UConn football future opponents: Week 5

The Sicko Bowl is complete. UConn had a victory within its grasp, taking a one-point lead with 1:07 remaining, but Vanderbilt drove down the field to kick a game-winning field goal as time expired.

UConn is officially halfway through its season. The next six opponents were all in action this past weekend.

UMass (0-5) - Oct. 9

The Minutemen had another brutal week, as Toledo scored 45 unanswered in Amherst. While UMass grabbed a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, the home side had 134 yards and eight first downs, turning the ball over four times. The Minutemen went to the locker room with just one first down and had 44 percent of its total yards on that late touchdown drive.

Brady Olson got most of the reps at quarterback and was just 9-of-22 passing for 106 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Partially due to Olson’s -16 yards rushing, the Minutemen only gained 23 yards on the ground, rushing for less than a yard per attempt. Kay’Ron Adams had the lion’s share of the carries, grabbing 23 yards on 12 attempts.

Yale (2-1) - Oct. 16

The Bulldogs took a break from Ivy League play and visited Lehigh on Saturday. Yale was not a kind guest, serving the Mountain Hawks a 34-0 defeat. Lehigh gained just 146 yards, despite 11 first downs. On the other side, Yale had 420 yards and found the end zone at least once in each quarter.

The visitors had a pair of players operating under center. Griffin O’Connor was sacked midway through the second quarter and did not return. He was replaced by Nolan Grooms, who was very efficient in relief. O’Connor was 9-of-18 passing for 123 yards and a touchdown, while Grooms nearly matched that yardage, with 122, on 6-of-8 passing, adding a pair of scores. Zane Dudek, who added a touchdown, had 56 yards on just eight carries.

MTSU (2-3) - Oct. 22

Marshall scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, but MTSU held on for a 34-28 win. The Blue Raiders led 28-7 late in the second quarter after scoring the game’s first 14 points, but they could not put the Thundering Herd kept plugging away and nearly completed the comeback. Marshall outgained MTSU 493-314, but the home side forced six turnovers, negating that advantage.

The Blue Raiders struggled in the passing game, as Chase Cunningham was just 12-of-21 passing for 105 yards and an interception, though he did deliver a pair of touchdowns. Their strength was instead on the ground, led by Chaton Mobley. He rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown on just 15 carries. As a team, MTSU grabbed 4.3 yards per carry. On defense, the Blue Raiders forced four fumbles and recovered each one, as well as a pair of interceptions.

Clemson (3-2) - Nov. 13

Despite gaining 438 yards, then-No. 25 Clemson’s offensive woes continued, as they scored just one touchdown and struggled to finish drives against Boston College. The Eagles got to within 11 yards of the end zone in the final minute, but fumbled and the Tigers held on for a 19-13 win at home. Kobe Pace opened the scoring with a 59-yard touchdown in the first quarter as part of a 125-yard day on the ground, with another 41 receiving yards, but that was Clemson’s only trip to the end zone, as they would settle for four more field goals to edge the Eagles.

D.J. Uiagalelei was 13-of-28 passing for 207 yards, adding 50 more on the ground on 12 attempts. Phil Mafah, who gained 58 yards on just seven carries, was the only other player to record a carry. As a team, Clemson gained 5.8 yards per rush. The Tiger defense also forced three turnovers, including two interceptions.

UCF (2-2) - Nov. 20

The Knights led 30-17 heading into the fourth quarter, but Navy put up 17 points in the final stanza, taking the lead with 3:09 to go for a 34-30 Midshipmen victory. UCF scored first and held the home side at arm’s length through the first three quarters, but had no answer for the triple option in the final 15 minutes.

Mikey Keene played quarterback and was 16-of-26 passing. He added a pair of touchdowns and an interception, one of two UCF turnovers, a total that was matched by Navy. Johnny Richardson had the bulk of the rushes and yards, going for 59 yards on 11 carries, but Joey Gatewood (four attempts, 20 yards) and Amari Johnson (three attempts, 17 yards) each found the end zone. The defense limited the big plays, as the Midshipmen’s longest rush was 15 yards, but they could not keep the home side from extending drives and staying in the game.

Houston (4-1) - Nov. 27

The Cougars went on the road to Tulsa Friday night and scored early and often, putting up 14 points in each of the first two quarters in a 45-10 drubbing of the Golden Hurricane. The Houston defense grabbed three interceptions and allowed just 289 yards, showing strongly against a team that gave then-No. 9 Ohio State a scare in Columbus a few weeks ago. By the time Tulsa got points on the board, with a field goal inside two minutes left in the second quarter, the game was already out of hand, as it snapped a 28-0 scoring run to open the game for Houston.

Clayton Tune was efficient under center, going 17-of-24 passing for 241 yards, adding a pair of touchdowns and an interception. Alton McCaskill found the end zone three times on the ground, rushing 17 times for 77 yards. Only one other running back had more than five rushing attempts.