SYRACUSE — UConn football had a marquee win in its grasp, but allowed Syracuse to gain 237 yards in the fourth quarter as the Orange scored two touchdowns in the final six minutes, taking their first lead of the game with 48 seconds left. The Huskies rallied to knock in a game-tying field goal to force overtime, but lost in the first extra period as the hosts scored a touchdown while UConn’s fourth-down pass attempt from the four fell to the ground.
Jim Mora’s squad was playing great defense and running a creative offensive strategy, but it all fell apart in the fourth quarter in the 27-20 OT loss.
Syracuse was moving the ball well on its first drive before it ended at the UConn eight-yard line as the Orange were stuffed on a trick sneak attempt on 4th & 1. UConn responded by moving the ball out of the shadow of the end zone, but eventually punted.
The Huskies forced a three-and-out to take over on their own 40 after a punt and short return. Cam Edwards notched first-downs on 4th & short and a 3rd & 11 screen pass before two 10-yard completions by Joe Fagnano set UConn up on the Orange 15.
On the next play, Fagnano threw a quick pass out to WR John Neider, who was behind the line of scrimmage and passed the ball a second time to a wide-open Alex Honig in the end zone for the first score of the game. Neider played QB in high school at Jonathan Law HS in Milford and was the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022-2023.
On its next drive, Syracuse went for it again on 4th & short from deep inside UConn territory and was again stopped, with an even worse result than before. Safety Tyrece Mills, playing for an injured Malachi McLean, hit QB Steve Angeli so hard the ball fell out and kept moving backwards as both teams scrambled to pick it up, which didn’t happen until the 37-yard line. UConn went three-and-out on its next drive, but the threat was neutralized and the first quarter ended with the score 0-0.
After another Orange punt, UConn went three-and-out but didn’t get a punt off as, for the second week in a row, the long snap sailed high for Connor Stutz. The home team took over on the visitors’ 19-yard line. Matt Brock’s defense held up nicely to hold them to a field goal on that possession, making it 7-3 with 3:37 left in the second quarter.
On the ensuing drive, Mel Brown broke an outside run from the shotgun and took it 45 yards to the house to put UConn up 14-3. Syracuse managed a field goal before the break to make it 14-6 heading into the locker room. It was UConn’s first time leading against Syracuse going into halftime since 2010. The Huskies were looking for their first win over the Orange since 2011 and their first 2-0 start since 2015.
They added to the lead after a 73-yard field goal drive to start the third quarter, making it 17-6. This score held into the fourth quarter, thanks to a D’Mon Brinson interception and a Syracuse missed field goal with 12 minutes left. UConn didn’t capitalize on either of these mistakes, punting twice with one three-and-out. The Huskies punted on six straight possessions after their field goal to open the third quarter.
Angeli broke through with a 53-yard bomb to Justus Ross-Simmons that made it 17-12 after their two-point attempt failed. After another UConn punt, the hosts had one more chance, taking over with 2:06 left in the game, down five.
Syracuse marched down the field, never seeing a third down as Yasin Willis capped it off with a 3-yard TD run to put them ahead for the first time all day, 20-17, after a successful two-point conversion.
UConn was on the edge of its rope, facing 4th and 10 on the ensuing drive. Skyler Bell came to the rescue with an incredible one-handed grab, where he took a hit and still held on to the ball. After two more completions to Bell, Chris Freeman knocked in a field goal to tie the game at 20 and send it to overtime.
Angeli threw another touchdown on the first possession of OT, kicking in an extra point to put UConn in the position of needing to match or exceed that score on the ensuing possession. The Huskies made one first down before facing 4th & 2 from the four and couldn’t punch it in.
The loss sets the Huskies back to 1-1 going into next week’s matchup at Delaware. That contest will kick off at 3:00 p.m. on ESPN+ from Delaware Stadium in Newark, DE.
