It was a tale of two halves as the UConn Huskies dominated the West Virginia Mountaineers on both sides of the ball in the first half. In the second half, it was all Mountaineers as they scored 28 unanswered points to beat UConn 35-13 in front of a sold out crowd at Rentschler Field.
The loss for UConn ended an 11-game winning streak at Rentschler Field and more than likely ends their hopes for a second straight Big East title as they drop to 6-3 (2-2 Big East). With the win, West Virginia becomes bowl eligible at 6-2 (3-0 Big East) and gives them the leg up on the BCS bid from the Big East Conference.
I hate to say it but Randy Edsall got outcoached by Bill Stewart in the second half as obviously the Mountaineers made the adjustment after the Huskies shut them down in the 1st half. UConn did everything they could to take Pat White and Noel Devine out of the game and they did that. Whatever adjustments Stewart made in the second half worked because the pair was unstoppable in the 2nd half. Thank God this is the last time the Huskies will have to ever see White behind center for the Mountaineers.
“When you turn the ball over as many times as we did, five times and drop passes offensively, there is not a big margin of error when you play West Virginia, when you do those things then it is very difficult to give yourself the opportunity to win,” said Randy Edsall. “That is really the tale of what happened, we just did not get it done. On offensive when we had opportunities but we moved the ball on the first drive and then got a fumble. The second half we threw a pass that should have been a touchdown but was a dropped ball. That give you a chance to be up 13 points but then you throw some picks and get the short field. We could not stop them on third and 24 in the first half; it was just a matter of not making the plays when we had to make them.”
After having a decent 1st half with 77 yards, Donald Brown was held to just 5 yards in the 2nd half and failed to reach the century mark for the first time this season in a game. He also had a touchdown on an amazing 21 yard run.
The same could be said for Cody Endres who picked the Mountaineers apart for 112 yards in the 1st half. In the second half, he had 54 yards passing and 3 interceptions thrown. To his credit, some of the balls he threw today should have been caught, including the one in the 3rd quarter that I feel is when the Huskies sail was deflated.
I’m not sure there’s much else to say other than the fact that UConn was totally outplayed and outcoached in the 2nd half. The turnovers killed them as they led to three West Virginia scores in a matter of 4:26.
I don’t see Endres losing the job to Zach Frazer because of his performance today. What I see is an open quarterback competition at practice the next two weeks with the winner getting the start. It won’t matter though if the receivers drop the easy balls like they did this afternoon.
A frustrating loss for the Huskies which pretty much eliminates them from winning the title in the Big East. With 6 wins and Notre Dame more than likely stealing a bowl bid from the Big East, UConn may need to win 2 of their last 3 games to get a spot. That means they’d have to post wins in any of the 3 games remaining against Syracuse, South Florida and Pittsburgh.
Scoring:
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
| West Virginia Mountaineers | 0 | 7 | 21 | 7 | 35 |
| UConn Huskies | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
Donald Brown's spectacular TD run was one of the few bright spots of the day for the Huskies.
1st quarter
CON – Donald Brown 21 yard run (Dave Teggart PAT) – UConn 7 WVU 0
CON – Teggart 38 yard field goal – UConn 10 WVU 0
2nd quarter
WVU – Pat White 24 yard run (Pat McAfee PAT) – UConn 10 WVU 7
CON – Teggart 38 yard field goal – UConn 13 WVU 7
3rd quarter
WVU – Jock Sanders 6 yard pass from Pat White (McAfee PAT) – WVU 14 UConn 13
WVU – Sanders 3 yard run (McAfee PAT) – WVU 21 UConn 13
WVU – Sanders 3 yard run (McAfee PAT) – WVU 28 UConn 13
4th quarter
WVU – White 36 yard run (McAfee PAT) – WVU 35 UConn 13
Offensive Player of the Game:
The man UConn needed to stop is the player of the game. Pat White was 11-of-19 for 121 yards and a touchdown. He also had 21 carries for 109 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Defensive Players of the Game:
Brandon Hogan of West Virginia had 3 tackles, 2 interceptions and a fumble recovery. Scott Lutrus from UConn had 12 tackles including 1 for a loss.
Turning Point(s) of the Game:
- The dropped ball by Kashif Moore on the opening drive of the second half on 2nd & 1 turned out to be huge. On the next play from scrimmage, Moe Petrus was called for a false start and the Huskies couldn’t convert on 3rd down. It was all West Virginia after that.
- Donald Brown’s fumble late in the 3rd quarter led to West Virginia’s third touchdown of the 3rd quarter to seal the Huskies fate.
Offensive Notes:
1st qtr – 2nd & 2 CON 43 – Donald Brown rushes 3 yards for a first down
3rd & 4 WVU 48 – Cody Endres hits D.J. Hernandez for a 17 yard gain. Hernandez fumble recovered by West Virginia
1st & 10 CON 33 – Brown rushes for 11 yards and a first down
1st & 10 CON 44 – Endres hits Ellis Gaulden for 12 yards and a first down
1st & 10 WVU 44 – Brown rushes for 12 yards and a first down
It was tough going for Jordan Todman and the Huskies in the 2nd half.
2nd & 7 WVU 29 – Todman rushes for 8 yards and a first down
1st & 10 WVU 21 – Brown rushes 21 yards for a touchdown
UConn scoring drive – 7 plays 80 yards – TOP: 3:48
1st & 10 WVU 37 – Anthony Sherman rushes for 16 yards
1st & 10 WVU 21 – Brown stopped for an 11 yard loss
3rd & 20 WVU 31 – Endres hits Martin Bedard for 12 yards
UConn scoring drive – 5 plays 18 yards – TOP: 1:41
3rd & 9 CON 42 – Endres pass to Todman falls incomplete, West Virginia called for pass interference.
