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UConn Football: 4 Takeaways from Win Against UMass
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- UConn Football: 4 Takeaways from Win Against UMass
Kalieb Osborne threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the UConn Huskies manhandled the UMass Minutemen 35-16 on Friday night.
A crowd of 32,108 filled Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn., in anticipation of the game between longtime rivals and saw the Huskies improve to 4-3 on the season.
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UMass fell to 4-4, losers of four in a row after a 4-0 start, which included a season-opening win against Rutgers of the Big Ten.
It was the 79th meeting between the two teams, and the Huskies went ahead in the series with a 39-38-2 advantage.
What went well for the Huskies and what didn't? Here are four takeaways.
Third-down defense
Entering the game, UConn opponents had converted 39-of-90 third-down attempts (43.3%) – better than UConn's offense had done (31-of-74, 41.9%).
After registering a field goal following a methodical drive on their first possession, the Minutemen went three and out on five consecutive possessions before the half.
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That continued into the third quarter, with two more drives without a first down. UMass also turned the ball over on downs twice and was 2-of-13 on third-down conversion attempts.
UConn's defense was a highlight of the win over UMass. Here, defensive lineman Melvin Hills III (95) tackles Lafayette Leopards running back Jakyre Henley (5) in the season opener against Lafayette on Sept. 5. David Butler II-Imagn Images
The overall defense
UMass gained 303 yards, with most of them coming on the three scoring drives of the Minutemen – a 13-play, 69-yard drive in the first quarter that led to a field goal and a pair of fourth-quarter TD drives for a combined 128 yards.
The UConn front seven caused chaos for UMass, batting down seven passes and holding UMass to just 53 rushing yards. Elijah Faulkner, the leading rusher for the Minutemen, had just 15 rushing yards – the team's high.
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Cyncir Bowers
UConn's leading rusher, Bowers carried the ball 15 times for 131 yards, boosted by a 70-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that gave the Huskies a 21-3 lead.
The Huskies finished with 438 total yards, 265 coming on the ground. Osborne accounted for 66 of those yards.
Cyncir Bowers (23) is the leading rusher for the Huskies. David Butler II-Imagn Images
The penalties
One of UConn's worst enemies on the season has been penalties, and that continued Friday with 11 penalties for 100 yards.
The tally included three false starts, an illegal formation, one holding call each on both the offense and defense, and a delay of game.
The Huskies also had three big-ticket, 15-yard penalties – two for unnecessary roughness and a personal foul for a late hit out of bounds.
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The Huskies could survive the loss of yardage against UMass, which was penalized 10 times for 113 yards.
The schedule gets harder the next three weeks, with a game at five-win Air Force and home contests with an improving North Carolina (4-2) team and James Madison (7-1).
