UConn falls at Air Force, 35-26
UConn football dropped a close one at Air Force, 35-26, to fall to 4-4 as the Falcons reach bowl eligibility after gaining 366 yards of offense, all on the ground.
After a 14-0 start, the home team led 21-14 at the break. The Huskies were close to tying it in the fourth quarter, with the score 28-26 after a long Kenji Christian TD run, but they couldn’t convert the two-point conversion to tie, and they failed to slow the Air Force rushing attack.
After forcing a UConn three-and-out off the opening kick, Air Force marched 55 yards for a score, with third-string QB Kemper Hodges running it in from seven yards out to make it 7-0 early in the first quarter. Hodges finished with 200 rushing yards and four TDs.
After three first downs on the ensuing drive, the Huskies went for it on 4th and 6 from the Air Force 30. Kalieb Osborne’s attempt to a well-covered Ryder Treadway fell incomplete for a turnover on downs.
The UConn defense forced a three-and-out, only for the offense to do the same in response. On the second play of the ensuing Air Force drive, Hodges burst through the middle for 62 yards to make it 14-0, the score at the end of the first quarter.
UConn moved the chains with an 18-yarder to Christian and a 33-yard strike to Ky Wilson on 3rd & 12 to keep the next drive alive. Trey Cornist finished the job with a short TD run to make it 14-7 early in the second quarter.
Air Force moved the ball with a mix of QB runs, dives, and sweeps, aided by two 15-yard penalties on the defense, to notch another Hodges TD and make it 21-7.
The Huskies mounted a steady drive that began with a 20-yard sideline strike to Matt Ragan before a couple of Osborne scrambles, including an impressive eight-yard gain on a would-be sack. On 3rd & Goal from the two, Osborne found Treadway in the end zone to make it 21-14 at halftime.
UConn forced a three-and-out on the first drive of the second half, but punted the ball right back after three incompletions under heavy pressure.
The Huskies looked like they had a stop in the middle of the field, but a fake punt on 4th & 6 from the UConn 46 went 18 yards to eventually set up a Greg LaDue touchdown.
In response, Osborne found Julian Allen for 20 yards before a 55-yard strike to Alex Godavitarne, who broke a tackle on his way to the end zone to make it 28-20 after Jack O’Connor’s extra point missed.
The Huskies forced a three-and-out and got the ball back. Christian took a handoff out of the shotgun up the middle, breaking out for a 46-yard TD that made it 28-26 early in the fourth quarter.
On the two-point conversion attempt, Osborne took heavy pressure quickly and was sacked.
Unphased, Air Force put the game away with a 19-play, 75-yard drive that wiped 11:37 off the clock. The Falcons took yards in tiny chunks, usually 4 or 6 or 8, sometimes 3 or 5, but it was always enough.
UConn had a chance to close in, down nine with 3:09 left, but couldn’t get anything going.
Next up, the Huskies begin a three-game home stand by hosting Bill Belichick’s North Carolina Tar Heels, the third power-conference opponent of the season.
UNC is 4-3 this season, with a game against No. 1 Miami on Saturday night. The game will kick off at 12 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
Scoring Summary
First-Quarter
Air Force: 8:43 - Kemper Hodges 7-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards. TOP: 5:25. Air Force 7, UConn 0
Air Force: 1:27 - Kemper Hodges 62-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 2 plays, 67 yards. TOP: :45. Air Force 14, UConn 0
Second-Quarter
UConn: 11:54 - Trey Cornist 1-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 10 plays, 90 yards. TOP: 4:32. Air Force 14, UConn 6
Air Force: 5:53 - Kemper Hodges 3-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 11 plays, 77 yards. TOP: 5:57. Air Force 21, UConn 6
UConn: 1:56 - Kalieb Osborne 2-yard passing touchdown to Ryder Treadway. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards. TOP: 3:57. Air Force 21, UConn 14
Third-Quarter
Air Force: 2:34 - Gage LaDue 4-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 16 plays, 81 yards. TOP: 9:40. Air Force 28, UConn 14
UConn: 2:04 - Kalieb Osborne 55-yard passing touchdown to Alex Godavitarne (PAT missed). Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards. TOP: :30. Air Force 28, UConn 20
Fourth-Quarter
UConn: 14:46 - Kenji Christian 46-yard rushing touchdown (two-point try failed). Drive: 4 plays, 87 yards. TOP: :54. Air Force 28, UConn 26
Air Force: 3:09 - Kemper Hodges 1-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 19 plays, 75 yards. TOP: 11:37. Air Force 35, UConn 26
