a 42-yard pass to Trea Shropshirewith just over five minutes to play.

Senior safety Dy’jonn Turner paced a dominant defensive performance with six tackles and a pass breakup.  UAB finished the game with nine pass breakups.

JSU quarterback Zerrick Cooper, who missed the spring campaign after sustaining an injury against Florida International last October, completed 18-of-35 passes for 91 yards in his return to the lineup. He also led the Gamecocks in rushing with 28 yards on six carries. Newcomer PJ Wells caught three passes for a team-high 42 yards.

The Blazers recorded their first shutout since Oct. 27, 2018, when UAB blanked UTEP 19-0 in El Paso, Texas. UAB posted three shutouts in 2018, a Conference USA record.

JSU (0-1) was shutout for the first time since a 23-0 loss at No. 7 Florida in the 2012 season finale.

View Game Stats Here>

May 27, 2021

Montgomery – Jacksonville State and UAB will open the college football season at the 2021 Montgomery Kickoff, to be played on Wednesday, Sept. 1, at the historic Cramton Bowl in Montgomery. The game will be televised on ESPN and kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT.

“We are pleased to open the 2021 college football season with the Montgomery Kickoff,” Johnny Williams, executive director of the Camellia Bowl, said. “This will be the first meeting between these two in-state teams in 15 years. I think both fan bases and the local football community will enjoy this matchup at the Cramton Bowl.”

Jacksonville State (10-3) won the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference championship and reached the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2015. The Gamecocks won their ninth OVC title in their final season in the league. They are making the move to the ASUN Conference in time for the 2022-23 academic year and will compete in the AQ7 with Eastern Kentucky, Central Arkansas, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, Lamar and Abilene Christian during the transition in the fall of 2021.

UAB (6-3) is the defending Conference USA Champion, after defeating Marshall 22-13 in the C-USA Championship Game last December. The Blazers qualified for a bowl game for the fourth straight year.

Jacksonville State and UAB have met five times previously with the Blazers holding a 3-2 series lead. JSU won the inaugural meeting 28-12 in Birmingham on Sept. 17, 1994. The Gamecocks posted a 28-26 win in Birmingham on Sept. 16, 1995. UAB has won the last three meetings, including a 35-28 win in the last meeting at Legion Field on Sept. 15, 2005.

UAB head coach Bill Clark and JSU head coach John Grass will be reunited in the season opener. Clark was the head coach of the Gamecocks in 2013, when Grass served as his offensive coordinator. The duo led the Gamecocks to an 11-4 record and to the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs, the school’s deepest FCS run to that point.

Clark became the head coach at UAB in 2014. He has compiled a 40-22 (.645) record in five seasons at UAB. He has led the Blazers to two C-USA Championships in 2018 and 2020. UAB has won three C-USA Western Division titles (2018, 2019 and 2020) as well. Clark is a 1990 JSU graduate.

“It is great for our players to have the opportunity to open the season in primetime on ESPN,” Clark said. “I know Coach Grass will have his team ready and this will be an exciting game for all fans of college football, especially those in the state of Alabama.”

Grass sports a 68-21 (.764) record in seven seasons with the Gamecocks. He has lead JSU to six straight OVC Championships. He was the AFCA National Coach of the Year in 2015. He was named the Roy Kidd OVC Coach of the Year three times.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to play UAB and to kick off the college football season on ESPN in Montgomery,” Grass said. “We’ve been able to open in Montgomery twice and it was a first-class experience. It will be a great college football atmosphere for both teams, as well as our fans.”

JSU will be playing at the Cramton Bowl for the third time in the last five years. The Gamecocks played Chattanooga and North Carolina A&T in the Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff in 2017 and 2018.

 

ESPN Events 

ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of 34 collegiate sporting events nationwide. The roster includes five early-season college football games, 17 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events and a college softball event, which accounts for approximately 400 hours of live programming, reaches nearly 64 million viewers and attracts over 800,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in more than 10 markets across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

Tuskegee vs. Fort Valley State will be played at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala. – Sunday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU

ESPN Events has launched a new event featuring Tuskegee University with the creation of the Red Tails Classic – a college football event showcasing Historically Black Colleges and Universities – in honor of the Tuskegee Airmen who fought in World War II. Tuskegee University and Fort Valley State University will play in the inaugural game at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., to open the 2021 college football season on Sunday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m. ET, on ESPNU.

“We are extremely pleased to highlight Tuskegee University in an annual kickoff event in Montgomery for the next three years,” said Pete Derzis, ESPN senior vice president, college sports programming and ESPN Events. “The history of this outstanding HBCU institution is accented with the important role the Tuskegee Airmen played in World War II, and serves as a great source of pride that we hope to highlight within this nationally televised event.”

