BCSNN — Down 14 points early and still trailing by eight with just over a minute remaining, UAB delivered its most dramatic comeback of the season Thursday night, storming back to defeat East Carolina 30–17 in overtime at Protective Stadium. The Blazers erased a sluggish start, mounted a 93‑yard game‑tying drive in the final 62 seconds, and sealed the Homecoming victory on Delvon Gulley’s 80‑yard interception return in the extra period.

UAB improved to 4–3 overall and 2–1 in the American Conference, remaining unbeaten at home at 4–0. The win marked the Blazers’ first overtime victory since 2018 and showcased the resilience head coach Alex Mortensen praised afterward.

“It wasn’t pretty early. It was hard,” Mortensen said. “But the character of this team — to keep fighting, not get rattled — nobody blinked. We just kept fighting back, both sides of the ball. What a great team win.”

East Carolina controlled the early stages, building a 14–0 lead behind two touchdown passes from Emory Williams. Williams found Ray Ray Joseph Jr. for a 3‑yard score in the first quarter and connected with Dawson Quarterman early in the second to put the Pirates firmly in command.

UAB began chipping away with a 41‑yard field goal from Jonah Delange midway through the second quarter, entering halftime down 14–3. The Blazers continued their climb in the third, as Delange hit from 26 yards and later drilled a 50‑yarder to pull UAB within 14–9.

Mortensen credited defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and the defense for settling in after ECU’s fast start. “Sometimes our guys just need to settle into the game a little bit,” Mortensen said. “Once they saw some of the pictures, they got a handle on it.”

East Carolina briefly regained control when Noah Perez connected on a 43‑yard field goal with 9:24 remaining, stretching the lead to 17–9. But UAB had one final answer — and it came in spectacular fashion.

Taking over at its own 7‑yard line with 1:37 left, quarterback Ryder Burton engineered a flawless 10‑play, 93‑yard drive in just 1:02. Burton hit Ty Mims for 20 yards to reach the ECU 17, then found Bam McReynolds for a 17‑yard touchdown with 35 seconds remaining. Burton kept the ball on the two‑point conversion and powered into the end zone to tie the game at 17–17.

“Ryder, man — great guts, toughness,” Mortensen said. “We didn’t protect him great early, and his eyes stayed steady. He took some shots and made huge throws.”

UAB carried that momentum into overtime. After two incompletions, Burton found CJ Smith for 18 yards on third‑and‑10 to keep the drive alive. Two plays later, he hit Rod Robinson II for a 6‑yard touchdown, and Delange’s extra point gave UAB its first lead of the night at 24–17.

The defense finished the job emphatically. On ECU’s third play of overtime, Gulley intercepted Williams at the UAB 20 and raced 80 yards untouched for the game‑ending touchdown, setting off a Homecoming celebration across Protective Stadium.

Burton finished 19‑of‑37 for 262 yards and two touchdowns, while Smith posted a career‑best eight catches for 119 yards. Mims added 47 yards receiving, and both McReynolds and Robinson caught touchdown passes. Delange remained perfect on the night, converting all three field goals and moving into fourth place on UAB’s career list with 48 makes.

Defensively, Jo Pierce delivered a career‑high 16 tackles, including 10 solo stops, 1.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a pass breakup. Muaaz Byard added 15 tackles, while Gulley finished with five tackles, two pass breakups and the game‑winning interception return.

UAB totaled 361 yards of offense, including 262 through the air, while holding East Carolina to 317 yards and just 126 passing yards.

The Blazers enter their idle week before returning to action Oct. 31 at South Florida.