Hard-Luck Huskies Drop Conference Opener to East Carolina

By Bob Phillips

Photos by Bob Stowell

Senior running back Arkeel Newsome (22) had a career game with 596
total yards and two rushing touchdowns, but it wasn't quite enough as
the Huskies fell to the East Carolina Pirates 41-38 on Sunday.

EAST HARTFORD–This was the game that was supposed be played on Nov. 24. On that date, instead, the Huskies will play South Florida—a game that at first was cancelled, compliments of Hurricane Irma, which ravaged a good portion of the Sunshine State, and then rescheduled.

Instead, the Huskies and the East Carolina Pirates did battle at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field on Sunday afternoon—a time usually reserved by and for the NFL. But extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary solutions, and so it was that the Huskies suffered their second defeat in three outings when kicker Mike Tarbutt missed a 33-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter—which, if made, would have ultimately resulted in a tied game after 60 minutes—but alas, the kick went wide and the Huskies went down to the Pirates, 41-38, before a paltry announced crowd of 14,036 fans at Pratt & Whitney Field at Rentschler Field on Sunday.

The next time someone talks of UConn’s aspirations to join a Top Five Conference, refer them to this game—and specifically the lack of support it receives. If this game had been rescheduled and quick-played in Columbus, Ohio, or Ann Arbor, Mich., the walk-up would have been three times—maybe four—of the total that bothered to show up at The Rent on Sunday.

And that’s the truth.

As powerful as the Connecticut offense appeared to be (194 yards rushing, 190 net; 406 yards in the air; two rushing touchdowns from Arkeel Newsome, 596 total offensive yards—the most prolific production by UConn in a single game in 12 years). But the defense was as inept as the offense was outstanding, allowing ECU the same 596 total offensive yards.

And the final score reflected that. Sadly for UConn fans, the Huskies were on the short end of the stick.

Indeed, this game was quite winnable for the Huskies. Arkeel Newsome, Ansonia’s favorite son, scored on an eight-yard run with 8:54 remaining in the third period, and then again on a 79-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. In between Newsome’s heroics, Tarbutt knocked in a 20-yard field goal and the Huskies were down by only three with 5:48 remaining in regulation.

After senior linebacker Junior Joseph made a key third-down stop on ECU’s ensuing possession, the Huskies got the ball back with 2:34 on the clock. But a holding penalty nullified a 21-yard pass from Bryant Shirreffs before Shirreffs hit Aaron McLean with a 35-yard pass-and-run play to keep the drive alive.

Then, ECU was hit with a personal foul penalty by linebacker Cannon Gibbs after a reception by Quayon Skanes. That gave the Huskies the ball at the Pirates’ 24. A seven-yard pass to Newsome and a two-yard pass to redshirt freshman Mason Donaldson put the Huskies on the ECU 15-yard line, down by three with six seconds on the clock.

Time out to talk things over.

Redshirt freshman wideout Mason Donaldson had a magnificent debut as
a Husky: six receptions, 108 yards and two touchdowns.

Rather than go for the win outright, Husky head coach Randy Edsall opted to go for what he must have thought to be a sure thing and and tie it up with what amounted to a chip shot—a field-goal attempt from the 20. But when Tarbutt’s kick sailed wide right as time expired, it was time to load the buses back up for the trip to Storrs with the Huskies on the short end of the stick.

“Stuff like that is going to happen in life, it is about how you respond to it,” said Shirreffs, who threw for a career high 406 yards. “I thought our guys did a great job driving down the field on the last drive [and] coming back. Unfortunately, we can't look at it that way because a loss is a loss. You can [play] better and not put yourself in that position. I wish I could have some plays back. It’s back to watching those mistakes, correcting them [in practice], and trying not to make them this week."

Tarbutt took the blame for missing the game-tying chip shot, saying that the snap by center Brian Keating and hold by Brett Graham were perfect. He just missed it.

“I don't think it came down to me not having a lot of experience in that situation,” Tarbutt said. “It was more of me not getting the job done. I think nine out of 10 times I'll [make the kick].”

“I thought that he was going to make the field goal,” Edsall said. “We were in field goal range, and we gave ourselves an opportunity [to win]. You know you can sit there and second guess, but we played until the end and gave ourselves an opportunity. The young man did everything he could and gave it his best shot. He just came up a little bit short.”

According to Edsall, poor execution led to his Huskies digging an early hole—a hole that ultimately proved too deep to dig out of.

“We put our backs up against the wall early because of some of the things we didn't do,” the coach explained. “Between missed tackles [and] missed assignments, we had no other choice but to fight and come back.

“When we do our jobs, you saw what took place,” Edsall continued. “That’s frustrating, and it’s my job to figure that out. How can I get them to play and do their jobs all the time? That is the frustrating part about teaching and coaching. If guys don’t do that, then you have to find other guys who can, and that is what we are going to continue to do.”

The Huskies had better turn things around fast—especially on the defensive side. The UConn D has not given up more all-purpose yards and passing yards in any three-game stretch since Connecticut jumped from the Football Championship Subdivision (i.e., Div. 1AA) to the Football Bowl Subdivision (Div. 1A) in 2002.

With the loss, the Huskies fall to 1-2 overall, with their sole win coming over FCS Holy Cross, and 0-1 in American Athletic Conference play. The Huskies now head to Dallas for a clash with American rival SMU. Kickoff on Saturday will be at 4 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised nationally on ESPNNews.

Husky Bits & Pieces:

• Newsome finished with 170 yards on eight receptions and broke Joe Markus' UConn career record for receptions by a running back and became the first UConn running back with 1,000 career receiving yards. Donaldson had six catches for 108 yards while Kevin Mensah ran for 107 yards,
• The loss could be costly in more ways than one. Center Ryan Crozier left the contest with a knee injury. “It doesn't look good,” said UConn head coach Randy Edsall.
• Wideout Hergy Mayala left the game on the second offensive play of the game with what Edsall believes is a high ankle sprain.
• Punt and kickoff returner Jordan Swann left the game with a concussion.
• While UConn typically stays in the locker room during the playing of the National Anthem, Edsall was asked what he thought about the controversy brewing with many NFL players taking a knee during The Star-Spangled Banner. “It’s a free country, and people can express their beliefs how they choose,” he said. “I can't influence people and what they think. I know what I think and what I believe in, but everybody is their own person, and everybody has to understand that if they make choices and they make decisions, they have to live with those decisions—what you want to stand for. It is part of our constitution. That is what this country is all about.”