Tuskegee interim President Charlotte P. Morris added: “Tuskegee’s Labor Day football game will certainly be different this year. We are excited about taking on conference rival Fort Valley State University in this year’s Inaugural Red Tails Classic. The Tuskegee Airmen are our American Heroes, and we are elated to honor them in this newly branded classic.”

The game will be one of two games played at the historic Cramton Bowl to open the college football season. The inaugural Montgomery Classic will be played Wednesday, Sept. 1, featuring Jacksonville State and UAB. Adding to a roster that includes the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff and Cricket Celebration Bowl, ESPN Events remains dedicated to celebrating the tradition, legacy and values of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed and Montgomery County Commission chairman Elton Dean also share in understanding the importance of the Red Tails Classic to the local community.

“Montgomery is proud to bring these unique sports experiences to Cramton Bowl.,” Mayor Reed said. “The Red Tails Classic and Montgomery Kickoff will be enjoyed by fans, families and local businesses alike, and these events will diversify our growing tourism sector.”

“It is no surprise that once again Montgomery County has been chosen to host not one but two nationally televised college football games this fall,” Dean shared. “We are pleased and honored to welcome the inaugural Red Tails Classic and the Montgomery Kickoff. 2021 continues to bring blessings as these two games will provide both national exposure and a positive economic impact. I am grateful ESPN Events continues to see how special Montgomery is in its selection of this great county and thankful for all the dedication by our residents to bring these games here.”

Fort Valley State and Tuskegee are both members of the NCAA Division II Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). The SIAC did not sponsor football during the 2020-21 academic year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This will be the first SIAC football game in 660 calendar days. The last official game was played on Nov. 16, 2019, when Miles defeated Albany State 21-6 in the 2019 SIAC championship game.

“I am excited about it, I think it’s a great opportunity for our players and our school,” said Willie Slater, Tuskegee athletic director and head football coach. “When the opportunity presented itself for us to play in the Red Tails Classic, I was all for it. I think it’s a real good opportunity to play on ESPN.”

Fort Valley State (6-4, 4-2 SIAC) finished third in the SIAC East Division in 2019. Tuskegee (5-5, 4-2 SIAC) finished second in the SIAC West Division in 2019.

 

ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of 35 collegiate sporting events nationwide. The roster includes five early-season college football games, 17 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events, a college softball event and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 400 hours of live programming, reaches nearly 64 million viewers and attracts over 800,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in more than 10 markets across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

For more information, visit the official website, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages.

 

May 27, 2021
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The eighth annual Camellia Bowl is set for Saturday, Dec. 25 at the historic Cramton

Bowl in downtown Montgomery. The kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m., CT and the game will be televised on ESPN.

Buffalo defeated Marshall 17-10 in last year’s game on Christmas Day. ESPN delivered a total live audience of 2,120,000 viewers for last year’s matchup.

“It’s hard to believe this will be our eighth Camellia Bowl game,” Johnny Williams, Camellia Bowl executive director, said. “We are excited to be back on Christmas Day and continue the tradition this city and stadium have by playing this game. We have had some thrilling games. We are grateful to ESPN for their collaboration and a great bowl lineup.”

The city of Montgomery is synonymous with Christmas Day bowl games. The annual Blue-Gray Football Classic was played at the historic Cramton Bowl from 1939-2003. The inaugural game was played on January 1, 1939. The Blue-Gray Football Classic was first played on Christmas Day in 1954. The event became an annual Christmas Day tradition beginning in 1979.

Playing on Christmas Day adds to the excitement of Camellia Bowl, which has had some thrilling games with the first seven games decided by 32 total points. All seven games were decided in the fourth quarter, with three games decided on the final play.

CAMELLIA BOWL ALL-TIME RESULTS:

Bowling Green 33, South Alabama 28 (Dec. 20, 2014) Appalachian State 31, Ohio 29 (Dec. 19, 2015) Appalachian State 31, Toledo 28 (Dec. 17, 2016)
Middle Tennessee 35, Arkansas State 30 (Dec. 16, 2017) Georgia Southern 23, Eastern Michigan 21 (Dec. 15, 2018) Arkansas State 34, FIU 26 (Dec. 21, 2019)

Buffalo 17, Marshall 10 (Dec. 25, 2020)

ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of 34 collegiate sporting events nationwide. The roster includes five early-season college football games, 17 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events and a college softball event, which accounts for approximately 400 hours of live programming, reaches nearly 64 million viewers and attracts over 800,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in more than 10 markets across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.