UConn traveled to Houston to play Rice with a chance to clinch bowl eligibility, but lost in overtime, 37-34, after allowing 308 sack-adjusted rushing yards to the Owls.
The Huskies (5-3) led at the end of the first, second, and third quarters but stumbled offensively down the stretch, punting four times and missing a field goal in their final five regulation drives. Rice finished with 491 total yards as RB/WR Quinton Jackson finished with 168 rushing yards, 80 receiving yards, and four total touchdowns, including the game-winning score.
The Huskies got on the board quickly after forcing a punt on the opening drive as Joe Fagnano found Skyler Bell 10 yards downfield, cutting across the middle. Bell outran everyone on his way to an 80-yard touchdown on their first play from scrimmage. He finished with eight receptions for 158 yards.
Rice responded with a field goal and then after the two teams traded punts, a 73-yard touchdown run by Jackson put the home team ahead 10-7 early in the second quarter.
After another set of punts, UConn mounted a 13-play, 77-yard touchdown drive where Fagnano went 8-of-9 on his pass attempts, finishing it off with a 12-yard TD pass to Cam Edwards to make it 14-10. The run game wasn’t going well for the Huskies, however.
With 1:48 left in the first half, UConn surely hoped to take that lead into the break, but Rice had other plans. Chase Jenkins found Jackson deep down the sideline on the first play after the ensuing kick-off for a 75-yard TD reception to give the Owls the lead, 17-14.
Getting the ball back with 1:35 left, Fagnano found Bell for 16 yards before getting the ball to Victor Rosa three times out of the no-huddle. From the Rice 34, Fagnano hit a wide-open Juice Vereen for a touchdown to give the Huskies a 21-17 lead at halftime.
UConn got on the board first in the second half, mounting a long field goal drive to push the lead to 24-17 in the middle of the third quarter. Those would be UConn’s only second-half points.
Rice tied the game early in the fourth quarter. The Owls rode a new running back, D’Andre Hardemann, down the field as he took his fifth carry from 10 yards out to the house with 11:46 left.
UConn punted on the ensuing drive, but not before getting to midfield, pinning Rice deep in its own territory. After forcing a three-and-out, UConn took over on the Owls’ 45 with 7:50 left in the game, but couldn’t get anything.
The two teams kept fighting for field position until the end of regulation, with Chris Freeman missing a field goal with 4:51 left, sending the Huskies to overtime for the third time this season.
Rice opened OT with a touchdown, gaining all 25 yards on the ground, and UConn answered back as Cam Edwards found the end zone after a 16-yard completion to Terrence Smith, tying the game at 31. UConn got a field goal on the ensuing drive before Jackson broke through from 23 yards out for the game-winning TD.
The loss overshadows a solid overall offensive outing. Fagnano finished with 344 passing yards as he completed 32-of-48 attempts with three TDs and no picks, while the Huskies finished with 449 total yards. But they needed one more score to close this one out and keep their program’s momentum going.
Next up, the Huskies host UAB, kicking off on Saturday, November 1, at 12 p.m. from Rentschler Field on CBS Sports Network.
The Blazers fired Trent Dilfer a few weeks ago and beat then-No. 22 Memphis in their first game under interim head coach Alex Mortensen, son of the late ESPN reporter Chris. They’re off this week, sitting at 3-4 heading into Saturday’s matchup, and 110th in ESPN’s SP+ overall efficiency rankings (68th Offense, 134th Defense).
