UConn football future opponents: Week 9

UConn football was in Chestnut Hill to play Boston College on Saturday and even though they kept the score close, the Huskies couldn’t pull off the road upset, losing by a touchdown.

With just four games left to go, the season is rapidly coming to a close and November will start with a pair of brutal tests, followed by a pair of winnable games.

No. 21 Tennessee (6-2) - Nov. 4

The Volunteers were in Lexington to face Kentucky and held off a late comeback bid by the Wildcats to go back to Knoxville with a 33-27 win. The road team held its hosts at arms’ length for most of the evening, but Kentucky got to within two points at the end of the third quarter and missed a 53-yard field goal that would have given them the lead.

The teams were very close in offensive production, as Tennessee eked out a slight edge in the yardage battle (481-to-444), but there were no turnovers and each side had 24 first downs.

Joe Milton III was strong under center, completing 18 of his 21 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown. He added 26 yards on 10 rushes, most of which came on a 19-yard scamper. Dylan Sampson, who had 17 carries for 75 yards, had more touches, but Jaylen Wright was more efficient, with 120 yards on 11 attempts, fueled by a big play. However, they both got into the end zone.

No. 25 James Madison (8-0) - Nov. 11

It’s now eight straight to start the year for the Dukes, which withstood a comeback from Old Dominion to take a 30-27 win at home. James Madison led by 13 late in the third quarter, but the Monarchs scored the game’s final 10 points. They had three opportunities to tie or take the lead, but the Dukes forced a three-and-out, a turnover on downs and sacked the quarterback on the game’s final play.

James Madison had a slight edge in yards (463-to-415), as well as the time of possession battle, but did commit two turnovers to Old Dominion’s one.

Both turnovers came on the arm of Jordan McCloud, but he did throw for three touchdowns on 27-of-40 passing for 340 yards. He also found the end zone on the ground, netting 13 yards on 10 rushes. Ty Son Lawton (13 carries, 67 yards) and Kaelon Black (10 carries, 43 yards) were the only other players to record a rushing attempt.

Sacred Heart (1-8) - Nov. 18

Duquesne is the leader in the Northeast Conference and extended that advantage on Saturday, with a strong 27-0 victory over Sacred Heart, which is now at the bottom of the conference standings. The Pioneers didn’t have a first down in the first quarter and had six three-and-outs over 11 possessions not ended by a half.

Sacred Heart had the ball for just 26:40 and gained only 179 yards with nine first downs. No drive went for more than 30 yards. Meanwhile, the Dukes went for 436 yards and held the shutout, despite two turnovers.

Rob McCoy got most of the snaps at quarterback and he was 11-for-23 for 82 yards. Typical starter Cade Pribula completed one of his two passes for a single yard. Jalen Madison got 70 yards on 16 carries, but the rest of the team netted 26 yards on 17 carries.

UMass (2-7) - Nov. 25

UMass had lost seven straight games, but broke the streak on Saturday against Army, as the Minutemen secured a 21-14 road win. The visitors were up 21-7 until late in the fourth quarter, as Army grabbed a late touchdown. After forcing a UMass punt, the Black Knights’ comeback bid fell short, as they fumbled after a series of laterals on the last play of the game.

That was the third Army turnover of the game, while UMass didn’t commit any, though the Minutemen weren’t able to turn any of them into points. The yardage battle was deadlocked, at 362-to-352 in favor of Army.

Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams had a career day, with 234 rushing yards on 34 carries. He also scored all three UMass touchdowns, adding a pair of receptions for six yards for good measure. Taisun Phommachanh was under center and was 17-of-23 for 121 yards.