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.”

Yale Runs Roughshod Over Big Red

Senior running back Deshawn Salter (31) rushed for 143 yards and scored
three times to lead the Elis over the Big Red on Saturday. (Photo courtesy
Yale Athletic Department)

NEW HAVEN–Senior Deshawn Salter and freshman Zane Dudek led a ground attack that accounted for 342 yards as Yale opened its 2017 Ivy League schedule with a resounding 49-24 win over Cornell on Saturday. It was also the home opener for the Bulldogs, and the 10,926 fans in attendance couldn’t ask for better weather on this gorgeous early autumn day at the sun-drenched Yale Bowl.

Leading 14-10 after two quarters, the Elis scored four straight touchdowns, including two on the ground. Salter ran for 143 yards and three scores, while Dudek enjoyed a second straight triple-digit performance with 173 yards and one touchdown.

The Bulldogs, who gained 287 of their 342 rushing yards in the second half, needed the big day on the ground to overcome a pair of early deficits—and Salter was more than happy to comply. The 5-10, 215-lb., Syracuse native scored on one- and three-yard scampers, before reeling off an 82-yard fourth-quarter dash that sealed the deal for the Elis.

“I really got around the corner and there was no one there,” said Salter about his game-breaking jaunt. “At that point, it was a track meet. It was easy on me, but I have to thank those big guys up front. Our offensive line did really well.”

Dudek averaged 10.8 per carry and set up a pair of Yale scores with long runs, including a 47-yarder.

“I need to adapt to getting lower on plays, just getting three or four yards on plays instead of going for the long run the way I used to in high school,” said Dudek, a Kittanning, Pa., native, who held the Keystone State’s high school record for yards in a game with close to 500 yards until last week. “I have to get used to not being wide open. Our O-line does a great job, so I can focus on getting us second and five, which makes it easier on our offense.”

Sophomore quarterback Kurt Rawlings, coming off a 308-yard, four-TD performance last week at Lehigh, finished 10-for-17, with 123 passing yards, including a four-yard scoring pass to senior tight end Jaeden Graham.

Despite a 272-yard passing performance by Cornell QB Dalton Banks, the Yale defense registered another solid overall performance. The Blue D registered six sacks and now have 11 for the season. Junior defensive end Kyle Mullen accounted for two of them vs. the Big Red, and played a key role in the Eli’s defensive effort that kept the heat on Banks throughout the contest.

“It definitely helps that we have some coverage behind us,” said Mullen, an All-Ivy pick last fall. “We work hard every day, and I think our D-line is playing really well. We must continue to play aggressively and work together.”

The defensive pressure set up seniors Jason Alessi and Hayden Carlson for first-half interceptions that enabled the home team to take a 14-10 lead into the locker room at intermission. Carlson snatched a first-quarter tipped pass at the visitors’ 19-yard line, then sprinted to the right corner of the end zone before plowing through a few white shirts for his first career score on his seventh interception as Bulldog.

‘We have a lot of guys who have an aggressive mentality who will not sit back and let an offense attack us. We want to be the attackers,” said Yale captain Spencer Rymiszewski.

The most significant series of plays in this contest may have been Yale's last on offense in the second quarter. Trailing 10-7, Rawlings connected with sophomore receiver Reed Klubnik on plays of 27 and 22 yards before the second-year signal-caller danced out of the pocket to run for a 14-yard touchdown with 53 seconds left. Rawlings used a Jon Bezney block near the line of scrimmage and then a Graham play on a Cornell defender at the five-yard line to get the space to find the end zone untouched for his first career rushing score.

“You tell what a football team is made of when they're not playing well,” surmised Yale head coach Tony Reno on his team’s first-half shortcomings. “It's easy to be on top and play your best, but it's really hard to come back when you're not playing your best.

“It's very difficult, in a game, to make the adjustments you need to be successful,” Reno continued. “To me, that's the mark of good team.”

—Staff Reports