Tulsa Crushes Connecticut, 49-19

By Bob Phillips

UConn's road to nowhere continued on Saturday when they were
trounced by Tulsa, 49-19. The Huskies fall to 1-8.

TULSA—It was a game, so it seems, like all others. UConn gets off to a decent start, then goes into a golden slumber and gets blown to smithereens. This time it happened against the Golden Hurricane of the University of Tulsa, who walloped the Huskies, 49-19, before 17,451 fans at H.A. Chapman Stadium on Saturday night.

Both teams entered the game with identical 1-7 records. The fact that the stadium was only half full in the heart of football country is indicative of Tulsa’s woes. So while an expectation of good football might be a stretch, it should at least be a competitive game, right? Think again.

As has happened too often throughout this lost season, the Huskies jumped out to a hot start. This time they took a 10-0 lead at the first turn fueled by a recovered fumble in the Tulsa end zone by Tyler Coylem followed by an 80-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback David Pindell to senior wideout Kyle Buss. A 44-yard field goal by kicker Michael Tarbutt created a double-digit advantage for the Huskies. Tarbutt would later add a 50-yard field goal in the second quarter.

But that’s when the roof caved in for the Huskies as the Golden Hurricane proceeded to go on a rampage, scoring on their next seven possessions to open an insurmountable 49-13 lead. In the third quarter.

On a positive note (everything in this world is relative—keep that in mind on Tuesday)—Kyle Buss hauled in a career-high 129 yards on six receptions while quarterback David Pindell rushed for 100 yards or more for the fifth time this season. The senior signal caller from Columbia, Md., finished with 150 rushing yards.

In the too-little-to-late department, the Huskies added a garbage-time TD with a three-yard scoring pass from Pindell to tight end Tyler Davis late in the fourth period.

The Huskies’ march to nowhere continues on Saturday when they will entertain 4-5 SMU at Pratt and Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Kickoff is at noon, and the game will be streamed on ESPN3/WatchESPN. 
                                                                                                                                                 —with staff reports