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UConn Football Can't Stop the Ground Force
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- UConn Football Can't Stop the Ground Force
(Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images)
The UConn Huskies knew what was coming and could not stop it.
UConn lost to Air Force on Saturday in Colorado Springs, Colo., allowing the Falcons to amass 366 rushing yards and dominate the clock in their 35-26 victory.
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With the win, Air Force (6-2) became bowl eligible for the first time since 2023.
With the loss, the path to a bowl game became more difficult for UConn (4-4).
Ground Force
Air Force isn't really an accurate school name when it comes to football. It really is a ground force.
The Falcons entered the game second in the nation in rushing yards, averaging 337.4 yards per game. That figure sandwiched them between No. 1 Army and No. 3 Navy, which also employ their long-used triple option.
Against UConn, Air Force attempted just three passes – all fell incomplete – and gained 366 rushing yards on 74 attempts. The Huskies' rushing defense, which entered the game surrendering 107.6 ground yards per game, had been ranked 28th among FBS teams.
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But they were powerless to stop the Falcons. After Air Force jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter behind touchdown runs of 7 and 62 yards by quarterback Kemper Hodges, UConn tried to fight back.
Hodges ran for 200 yards and four touchdowns. He scored his third in the second quarter, but UConn closed the gap to 21-14 following a 1-yard run by Trey Cornist and a 2-yard reception by Ryder Treadway for touchdowns.
The time discrepancy
In football, you can't win if you don't have the ball. And Air Force made sure that the Huskies didn't get the ball in the second half.
Air Force held the ball for just over 26 minutes, leaving less than four minutes of possession time for UConn. And in the end, the Huskies ran out of time to try to tie the score.
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That's because Air Force scored twice in the second half with unbelievable drives: 16 plays and 81 yards over 9:40 and a 19-play, 75-yard drive that gobbled up 11:37.
Air Force's final time of possession was 41:54, compared to 18:06 for UConn.
The Falcons were 4-for-4 in the red zone, 7-of-16 on third down, 5-of-6 on fourth down.
The bowl picture
The Huskies appeared in bowl games three times over the past four years, but they might find it difficult to get to the six wins needed to qualify this season.
UConn has four games remaining with the first three games at home -- Nov. 7 vs. North Carolina, Nov. 14 vs. James Madison, Nov. 21 vs. Old Dominion – and a season-ending game on Nov. 28 in the high altitude at Wyoming.
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Through games of Saturday, James Madison is 7-2 and Old Dominion is 2-7. North Carolina is 4-4 but improving and challenged No. 1 Miami up to the end in a 38-35 loss Saturday night.
Wyoming is 5-3 and defeated Air Force last week.
