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Final Score: UConn takes care of Army, 22-17

The run game was plodding, but Bryant Shirreffs and the passing game made up for it in UConn's 22-17 win over Army.

By Aman Kidwai
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

UConn is 2-0 after taking care of Army in relatively comfortable fashion. Though Army scored first and took the lead early, the Huskies never trailed again after grabbing a 12-10 lead late in the second quarter.

The Huskies won the toss, electing to receive. Unfortunately, Army quickly gained possession after Bryant Shirreffs fumbled trying to dive for the first down on a third-down scramble. The Huskies' defense did a good job of holding the Black Knights to a field goal on their ensuing possession.

UConn followed that up with a nice drive where they made it all the way to the Army six-yard line from their own 25. Unfortunately, Noel Thomas couldn't pull down a corner fade in the end zone and the Huskies had to settle for three to tie it.

After exchanging possessions, Army took the lead on a 56-yard touchdown run by quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw to make it 10-3. Bradshaw ran it up the middle and then evaded the defensive backs, who took some poor angles, on his way to the end zone.

Unphased, Bryant Shirreffs led a methodical 90-yard drive downfield for a touchdown in response. Shirreffs showed a great knack for getting the ball out of his hands quickly and creating plays with his legs if the pass rush got too hot. Arkeel Newsome got the touchdown on a sweep play from 10 yards out.

The Huskies got the ball back one more time with 3:28 left in the first half, and two long Noel Thomas completions set up a field goal to put them ahead going into the halftime break.

In what is becoming a pleasant tradition, UConn took their first possession of the second half and calmly put a touchdown drive together. Bobby Puyol's PAT attempt sailed high and true after Ron Johnson's touchdown run as the Huskies pulled away to a 19-10 lead. This came after a nice fourth-down stop by Obi Melifonwu on an attempted reverse by Army.

Army couldn't get much going offensively in the second half, and a long UConn drive ending in a field goal put the game effectively out of reach with the Huskies up 22-10. Both of their touchdowns came on big plays.

There was a bit of a scare when Obi Melifonwu tried to make an interception, only to give up a 71-yard touchdown pass to Army's backup quarterback to make it a one-score game again. The Huskies couldn't get much going on the next drive, after missing opportunities earlier to put the game further out of reach, and had to punt, giving Army the ball back with a 5-point deficit and just over two minutes left.

Fortunately, Andrew Adams made an interception on an overthrown ball and the Huskies were able to run out the clock.

The Huskies are 2-0 for the first time since 2008, and will be making a trip to Columbia, Missouri to face the vaunted Missouri Tigers of the SEC. UConn's defense turned in another solid performance today, while the Husky offense was paced by the passing attack. Bryant Shirreffs finished with 270 yards, going 19-25 on his passing attempts and also adding 31 rushing yards. His favorite receivers were Noel Thomas (4 rec, 83 yards), Tyraiq Beals (3 rec, 45 yards), and tight end Alec Bloom (3 rec, 42 yards).

Big win for the Huskies! How does 2-0 feel?

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