Huskies Stumble … Again

By Bob Phillips

UConn wideout Keyion Dixon (23) busts a move vs. UMass. It wasn't
enough, however, as the Huskies fell to the Minutement, 22-17. (Photo
courtesy Andrew Hamilton/UConn Athletic Dept.)

EAST HARTFORD—“In the middle of the journey of our life I found myself within a dark woods where the straight way was lost,” wrote great Italian poet, Dante, in his classic work, Inferno. Although authored in the 14^th Century, one has to wonder if the Middle Age master had a premonition of this horrific 2018 UConn football season—nearly 700 years in the future—in mind. Case in point: With a nor’easter whaling in the background, the Huskies continued their slow decent into hell, dropping a 22-17 decision, this time to the UMass Minutemen, before an announced crowd of 24,150 fans at soggy Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field on Saturday.

The Huskies have been getting crushed by FBS (Football Subdivision, formerly known as D1) opponents this season. They were hopeful their fortunes would reverse vs. UMass, a FCS (Football Championship Subdivision, formerly known as D1A) foe.

No such luck. As has often be the case this wretched season, the Huskies started off on the right foot. This week, UConn scored on their first possession when tailback Kevin Mensah capped a seven-play, 82-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run just 3:36 into the contest. On the defensive side of the line, the Husky D played a solid first half, holding the Minutemen to just three points in the first half. ell in the first half by only allowing three points to the Minutemen. Indeed, when UConn entered the locker room leading 7-3 at intermission, it represented just the second time this season that the Huskies had led at halftime.

And the second half started off strong for the Huskies as well, as quarterback David Pindell scampered for a 24-yard touchdown run to extend the Connecticut advantage to 14-7 at 3:43 into the third period. Pindell, who finished the game with 120 yards rushing, eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the fourth time this season, breaking Pete Petrillo’s single-season standard for rushing yards in a single season (sent in 1967 with 676 yards). Pindell, the senior signal caller from Columbia, MD, now has 784 yards rushing this season.

Things continued to go UConn’s way after intermission. With the Huskies leading 14-3 late in the third period, defensive lineman Kevin Murphy recorded his first career interception to keep the Minutemen off the board. But then the storm set in… After the turnover, the Minutemen outscored (the Huskies 19-3 to come back and win 22-17.

"We had too many missed opportunities today that we didn't take advantage of, offensively and defensively and special teams,” said Husky head coach Randy Edsall after the game in a familiar refrain. “We had opportunities there that we just didn't finish the game out at the end."

The Minutemen improve to 3-6, while the loss dropped the Huskies to 1-7. UConn now will head to Oklahoma where they will take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally (God bless ‘em) on the CBS Sports Network.

—With Staff Reports