It was shaping up to be another heartbreaking loss for the UConn Huskies. You know the one where they lead late only to give up a touchdown late.
Huskies kicker Dave Teggart made sure that didn’t happen though as his 42 yard field goal with no time left gave them a 29-27 win in front of 35,264 on a snowy Saturday night at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT.
Trailing 26-21, South Florida Bulls quarterback BJ Daniels scampered 8 yards for a touchdown with 40 seconds left to put them out front 27-26. The Bulls went for two and the conversion failed keeping it an one point game.
Jordan Todman returned the ensuing kickoff 21 yards to give the Huskies the ball at their 44. From there, Zach Frazer took over.
He hit tight end Ryan Griffin for 11 yards then hit Andre Dixon for 5 yards. On 2nd and 5 at the USF 40, Frazer hit Kashif Moore for 14 yards with 13 seconds left in the game. After a timeout by the Huskies, Dixon ran the ball for a yard towards the middle of the field to set up the game winner for Teggart.
Given everything that this UConn team has been through, I am very proud of them.
They could have easily just packed it in after the Jasper Howard tragedy. They were 3-2 at the time of his tragic death and came out fighting but fell short for three straight weeks. UConn finally got a week off before the big win over Notre Dame and that bye week may have saved the Huskies.
It allowed them to regroup after Howard’s death and the three straight losses and setup a game plan for Notre Dame. They followed up the Notre Dame win with a big win over Syracuse last weekend to make themselves bowl eligible for a third straight season.
They fought hard all night against the Bulls and almost watched Daniels and the rest of his South Florida squad ruin senior night. Instead, the Huskies now guarantee themselves a winning season no matter what happens in the bowl game.
The Huskies and the Bulls both finish up the season at 7-5 (3-4 in the Big East) but UConn has the momentum heading into their bowl game having won their final three games.
Scoring:
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
| South Florida Bulls |
0 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 27 |
| UConn Huskies | 6 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 29 |
1st quarter
CON – Andre Dixon 12 Yard Run (Two-Point Conversion Failed) – UConn 6 USF 0
2nd quarter
USF – Mike Ford 14 Yard Run (Eric Schwartz Kick) – USF 7 UConn 6
CON – Marcus Easley 21 Yard Pass From Zach Frazer (Dave Teggart Kick) – UConn 13 USF 7
3rd quarter
CON – Isiah Moore 5 Yd Pass From Zach Frazer (Dave Teggart Kick) – UConn 20 USF 7
USF – B.J. Daniels 2 Yd Run (Eric Schwartz Kick) – UConn 20 USF 14
4th quarter
USF – B.J. Daniels 27 Yd Run (Eric Schwartz Kick) – USF 21 UConn 20
CON – Andre Dixon 1 Yd Run (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed) – UConn 26 USF 21
USF – B.J. Daniels 8 Yd Run (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed) – USF 27 UConn 26
CON – Dave Teggart 42 Yard Field Goal – UConn 29 USF 27
Offensive Player(s) of the Game:
If USF had won the game, it would have been BJ Daniels. Instead the offensive player of the game is Zach Frazer. He had one of his best games of the season despite the snowy weather.
Frazer was 20-of-30 for 225 yards and two touchdowns and led the drive that set up Dave Teggart’s 42 yard game-winning field goal.
Defensive Players of the Game:
Taking over for Greg Lloyd Jr. at the middle linebacker spot, co-captain Scott Lutrus had 11 tackles and 1.5 sacks. He also had a fumble recovery.
Turning Point(s) of the Game:
BJ Daniels 8 yard run gave the Bulls a 27-26 lead with 40 seconds left.
Dave Teggart hit the game-winning 42 yard field goal with no time left.
Offensive Notes:
- Zach Frazer was 2o-of-30 for 225 yards and two touchdowns.
- Jordan Todman had 16 carries for 73 yards.
- Andre Dixon had 13 carries for 50 yards and two touchdowns.
- Marcus Easley caught a career-high 8 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown.
- Kashif Moore had 3 catches for 38 yards.
- Isiah Moore’s only catch of the day was good for a touchdown.
Defensive Notes:
- Scott Lutrus had 11 tackles and 1.5 sacks with a fumble recovery.
- Robert McClain and Jory Johnson both had 8 tackles.
- Jesse Joseph had 7 tackles, including two for a loss of 20 yards and added a sack.
- The Big East’s leading tackler Lawrence Wilson had 6 tackles and forced a fumble.
- Twyon Martin was credited with a 1/2 sack.
Special Teams Notes:
- A bad snap in the first quarter cost the Huskies an extra point.
- Dave Teggart had a 46 yard field goal attempt blocked in the 4th quarter.
- Teggart rebounded though to hit the game-winning 42 yard field goal.
- Desi Cullen punted four times, averaging 41 yards a punt. He had one touchback and one downed inside the 20.
Injuries:
Robert Vaughn and Trevardo Williams both suffered injuries during the game. The extent of their injuries are not known at this time.
Officials:
Referee: Thomas Tomczyk; Umpire: Ronald Kumiega; Linesman: Kavin McGrath; Line judge: D. Gallagher; Back judge: Paul Vargo; Field judge: R. Sokolowski; Side judge: Ben Vasconcells
Game Notes:
South Florida Bulls @ UConn Huskies 12.05.09 box score
Game notes are courtesy of the UConn Sports Information Department
- The Huskies are now 7-5 on the season and 3-4 in the BIG EAST
- UConn is now 4-3 all-time against South Florida with the 3-2 edge in BIG EAST meetings.
- UConn is 3-0 all time against South Florida at Rentschler Field.
- Andre Dixon had two touchdowns in the game boosting his season rushing touchdowns to 13, 14 overall.
- This is UConn’s first field goal to win a game since October 25, 2003 when Matt Nuzie kicked a 27-yard field goal to defeat Akron 38-37 with 0:00 remaining.
- Dixon finished the game with 50 rushing yards, just 33 shy of 1,000 yards rushing this season.
- The 2 play, 56 yard 0:33 drive by the Huskies was the fourth fastest drive this season.
- Marcus Easley’s 21-yard grab put him over 100 yards for the fifth time this season and gave him his eighth touchdown of the year.
- Easley’s eight receptions today was a career best.
- In his first 26 games played, Easley had 0 TDs. In his last eight, he has had eight Tds.
- The five yard hookup from Zach Frazer to Isiah Moore was the first of Moore’s career. It also tied Frazer’s career high.
- Dave Teggart kept his consecutive PAT-streak alive today and is 45-45 on the season just two shy of the record.
Big East Games and Results:
(5) Cincinnati 45
(15) Pittsburgh 44
(23) West Virginia 24
Rutgers 21
Things to Work On:
- Get healthy over the time off before the bowl game.
- Come up with a game plan to win the bowl game.
Up Next:
With the regular season finished, the Huskies now await their destination in a bowl game. The Bowl Selection Show begins on Sunday night at 8 p.m. but it’s possible UConn could learn their destination before then.
