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| Nate Hopkins busts a
move against Holy Cross en route to an 11-yard first-quarter TD jaunt. The redshirt freshman rushed for 30 yards and reached paydirt three times in his debut as a Husky. |
EAST HARTFORD–The Randy Edsall Era, Part Deux, began on a positive
note when the UConn Huskies staged a come-from-behind victory over the Holy
Cross Crusaders before a disappointing Opening Night crowd of 24,435 at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field on
Thursday night. The game was also televised throughout the Tri-State area on
SNY.
It was the first meeting on the gridiron between the two schools since 1985.
It was the first meeting on the gridiron between the two schools since 1985.
Redshirt
freshman running back Nate Hopkins led Connecticut
with 130 yards and three touchdowns in his first game for the Huskies, while 6-2
junior wideout Hergy Mayala had nine receptions for 106 yards and a TD.
Redshirt senior quarterback
Peter Pujals led the Crusaders with 358 yards passing yards and a touchdown.
Holy Cross plays in the Football Championship Subdivision—formerly known as
Division I-AA.
After Hopkins
scored his first touchdown—an 11-yard romp with 10 seconds remaining in the
first quarter giving the Huskies a 7-3 lead—the Connecticut offense went flat.
Indeed, the Crusaders parlayed fumbles by starting quarterback David Pindell and kickoff
returner Jordan Swann was into 14 second-quarter points. Holy Cross QB Peter
Pujals hit Blaise Bell with a 19-yard scoring pass, and tailback Diquan Walker
had a 6-yard TD run to give the Crusaders a 20-7 lead at halftime.
Redshirt
senior defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi, was ejected in the first half for
targeting (when a player turns himself into a human bullet, targeting and
hitting an opponent with the top of his helmet). But in the locker room at intermission,
the 6-4, 303-lb. Fatuski gave an impassioned plea to fire up his moribund team.
“The message
was just ‘Believe!’” said Fatukasi, a Far Rockaway, NY, native. “It was a lot
of adversity we were facing, but at the end of the day, we’re one team. We have
to uplift one another. At this point, 11 is one. We all have to conquer.”
But the
charge back wasn’t immediate. Still trailing 20-7 late in the third period,
Edsall opted to replace Pindell, who tranferred to Connecticut from Lackawanna
(Pa.) College, with redshirt
senior quarterback Bryant Shirreffs—who had been Connecticut’s starting QB
throughout his collegiate career. Shirreffs (9-for-13, 124 yards, 1 TD) proceeded
to lead the Huskies to a spirited comeback with three unanswered touchdowns as
the Huskies snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
“It was a
great opportunity, and it meant a lot to me,” Shirreffs said. “Most
importantly, we got the win together. It’s big for us and something we can
learn from together. I just tried to do what I was coached to do.”
He admitted
that coming in off the bench was a novel experience.
“I don’t
know that I’ve ever been in this situation before,” Shirreffs said. “But in my
mind, I was starting and I prepared like I was going to play, so I was ready.”
And that he
did. Within a minute from his entrance into the game he led the Huskies into
the end zone—and then it was off to the races in a furious, and ultimately
successful, comeback.
Hopkins had
a simply spectacular debut as a Husky, becoming the first UConn back to rush
for 100 or more yards in his first game since Lyle McCombs accomplished the feat 2011.
“I’m
excited, but more excited that we won,” said Hopkins, who rushed for 2,841
yards and 26 TDs at Flower Mound, Tex., high school. Flower Mound is a suburb
of Dallas. “It was nice going from being redshirted to playing a significant
amount. This is the kind of thing you dream about not only all last year, but
even right before the game. It was a blessing to be out there.”
Hopkins
said he was happy to see Shirreffs enter the game.
“When
Bryant is in the game, he’s real relaxed and calm, someone you can follow
easily,” Hopkins continued. “He’s been a starter here before, so it’s easy to
get behind him. He cares a lot about the program.”
“I am really proud of our guys for fighting back and getting the
win,” said Edsall on his triumphant return to Connecticut. I wasn’t sure about
our team because I’ve never seen them in a situation, where adversity struck.
Well, we had plenty of adversity tonight and just seeing how they handled it
and worked their way through it and coming away with a win, you know, I am
really proud of them.
Edsall then praised the opposition.
“Give Holy Cross credit,” he continued. “They came in and played a
heck of a game and got after it. But there [are] a lot of lessons that we will
learn here to tonight. At halftime, I really didn’t have to say anything. That
tells me that they are listening and want to take ownership.”
He was also ecstatic with how well Shirreffs has handled his new
role.
“You have to give credit to Bryant, in terms of him coming in and
doing the job that he did,” Edsall said. “It shows me a lot about him in terms
of how he handled the situation that he put himself into.”
Edsall pointed to a conversation he had with Shirreffs in his
office a couple of days ago.
“He came in said, ‘Do you have a couple minutes?’ I said, ‘Yeah,’
and he said, ‘Coach, I want to tell you I am all in with everything we are
doing, and I’ve appreciated what you have told me.’ He said, ‘This team is
important to me, and all I want to do is win.’”
Next up for
the Huskies will be their American Athletic Conference opener vs. the 19/21-ranked
South Florida Bulls on Saturday, Sept. 9 at The Rent. Kickoff is at noon, and
it will be Randy Edsall Bobblehead Giveaway Game. For ticket information, click
HERE.
The game will be televised nationally on ESPN
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