By Gary Lloyd
With his 69 rushing yards in a 62-27 loss to Southern Miss on Saturday, UAB junior running back Darrin Reaves, a former Clay-Chalkville standout, moved into third place in school history for career rushing yards.
Reaves now has 2,337 career rushing yards, surpassing Dan Burks for third place in school history. Burks rushed for 2,277 yards in his Blazer career.
Reaves rushed for a touchdown in the game, his 12th of the season, one shy of the UAB season record he set in 2012. Reaves now has 27 career rushing touchdowns.
UAB finished this season 2-10 overall, with a 1-7 mark in Conference USA.
Reaves was announced in the preseason as one of 63 running backs on the Doak Walker Award watch list, an honor that goes to the nation’s premier running back.
Reaves was a 2012 All Conference USA First Team selection, the Blazers’ first and only all-conference running back in school history.
Reaves rushed for 1,037 yards and 13 touchdowns, while catching 41 passes for 302 yards and one touchdown as a sophomore last season. Reaves played in nine games as a freshman, finishing with 372 rushing yards on 79 carries.
The 5-foot-10, 210-pound Reaves rushed for 1,223 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior at Clay-Chalkville in 2010. He caught 21 passes for 287 yards and a touchdown, and also recorded a 70-yard punt return touchdown. The Cougars that season reached the Class 6A quarterfinals, finishing with a 9-4 record.
Reaves’ father, Darrin, lettered at UAB in 1991 as a tailback, making them the first father-son legacy at UAB. Marcus Reaves, his younger brother, is also on the UAB roster as a wide receiver. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound younger brother was also a running back at Clay-Chalkville.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.