Comeback Huskies Defeat UAB 31-23

UConn headed down to Birmingham to play a road football game for the first time since September 14^th when they traveled to Durham to take on Duke. They were also heading into Birmingham at 6-3, their best start since 2008. It was a tale of two halves, UAB dominating the first, UConn the second, in a 31-24 victory in Birmingham for the Huskies. A 21 point 4^th quarter helped UConn overcome allowing 17 points in the 2^nd. 

UAB got the ball to start, and they began quickly, getting into plus territory after just a couple of plays. The Blazers didn’t face a 3^rd down on the opening drive until the 10^th play, a 3^rd and 5 from the UConn 10. Kitna completed a six yard pass to the 4, and the Huskies D held, forcing a throwaway on 3^rd and Goal from the two, and the Blazers hit a short FG to open the scoring at 3-0. The ensuing kickoff sailed out of bounds, giving the Huskies good field position on their first drive. Nick Evers hit his first two passes, a screen for Brown that went for five, followed by a seven yard pass to TJ Sheffield. A Cam Edwards rush was called back for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Brady Wayburn, forcing a 3^rd and 11, where Evers hit Sheffield again for the first down. A series of tough runs got the Huskies down to the goal line, where Evers took a sack on 2^nd down, and on 3^rd and 8 from the 10, Evers took off running but only gained about two, bringing out Chris Freeman for the 26 yard FG. 

On UAB’s next drive, a short pass and an overthrow forced a 3^rd and 7, where Kitna hit Cam Shanks for a gain of 24 down the right side into plus territory. Kitna then made his first mistake of the day, throwing behind his receiver, and was picked off by Cam Chadwick. Starting from their own 34, Evers hit Mel Brown out of the backfield for an 18 yard gain, and Evers completed his first five passes. The sixth, a completion again to Sheffield, was caught then fumbled, recovered by the Blazers as the first quarter came to a close. A couple rushes by Lee Beebe got UAB into UConn territory, when a Jack Barton face mask call moved them even further. A Jordan Wright breakup brought out the FG unit again, this time a 36 yarder, and UAB re-took the lead at 6-3 with 13:07 remaining in the second. As a driving rain began to fall, Evers looked for Skyler Bell deep, but he couldn’t come down with it, and as the ball was falling to the ground, it was gathered and intercepted by Tyjon Jones, the second turnover of the day. UAB went to the ground, even Kitna converted a running 1^st down.

On the first pass of the drive, Kitna hit Corri Milliner for a 38 yard play action TD, beating Jordan Wright, extending the lead to 13-3. Huskies would go three-and-out on the ensuing drive, throwing behind Sheffield on 3^rd and 8. UConn’s defense forced a three-and-out, and they tried to get the run game going but again, got nowhere, forcing another 3^rd and long. Shanks returned the punt to the UConn 42, giving UAB excellent field position at the two minute timeout. As the clock wound down under a minute, a Kitna rush got to the 25, but then Beebe broke off his longest run of the day, a 25 yard TD run, and the Blazers held a 17 point lead going into the half. 

Halftime Stats:

Taking the second half kickoff, a couple of quick Evers completions set up a 12 yard Durell Robinson run to avoid a three-and-out on the drive, which would have been disastrous. After a few 3^rd down conversions, including a hands to the face penalty on UAB that extended the drive, Durell Robinson was able to punch it in from one yard out for the first Husky TD of the day. That joy was shortlived, as UAB came out blazing (sorry for the pun), a 36 yard pass on 3^rd and 8 aided by a missed tackle. On 3^rd and 8 again from the UConn 14, Kitna’s pass was high but through the hands of Milliner, and UAB had to settle for the 32 yard FG, to extend the lead to 23-10 with 3:49 remaining in the quarter. On the ensuing drive, a 20 yard pass to Bell bounced off his hands, and Evers was sacked on the previous play trying to run out of the pressure, and the Huskies punted back to UAB. Kitna was rushed out to the right side, and he just pitched to Shanks, who crossed the field and took it for a 35 yard rush. Another big play for Shanks on 3^rd and 8, as he caught the pass under the zone for a gain of 14, extending the drive to the Husky 25. Kitna’s next throw was intercepted by Malik Dixon-Williams, who made an incredible diving catch, but also meant the Huskies would start from their own 1 as the 3^rd quarter drew to a close. 

After a 1^st down, the drive stalled, and Evers walked off the field gingerly helped by his OL, as the Huskies punted back to UAB. Shanks muffed the punt, but was able to recover amidst a sea of white jerseys. After a penalty and sack, UAB was pinned back to their own 7, facing a 3^rd and 26. They played it safe with a short run, and UAB punted to the Huskies for just the second time. Joe Fagnano came in, and attempted a deep pass to Jasaiah Gathings, which fell incomplete. He went back to the same side, and this time hit Bell, who made the leaping catch, stepping out of bounds at the 6. After a few incompletions, including one by Bell, who looked like he caught a sliding TD catch, but there was not enough evidence to overturn. On 4^th and goal, Fagnano hit Shamar Porter from five, and all of a sudden, the lead down to one score at 23-17. An incomplete Kitna pass looked initially to be a forward pass, but it was ruled a lateral, and Jack Barton recovered at the Blazer 21. Fagnano hit Gathings just two plays later, and UConn took their first lead of the game at 24-23 with 8:28 remaining. 

UConn’s defense forced a punt, but UConn’s offense stalled, going three-and-out, aided by a Bell drop. Shanks had a big return, to the 50, but on the first play of the drive, Beebe fumbled after catching a screen, recovered by Kervins Choute, the fourth takeaway of the game for UConn. Bell redeemed himself on this drive, making a tough catch thrown a bit behind him, and Cam Edwards finally broke off the big rushing play that was missing all game, a 48 yard TD run, and the Huskies led 31-24 with 2:39 remaining. On 4^th and 6 from their own 27, Faumuina-Brown sacked Kitna, and UConn had the ball at the UAB 23 at the two minute timeout. Any momentum rushing from the Edwards TD was lost, as UConn struggled to move the ball, but they were already in FG range for Freeman, but he pushed the 36 yard FG to the left, and with 1:44 left, UAB had another opportunity to send the game to overtime, with just one timeout. Kitna hit Milliner on a corner route to their own 40, and Dixon-Williams was called for targeting on the play. UAB into UConn territory, at the UConn 45, completed a couple more passes, before an incompletion with :29 left at the Husky 35. Kitna’s deep throw to Shanks was dropped at the 2, but he also would not have been able to get a foot down. With their last chance on 4^th and 10, Kitna overshot his receiver, and the Huskies hung on for the huge comeback victory on the road. The Huskies guaranteed a winning season for the first time since 2010, the Fiesta Bowl season, and it’ll be a sweet plane ride home. 

Final Stats: