The UConn Huskies (4-3) defeated the UMass Minutemen (4-4), 35-16, to win their fourth straight over the Minutemen.
Quarterback Kalieb Osborne completed 14 of 19 (73.7%) passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Cyncir Bowers led the way on the ground with 132 rushing yards, while Osborne added 81 yards and both scored a touchdown. JD Willoughby tallied 65 yards and a touchdown to lead the Husky receivers.
Defensively, the Huskies held UMass to just 53 rushing yards. The visitors came into the game averaging 160.1 rushing yards per contest. The defense notched a pair of sacks but no turnovers, holding the Minutemen scoreless for nine straight possessions after allowing a field goal on the opening drive.
“We really challenged them to throw the ball,” head coach Jason Candle said. “When you’re able to compress the pocket and do a good job not allowing an athletic quarterback to escape to his dominant hand, it really takes an unselfish approach by the defensive front.”
UMass QB William “Pop” Watson III started his first game after missing the last two, completing 22 of 38 (57.9%) passes for 205 yards and a touchdown that came when the score was 28-3 in the third quarter.
On that first drive, Watson nailed wide-open wideout Drew Alsup down the middle for 23 yards. A trick-play pass to Watson got them to the 18-yard line before a pass to tight end Max Dowling at the 5-yard line. UConn’s defense held at the goal-line to keep them out of the end zone.
Connecticut began its first drive with a false start. However, Ky Wilson drew a pass interference that got them to midfield. Then, Shamar Porter caught an 11-yard pass and Bowers hurdled over a defender to get to the 38-yard marker. Osborne connected with Porter again for a 5-yard touchdown to get it to 7-3 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, seven consecutive three-and-outs occurred across both teams. Until the two-minute warning, the Huskies entered enemy territory once. They got good field position after a punt, on their own 45. After some Bowers runs got them to the 20-yard line, Osborne threw an over-the-shoulder pass to Willoughby for a touchdown, making it 14-3.
With a minute and a half before halftime, the defense forced another three-and-out, getting the ball back with a little over a minute left.
On the first play, Bowers rushed up the middle, danced around some defenders, and then bolted for a 70-yard house call. At 7-3 before the two-minute timeout, the score was 21-3 at halftime after Bowers’ second 70-plus-yard TD of the year.
On UMass’ second offensive possession in the third quarter, Porter blocked Edward Phillipson’s punt and recovered it in the endzone. Midway through the third quarter, UConn led 28-3. The Huskies’ last blocked punt for a touchdown was in 2012 against UMass.
“I always saw a willing blocker and a guy that was able to make contested catches,” Candle said of Porter. “With Javon [Brown] out, he’s had to step up and has continued doing a really good job being the main X receiver.”
With five and a half minutes remaining in the third period, from the 24-yard line, Jack O’Connor missed the field goal. The Minutemen took over and receiver Joseph Griffin Jr. reeled in a 41-yard pass down the sideline. Watson finished the drive with a touchdown pass to Curtis Kimmons IV to make it 28-9 after a missed conversion.
Osborne’s rushing TD capped off a drive where the Huskies were getting yards in chunks, making it 35-9 before another garbage time TD from the minutemen got us to the final score.
Next up, the Huskies travel to face the Air Force Falcons on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 3 p.m. The game will be televised on Mountain West Plus.