UConn Football Future Opponents: Week 2

After UConn Huskies football had a tough go against No. 19 Boise State, here’s how the team’s remaining slate of opponents fared in Week 2 action.

Rhode Island (2-0) - Sept. 15

The Rams hosted Albany in a Colonial Athletic Conference matchup on Saturday, getting the better of the Great Danes, 45-26. Quarterback JaJuan Lawson was 22-for-28 with 317 passing yards and four touchdowns. Rhode Island scored on three straight drives of more than 75 yards to begin the contest and led 45-7 at one point, but Albany got some garbage time points. Picked to finish last in the CAA, the Rams have proved to be a strong FCS team this year.

Syracuse (2-0) - Sept. 22

The Orange hosted FCS Wagner at the Carrier Dome in Week 2 and blew the doors off of the Seahawks, 62-10, in a game that was 45-7 at the half. Eric Dungey threw for 218 yards on 23-of-32 passing, delivering a school-record five touchdowns. Syracuse punted just twice and allowed just 288 yards of total offense.

Cincinnati (2-0) - Sept. 29

Cincinnati followed up a surprise road win against UCLA with a 21-0 victory over Miami (OH), putting the RedHawks away with two fourth-quarter touchdowns. The Bearcats only had 233 yards of offense in the defensive battle that featured no scoring from 5:33 remaining in the first quarter until 13:18 to go in the fourth- a span of 36:51- but it was enough. Desmond Ritter threw for only 45 yards, but he rushed for an even 100 and Michael Warren II added 91 yards on the ground with two touchdowns mixed in.

Memphis (1-1) - Oct. 6

Opening up their American Athletic Conference schedule, the Tigers suffered a puzzling 22-21 loss to Navy in Annapolis in Week 2. After Memphis took a 21-9 lead with 1:19 left in the third quarter, the Midshipmen allowed only 47 yards of offense, forcing a fumble, a three-and-out and then a turnover on downs. Darrell Henderson was the star, gaining 212 yards on 13 carries for three touchdowns. He had 240 of the Tigers’ 378 offensive yards.

USF (2-0) - Oct. 20

Blake Barnett scored four total touchdowns, two on the ground and two through the air, to help the Bulls upend Georgia Tech, 49-38. Tobias Oliver scored his third touchdown 45 seconds into the fourth quarter to give the Yellow Jackets a 38-28 lead and the Bulls scored 21 unanswered points, including both of Barnett’s rushing scores. Terrence Horne brought back two kickoffs for touchdowns in the first quarter, one from 98 and the other from 97 yards out. The USF defense had trouble with the option, allowing Georgia Tech to rush for over 400 yards.

UMass (1-2) - Oct. 27

The Huskies’ Homecoming opponent has now dropped two straight after Georgia Southern took a 34-13 win at home. Andrew Ford was 22-for-33 passing, but he only got 190 yards out of it, adding an interception, one of two UMass turnovers. The Eagles did a good job limiting chunk plays, as the Minutemen only recorded one play longer than 20 yards all day.

Tulsa (1-1) - Nov. 3

Texas got out to a 21-0 lead at home heading into halftime but the Golden Hurricane made it a contest, getting to within one possession twice. But the Longhorns were able to hold on. Luke Skipper was inefficient passing the ball, going 12-for-24 with only 153 yards combined with a touchdown and two interceptions. He did rush for 54 yards on seven carries as part of a 189-yard rushing day for Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane just could not stop Texas’ balanced attack, as Sam Ehlinger threw for 237 yards and ran for 51 more as part of the Longhorns’ 241 yards on the ground, gaining over five yards per carry as a team.

SMU (0-2) - Nov. 10

The Mustangs hosted No. 16 TCU and were dominated, 42-12. The game started off well for the home side, SMU got out to a 9-0 lead after a long Braeden West touchdown run and a safety. That helped them stay within two points at the half when Kevin Robledo drilled a 49-yard field goal as time expired, but the Horned Frogs were too much in the second half, scoring 28 points. SMU quarterback Ben Hicks was 18-for-38 passing the ball and West grabbed 51 of his 78 yards rushing on his long touchdown as the Mustangs only gained 242 yards, 144 of which were in the first half.

ECU (1-1) - Nov. 17

After going down to FCS North Carolina A&T at home in Week 1, the Pirates hosted North Carolina and rolled over the Tar Heels, 41-19, scoring 20 unanswered points in the second half after North Carolina trimmed its deficit to two points on the final play of the first half. Holton Ahlers scored two rushing touchdowns, while Reid Herring passed for one more on 19-of-32 passing for 290 yards. North Carolina had only three first downs in the second half as well. UNC is undermanned given some pre-season suspensions to key players, but this is still a good win for ECU.

Temple (0-2) - Nov. 24

The Huskies will close the season with Temple, who just lost 36-29 at home to Buffalo. Temple turned the ball over three times, two of which were on Frank Nutile interceptions, the other on a Nutile fumble, and struggled to effectively run the ball, getting only 115 yards on the ground. Through the air, Nutile passed for 216 yards, completing 15 of his 31 passes. Buffalo dominated possession, grabbing 27 first downs on 35:42 of possession time.