Photos by Bill Harper
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UConn QB Bryant Shirreffs (13-for-24, 154 yards, 33 rushing yards)
looks downfield for an open receiver.
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Looking to rebound from a devastating loss at Navy last week
when time ran out with the Huskies on the Navy one-yard line in a crushing 28-24
loss to the Midshipmen last Saturday, UConn survived a missed 20-yard field
goal as time expired for a thrilling 13-10 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers
before 31,036 fans at Prat & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field on
Saturday.
The Cavaliers took a 10-0 lead on a 23-yard field goal by
Alex Furbank—the only score of the first period—and a nine-yard touchdown jaunt
by Albert Reid with 12:42 remaining in the first half. But that would be all
the scoring Virginia could muster.
The Huskies cut the margin to seven when senior kicker Bobby
Puyol nailed a 21-yard field goal with 4:43 left until halftime. After a
scoreless third period, the Huskies knotted the score in the third period with
a 37-yard scoring drive set up by an interception by junior cornerback Jamar
Summers, aided by third-and-long conversions aided by Virginia penalties, and capped
by a one-yard run by quarterback Bryant Shirreffs with 7:55 left in regulation.
It was the 10th career pick for Summers, a first-time All-Conference selection
last season.
“Those penalties, when it comes to competing in coverage,
those are hard ones to coach through,” Mendenhall said. “Which I’ll have to do;
I’ll have to coach our guys through.”
The Huskies took the lead about three minutes later when Puyol
knocked down a 43-yard field goal.
On its next possession, Virginia moved the ball to the 73
yards to the UConn two, but the Cavaliers missed a field goal that would have sent
the game into OT. Shirreffs was 13-for-24 in the air for 154 yards, and added
33 yards on the ground. Junior running back Arkeel Newsome, the former Ansonia
High School star, led the Huskies in rushing with 77 yards while senior wide
receiver Noel Thomas (Norwalk) had six receptions for 91 yards. Senior safety Obi
Melifonwu led the Husky defensive effort. The South Grafton, Mass., native was
credited with 11 tackles and a pass break-up.
After the game, UConn head coach Bob Diaco was effusive with
praise for Puyol, who has developed into one of the top kickers in the college
game.
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Senior wideout Noel Thomas from Norwalk hauled in six catches
for 91 yards.
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"He's great,” said Diaco. “He eats, sleeps and breaths
his craft. Not long ago, he had to really work at it. He pulled himself up by
his bootstraps and trained and re-trained his fundamentals and mastery to the
point that he's at right now. I'm not sure if he's on the list to come in here,
but I hope he is, because it's an interesting and great story, definitely worth
asking him about. He's done a fantastic job."
“We're psyched and it's inspiring,” said Shirreffs when
asked how it felt to beat an ACC opponent. “A lot of our coaches have ties to
Virginia, and you could see how much it meant to them."
Meanwhile, Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall was gracious in defeat.
"Congratulations
to the University of Connecticut,” said Mendenhall,
now in his first year with the Cavaliers after leading BYU to 11 straight
postseason bowl appearances. “That was a hard-fought game right to the very
end. A great college football game. I'm proud of the way my team fought hard
from beginning to end."
The Huskies return to action next Saturday, Sept. 24 when
they play host to former Big East archrival Syracuse at The Rent. The Orange,
formerly a powerhouse, are experiencing tough goings early in the 2016 campaign,
having opened with a resounding 33-7 win over Colgate—an FCS team—while getting
their butts handed to them by the two FBS teams they’ve played, 62-28 to No. 13
Louisville, and 45-20 last week to South Florida. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.,
and the game will be televised on the CBS Sports Network and heard on the UConn
IMG Sports Radio Network.
