OXFORD, OHIO – UConn football falls to 2-2 after blowing a 14-0 first-quarter lead to Miami University in a 24-21 loss. The Huskies had the ball three times with a chance to tie the game or take the lead, but an interception and two stalled drives did them in.
It was off to a brilliant start for Jason Candle’s squad. On the game’s first drive, QB Kalieb Osborne calmly marched the Huskies downfield, going 3/3 on his pass attempts with a 7-yard TD to WR Javon Brown to get the first points on the board.
After forcing a three-and-out, UConn made it 14-0 with a long touchdown run from Osborne on a 4th & 1 from the Miami 40. He faked a hand-off up the middle, scooted outside, and took it to the house with ease.
On their second drive, the RedHawks were nearing the red zone but got stuffed on 4th & short by K’Von Sherman. The Huskies moved the ball a little bit from there but punted, pinning Miami (2-2) on its own 10.
The RedHawks mounted a 90-yard drive to cut the lead in half. It started with a 31-yard completion to Damarion Witten, then a face-mask penalty got them into Husky territory. Then QB David McComb kept on an option play from 10 yards out and dove into the end zone, making it 14-7.
The Huskies moved the ball a little on the ensuing drive, thanks to a 26-yard run by Cyncir Bowers. But they punted again, pinning Miami on their 13.
The Redhawks tried to go deep a few times and connected twice; the second went for a 58-yard TD after a tremendous one-handed catch by TE Brendan Loftus that tied the game at 14 with the half winding down.
UConn tried to get back on the board before the break, but Jack O’Connor’s 46-yard attempt missed, leaving it knotted going into the locker room.
Miami got the ball to start the second half and drove 49 yards on its first drive before missing a field goal attempt from 44 yards out. UConn went three-and-out on the ensuing possession. The RedHawks then drove 83 yards in nine plays, evaporating most of the third quarter over those two drives as they pulled ahead 21-14.
UConn responded with a quick touchdown to tie it back up before the third quarter ended. Osborne found WR Shamar Porter with a 53-yard bomb to help set up a short TD run for Bowers.
Miami got into field-goal position on the next drive but missed the kick for the second time of the day, this one from 40 yards away. The two teams traded punts from there, giving UConn its second possession with a chance to pull ahead.
Unfortunately, Osborne threw a pick on 3rd & 10 that gave the RedHawks the ball back in Husky territory. They sent in freshman Brady Stidham to attempt his first career field goal from 33 yards out; he made it 24-21 with 1:58 left.
The turnover led to the game’s winning points, even as Miami’s offense stalled a bit after McComb left the game with an injury. He still finished with 312 passing yards on the day and two TDs.
As UConn tried to tie or pull ahead, Osborne hit TE Matt Ragan, a BC transfer playing in his first game of the season due to injury, for two first downs, getting to the Miami 38 with the second.
Four incompletions later, the Huskies turned the ball over on downs, sealing the comeback victory for Chuck Martin’s RedHawks, 24-21. They went deep on first down to Javon Brown on a play where it looked like there was some contact. On 3rd & 10, it looked like Osborne found Porter on the sideline but the play was ruled incomplete after a review.
On 4th & 10, Osborne hung in the pocket but had nowhere to go, he sailed the ball downfield to nobody in particular and it fell incomplete.
UConn’s junior signal caller finished 17-of-32 on his pass attempts for 215 yards with one TD and one INT. He was sacked twice, but also finished with 88 ground yards and a rushing TD. Bowers was the leading RB, with 50 yards on seven carries, good for 6.9 ypa.
Ragan and Brown both caught a team-high four balls each. Brown finished with 44 yards and the TD, while Porter was the receiving yards leader with 61.
The Husky defense has some questions to answer after allowing 415 total yards of offense, including 325 through the air. The offense also fell flat after a hot start. It’s a close loss and a disappointing result that UConn will need to bounce back from quickly, as it hosts Syracuse next week for Homecoming. Kick-off is on October 3rd at noon on CBS Sports Network.
NOTE: This article was updated to reflect corrections in the official statistics from the unofficial statistics posted at the final whistle.
Scoring Summary
First-quarter
UConn: 11:04 - Kalieb Osborne 7-yard passing touchdown to Javon Brown. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards. TOP 3:56. UConn 7, Miami (OH) 0
UConn: 6:23 - Kalieb Osborne 38-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 8 plays, 84 yards. TOP 3:38. UConn 14, Miami (OH) 0
Second-quarter
Miami (OH): 6:08 - David McComb 10-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 8 plays, 90 yards. TOP 4:46. UConn 14, Miami (OH) 7
Miami (OH): 1:50 - David McComb 57-yard passing touchdown to Brendan Loftus. Drive: 1 play, 57 yards. TOP 0:00. UConn 14, Miami (OH) 14
Third-quarter
Miami (OH): 3:48 - David McComb 11-yard passing touchdown to Scoop Smith. Drive: 9 plays, 83 yards. TOP 4:23. UConn 14, Miami (OH) 21
UConn: 0:49 - Cyncir Bowers 1-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 5 plays, 64 yards. TOP 2:52. UConn 21, Miami (OH) 21
Fourth-quarter
Miami (OH): 1:58 - Brady Stidham 33-yard field goal. Drive: 11 plays, 28 yards. TOP 6:49. UConn 21, Miami (OH) 24
