Huskies Hold on for 24-21 Win Over Wagner

A solid ground game led by junior Kevin Mensah (pictured) and Art
Thompkins accounted for 243 yards rushing--enough for the Huskies
to survive a significant challenge from FCS opponent Wagner.

By Bob Phillips
Photos by Bill Harper

EAST HARTFORD—Was it pretty? No way, José. A good effort? Maybe yes, maybe no dependingon who you’re talking to. But it was is undeniable is that it was win. And a win is a win. That’s the consensus among most people connected to the UConn football program after the Huskies’ season-opening 24-21 victory over FCS opponent Wagner before an announced crowd of 19,648 at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field on Thursday night. FCS (or “Football Championship Series”) is what was formerly known as Division 1-AA.

“A win’s a win, and for our program, we needed to win, regardless of how it was,” said UConn head coach Randy Edsall after the contest.

Edsall, of course, was referring to last year’s abysmal season in which the Huskies went 1-11, including a 22-17 loss to UMass, an FCS opponent, at The Rent. The Huskies went 0-8 in American Athletic Conference play, and The American will never be mistaken for the Big 10.

Or the Pac 12.

Or the SEC.

Or the ACC.

Or … (You get it.)

Indeed, Connecticut went 0-11 in FBS (Football Bowl Series) competition last year. The Huskies’ only win came against FCS foe Rhode Island by seven points at home in game three. They then went on to lose eight straight games to wrap up the season from hell (including the aforementioned defeat at the hands of FCS UMass).

But back to the good news: UConn won this one by grinding it out. Literally.

Junior running back Kevin Mensah and red-shirt grad student Art Thompkins each scored a touchdown and rushed for a combined 243 yards. And UConn quarterback Mike Beaudry, another fifth-year red-shirt player, hand a solid game over center (14-for-21 passes, 158 yards, one interception). Beaudry, who transferred to Connecticut from the University of West Florida added a rushing touchdown run of his own.

Coach Randy Edsall was pleased overall with his team's opening-night
effort, but added "We squandered a lot of opportunities."

Connecticut scored first when Beaudry snuck it in from the two-yard line, capping a 12-play, 80-yard drive with 4:29 remaining in the first quarter. Clayton Harris’s kick made gave the Huskies a 7-0 lead—a lead they would not relinquish. Not that Wagner wouldn’t challenge, of course.

In the second quarter, a 30-yard field goal by Harris put the Huskies up 10-0, and they carried that lead into the locker room at halftime.

Then, in the third, the Seahawks got back into the game—not by anything the offense did, but rather a 71-yard pick-and-run TD by senior DB Myron Morris. Wagner kicker Eric Sylvester booted the PAT through the uprights to cut the UConn lead to just three points, and the Husky faithful were getting a little nervous.

“My first touchdown pass was to the other team,” Beaudry joked after the game. “Seriously, I thought my game was not bad, but there's plenty of stuff to work on.”

“Mike did some things well, but he was a little inconsistent,” Edsall said. “He made some good throws but missed some opportunities for big plays.”

After that particular miscue, however, the Huskies answered back, marching down the field on a seven-play, 63-yard drive. A four-yard TD run by Mensah and a PAT by Harris gave the Huskies a 10-point cushion, 17-7, with 4:20 remaining in the third.

But Wagner RB Dymitri McKenzie took matters into his own hands shortly thereafter with a 55-yard touchdown scamper with 2:51 left in the third. Clayton’s kick cut the Connecticut lead to 17-14.

Time to sweat. Again.

Now it was the Huskies turn to march down the field, and that’s what they did, with Thompkins capping the eight-play 65-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown run. 24-14, Connecticut. Breathing room, right?

Well, yes, but…

In the “let’s make things interesting” department, the Seahawks went on an extended drive of their own—a 12-play, 92-yard touchdown drive capped by a seven-yard run to paydirt by McKenzie. That made it 24-21 UConn with 3:36 remaining in regulation.

But that was as close as Wagner would get. So, yeah. One can see taking the “glass half full” approach to last night’s win. Even if it was only a three-point win, at home, against a FCS opponent.

“Good, bad, [or] ugly, we got the job done,” said Thompkins after the game. “[We’re] 1-0 right now [and] our focus is on next week.”

The crowd was announced at just 19,648, but those fans that did show up
were loud and vocal in support of their beloved Huskies.

“It feels good to get that ‘W,’” added Lwal Uguak, sophomore defensive lineman from Edmonton,
Alberta. “We obviously have to do better. We obviously have to play harder; play faster—show up next week and take it one game at a time.”

Edsall, while relieved to get the win, wasn’t enamored of his team’s overall performance.

"We squandered a lot of opportunities by self-inflicted wounds," he said. "We can't do that against the teams we have coming up."

Next up will be Big Ten opponent Illinois, a team one might suspect to be a tad more loaded than Wagner. The Huskies will host the Fighting Illini on Sat., Sept. 7, at The Rent. The game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.

—With Staff Reports

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