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The UConn Huskies played slightly better than most would have expected but still lost handily on the road to No. 18 Central Florida, 49-24.
UCF jumped out to a 21-3 lead in the first quarter but the Huskies outscored them 14-7 in the middle quarters with a temporary bout of solid defensive effort. After a 9-yard rushing touchdown from David Pindell, the Huskies cut the lead to 11. But the dam broke in the 4th quarter as the Knights responded with 21 points in the final 15 minutes.
David Pindell got the start under center with Bryant Shirreffs out due to injury. He looked a lot more comfortable running the offense than he his start in the season opener, finishing with 201 passing yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. The junior college transfer also showed off his playmaking ability with his legs, scrambling well to avoid pressure and rushing for 96 yards and a touchdown. The Huskies finished with 413 yards offensively.
Central Florida racked up 519 yards and broke big play after big play to get those touchdowns on the board. UConn shut them out in the third quarter, which was only the second time that has happened this season for Scott Frost’s team. Otherwise, UCF was moving the ball pretty comfortably and did enough defensively to comfortably advance to 9-0 on the season.
Ultimately, UCF was just the better team. The Knights were bigger, faster, stronger and it showed. That’s a really good team.
UConn (3-7, 2-5 AAC) will be in action next at historic Fenway Park in Boston to take on Boston College in an exciting regional rivalry game. The Eagles look better this year than they have in years past, but hopefully, UConn can build on the positives from Pindell’s performance and the return of Arkeel Newsome to grab the upset.