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UConn football beats UMass, 35-16, under Friday night lights at Rentschler Field
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- UConn football beats UMass, 35-16, under Friday night lights at Rentschler Field
EAST HARTFORD – UConn gained the edge in the all-time football rivalry with UMass after a decisive, 35-16 win Friday night at Rentschler Field in one of the most anticipated games the series has seen in recent memory.
Drawing a crowd of 32,106, the Huskies took control of the game early as they overwhelmed the Minutemen at the line of scrimmage defensively and forced five consecutive 3-and-outs in the first half. Running back Cyncir Bowers powered the offense with 131 yards on the ground and UConn even scored on special teams after Shamar Porter blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone.
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With its fourth straight head-to-head win, UConn now leads the all-time series, 39-38-2.
Quarterback Kalieb Osborne went 14-for-19 passing for 173 yards and a pair of touchdowns with receiver JD Willoughby providing a team-high 65 yards and a score on three catches.
The Huskies (4-3) outgained the Minutemen, 438-303 in total yardage as they surpassed 200 rushing yards for the fourth time this season with 265 yards on the ground.
William "Pop" Watson III, the UMass QB in his first game back from an ankle injury, completed 22 of 38 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown. He was the second-leading rusher for the Minutemen with 11 of their 53 total yards on the ground. They had been averaging over 160 rushing yards per game this season.
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UMass, taking its fourth consecutive loss after starting the year 4-0, drove down the field with ease on its opening drive before stalling inside the 10-yard line. A sack from Anus Luqman and Joshua Mickens forced the Minutemen to settle for a 24-yard field goal to get on the board first, and they didn't get another first down until their seventh offensive series just before the end of the half.
A pair of consequential UMass defensive penalties helped the Huskies march down the field in response to the initial score and Osborne connected with Porter in the front of the end zone from 5 yards out to jump ahead. Porter was greeted by former teammates Skyler Bell and Reymello Murphy when he got to the sideline. Bell, drafted in the fourth round by the Buffalo Bills, received a warm welcome as he returned to East Hartford on his bye week.
The Huskies stalled on their next three possessions, despite a 41-yard connection from Osborne to Willoughby. That play didn't result in points, but it provided great field position for Tommy Warner's punt to be downed at the 1-yard line.
The defense forced a fourth-straight 3-and-out and Bowers helped the Huskies move down the field on the ground before Osborne found Willoughby again, this time dropping the ball in a bucket from 20 yards into the end zone with 1:36 left until halftime.
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UMass' fifth consecutive 3-and-out took only 19 seconds off the clock. UConn's next series only took 12 seconds as Bowers broke free for a 70-yard rushing score, his seventh of the season, to take a 21-3 advantage into the break.
Osborne and the Huskies' offense started to cool off, but the special teams unit picked them up. Nearly forcing a fumble on punt coverage, the ball trickled out of bounds and UMass went 3-and-out from its own 21-yard line. The seventh punt of the day for the Minutemen was blocked and recovered by Porter in the end zone for a touchdown, his second of the day, to put the Huskies up 28-3 with less than seven minutes left in the third quarter.
UMass scored early in the fourth quarter as Watson flipped the ball to Curtis Kimmons IV from 7 yards out. The Minutemen had a wide open look on the 2-point conversion but dropped the ball.
The Huskies were able to drain five minutes off the clock with a drive that ended in a 13-yard touchdown run for Osborne, which served as the dagger with three minutes left. UMass, turning to backup QB Logan Inagawa, ran into the end zone for one final score before UConn ran out the remaining minute.
UConn will be back on the road next week for a 3 p.m. kickoff at Air Force on Saturday, and then begin a three-game homestand with North Carolina, James Madison and Old Dominion visiting.