3rd & 6 CON 50 – Endres hits Sherman for 11 yards and a first down
1st & 10 WVU 39 – Endres hits Kashif Moore for 15 yards anda first down
1st & 10 WVU 24 – Brown stopped for a 5-yard loss
UConn scoring drive – 10 plays 38 yards – TOP: 4:34
2nd & 10 CON 37 – Endres hits Bedard for 18 yards and a first down
2nd & 3 CON 25 – Brown rushes for 6 yards and a first down
1st & 10 CON 31 – Brown rushes for 13 yards and a first down
3rd qtr – 1st & 10 CON 35 – Todman rushes for 9 yards
2nd & 1 CON 44 – Moore drops a perfect pass from Endres that probably would have been a touchdown
3rd & 1 CON 44 – Moe Petrus called for a false start
2nd & 4 CON 42 – Endres picked off by Brandon Hogan
2nd & 10 CON 32 – Endres hit Sherman for 12 yards and a first down
1st & 10 CON 44 – Brown rushes for 2 yard loss and fumbles that is recovered by West Virginia.
1st & 10 CON 23 – Todman stopped for a 1 yard loss
4th qtr – 3rd & 11 CON 22 – Endres hits Bedard for an 8 yard game
3rd & 1 CON 42 – Brown rushes for 6 yards and a first down
3rd & 8 CON 44 – Endres hits Hernandez for a 22 yard gain and a first down
1st & 10 WVU 34 – Endres pass is picked off by Mortty Ivy
2nd & 10 CON 50 – Endres pass is picked off by Hogan
Defensive Notes:
1st qtr – 1st & 10 WVU 30 – Lindsey Witten initially stops Noel Devine for a 3 yard loss. Tackle finished by Jasper Howard and Twyon Martin
3d & 1 WVU 24 – Pat White stopped for a 3 yard loss by Lawrence Wilson
2nd qtr – 1st & goal CON 15 – Alric Arnett rushes for a 4 yard loss due to his fumble that he recovered
2nd & goal CON 19 – White sacked by Twyon Martin for a 5 yard loss
The Huskies had no answers for Pat White and the Mountaineers after halftime in WVU's 35-13 win.
3rd & goal CON 24 – defense allows White to run for a touchdown
West Virginia scoring drive – 9 plays 54 yards – TOP: 3:59
3rd qtr – UConn defense allowed 3 touchdowns
4th qtr – 1st & 10 WVU 21 – Devine stopped by Howard for no gain
2nd & 10 WVU 21 – Devine stopped by Aaron Bagsby for no gain
2nd & 6 WVU 7 – White stopped for a 3 yard loss by Bagsby and Marcus Campbell
2nd & 7 WVU 19 – Devine stopped for a 1 yard loss by Scott Lutrus and Dahna Deleston
Special Teams Notes:
1st qtr – West Virginia’s Pat McAfee shanks his punt for only 15 yards
UConn’s kick return allows 44 yard kickoff return by Mark Rodgers
2nd qtr – Darius Butler returns kickoff 36 yards
Desi Cullen shanked his first punt of the day for only 23 yards.
4th qtr – Cullen’s 49 yard punt pins WVU at their 3 yard line
Injuries:
1st qtr – West Virginia’s Courtney Stuart suffered a knee injury and had to be helped off the field.
Darius Butler suffered a bad knee injury and could be lost for the season.
3rd qtr – UConn’s Darius Butler suffered a knee injury and had to be helped off the field. He was later driven by cart into the locker room.
Officials:
The officials called a good game and the replay booth got the call right when they overturned a West Virginia incomplete pass.
Game Notes:
West Virginia @ UConn 11.1.08 box score
The grass at Rentschler Field was not cut for a week in order to try and offset the speed of the Mountaineers.
There were scouts from the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts on hand to watch the game.
This was the second straight game that Donald Brown was held under 100 yards in the 1st half. He also finished a game for the 1st time with under 100 yards as the Mountaineers held him to 82 yards.
Donald Brown moved into first place on the career rushing attempts list with his current total of 585. He surpassed Terry Caulley’s previous school-record total of 570, set back in 2006.
Donald Brown’s 21-yard TD run marked the 30th rushing touchdown of his career – which ranks as the third highest in UConn career annals.
The Huskies are now 0-5 against the Mountaineers. West Virginia is still the only team in the Big East Conference that UConn has yet to defeat since joining the league.
Pat White now has over 4,000 yards rushing and 5,000 yards passing in his career.
UConn’s 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter marks the first time ever they have held West Virginia scoreless in the first quarter; this marks the fourth time this season that UConn’s defense has held an opponent scoreless in the first quarter.
Twyon Martin’s sack in the second quarter marked the first solo sack of his career.
UConn was held scoreless in the second half today; The last time UConn was held scoreless in the second half was against Wake Forest in the Meineke Car Care Bowl on December 29, 2007.
Anthony Sherman couldn't bear to watch in the loss to West Virginia.
Anthony Sherman’s 7 receptions marked a single-game best.
Big East Games and Results:
10/30:
(23) South Florida 10
Cincinnati 24
11/1
Pittsburgh
Notre Dame 2:43 PM
Louisville
Syracuse 7 PM
Things to Work On:
- Teach the receivers to catch the ball. Too many dropped passes cost the Huskies today.
- Defensively, the Huskies need to improve their tackling.
- Offensively, if Endres is the quarterback, he does need to improve his reads a little since he didn’t see the defenders on two of his interceptions.
- Get healthy. The injury to Butler could be costly for the Huskies if it turns out to be serious.
Up Next:
The Huskies are off next week. They will head to Syracuse to take on the Orange on November 15th. The game time hasn’t been announced yet.
