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UConn football falls to Syracuse in overtime, 42-41, after epic second-half comeback
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- UConn football falls to Syracuse in overtime, 42-41, after epic second-half comeback
EAST HARTFORD – An epic comeback came up just short at Rentschler Field on Saturday as the UConn football team fell to Syracuse in overtime for the second year in a row, 42-41.
The game looked over when the Orange completed a 34-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-23 to push their lead to three scores midway through the third quarter. But the Huskies, debuting their new red uniform tops, scored 20 unanswered points to tie the game with 12 minutes left in regulation.
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UConn scored first in the extra period, 27 points in a row, but Syracuse answered and converted on the 2-point conversion to win the game.
It was a valiant effort from quarterback Kalieb Osborne , who struggled in the first half but finished the game having completed 19 of 39 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns, distributing the ball to 10 different receivers.
With lead back Kenji Christian out, Cyncir Bowers stepped up with a career-best 163 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including the game-tying score from 71 yards in the fourth quarter.
For Syracuse, the decision to go with backup Amari Odom over Steve Angeli at quarterback may have been a season-changer.
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The junior Kennesaw State transfer completed 27 of his 37 passes for 335 yards and five touchdowns, adding another score on the ground. He was intercepted twice.
UConn, falling to 2-3 on the year, finished the game with 499 total yards to Syracuse's 509.
Odom started his day making the best of a broken play on the first drive of the game for the Orange, picking the ball off the grass after a shaky snap and finding Umari Hatcher wide open for a 40-yard touchdown over the top.
The Huskies answered after Osborne escaped a sack and found Ryder Treadway for 30 yards before a defensive holding call set up a 9-yard touchdown to Cam Abshire, which put the Huskies up, 7-6, after blocking the initial Syracuse extra point attempt.
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With a solid traveling crowd, the Orange quickly seized the momentum with a pair of explosive plays through the air and Odom connected with Noah Meyers for a diving touchdown from the 4-yard line. After an errant snap and an illegal forward pass snuffed the Huskies' ensuing drive, Odom completed a 27-yard pass to set up his own 6-yard rushing score.
Syracuse got the ball back with a strip sack fumble on Osborne and Odom connected with Hatcher again for his fifth explosive pass of the day, which was caught in the end zone for 41 yards, giving the Orange a 27-7 lead with three minutes left in the half.
Bowers fumbled on the first play after Julian Allen's 48-yard kickoff return, but UConn was able to end the half on a positive note after Syracuse missed a field goal from 46 yards. Taking over with less than two minutes left, Osborne connected with receiver Javon Brown on three straight plays to get into the red zone. Finally, after two sacks and two major Syracuse penalties, UConn went to Trey Cornist to punch in from the 4 and cut the deficit to 27-14 at the break.
UConn's struggles against the pass gave Syracuse the confidence to go for it on 4th and 23 after a Hayden Pegg sack, and Fran Brown's gamble paid off as Odom found Daunte Bacheyie wide open for a 34-yard touchdown to start the second half. The Huskies answered with a 10-yard rushing touchdown from Bowers to keep it a two-score game at 34-20 with about four minutes left in the third quarter.
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A diving interception by Renick Dorilas got the ball back to UConn in prime position to score. Osborne targeted Brown in the end zone from 31 yards, but the ball was knocked away by Syracuse DB Nazir Ward and Brown went down in a scary scene. He was taken off the field on a stretcher with all of his teammates running over to wish him well, but the exact injury was not immediately clear.
UConn failed to convert on 4th down but forced a turnover on downs to get the ball back and Osborne connected with Ky "Flash" Wilson, a transfer making his season debut after recovering from a torn ACL, for a highlight one-handed catch and a 27-yard gain. Osborne rolled out and found tight end Xavier Watson from seven yards out to make it a one-score game, 34-27, with the whole fourth quarter to play.
The Huskies forced a punt and, two plays later, Bowers broke free for 71 yards to the house, his second touchdown tying the game with 12 minutes left.
Handling the pressure of an epic collapse, Syracuse methodically marched down to the Huskies' 7-yard line before Odom's pass into the end zone was snagged by Jayden Price at the 1. UConn marched 61 yards down the field but failed to convert after a false start on 4th-and-1, giving the Orange the ball back at their own 38 with a timeout and 1:36 on the game clock. But the 44-yard field goal attempt was no good as time expired in regulation.
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Osborne found Cornist for a 25-yard touchdown to open the overtime and UConn kicked the extra point. But Odom answered with a touchdown on 4th-and-17 and dove in for the 2-point conversion and the win.
UConn will be back on the road next week for a 3:45 p.m. kickoff at Temple.
