Does UConn Have More Magic for a Late-Season Bowl Run?

The streak is over.

The victory formation in the final seconds of Saturday’s 37-29 win against UCF marked the end of the Huskies’ five-game losing streak, gave the Knights their first ever American Athletic Conference loss, and most importantly, kept UConn’s bowl hopes alive.

The six wins needed for an invite to a bowl game are still within reach for UConn (2-6, 1-4) if they win out the rest of their schedule. It’s a tough task to say the least, but with back-to-back impressive outings against two of the best teams in the AAC, the Huskies have me believing, and they will make a believer out of you too.

A late-season rally would be nothing new to UConn’s program, as last year’s campaign started out with nine straight losses before the Huskies were able to regroup three straight wins to close out the season.

Before UConn continues its winning ways in conference play, it will have to play the Knights. No, not a rematch with UCF, but rather an FBS Independent in Army. Both teams will come in with an identical 2-6 record, and both with hopes to return to a bowl game for the first time since the 2010 season.

The Huskies will get a week of rest before hosting Cincinnati in a much more winnable game than was thought to be a few weeks ago. With Gunner Kiel still recovering from a rib injury, head coach Tommy Tuberville has stated that backup Munchie Legaux will remain the starter until Kiel is back to 100 percent. Legaux played well against the Bearcats’ win against Tulane, but with a tough matchup against ECU next week before coming to East Hartford, the quarterback situation might not be so clear two weeks from now.

If UConn makes it this far without another loss, Memphis will try to play the spoiler role and get revenge from last year’s regular season finale that resulted in a lopsided 45-10 win for the Huskies, and a school passing record for former quarterback Casey Cochran. Now with the team in a coach/mentor role, Cochran will be giving Chandler Whitmer important insight for this must-win game for bowl eligibility, compared to when he prepared for the Tigers last year for nothing but pride. However, Memphis is a different monster this year, as it averages 36.3 points per game.

Some magic in Memphis may be necessary in order for the Huskies to complete a turnaround second half of the season. The Huskies should be gearing up for postseason play if they make it this far, barring any major injuries or late surprises like a bad infomercial.

But wait, there’s more!

UConn will end the regular season with a matchup with the, as of now, winless SMU Mustangs. This is the perfect trap game for the Huskies if this game determines bowl eligibility.

Despite SMU’s serious offensive woes, the Mustangs are hungry to shake up the AAC. Their only game with multiple touchdowns this year came against ECU, surprisingly, and a victory to spoil a late season rally against the Huskies would be the highlight to their winless campaign. SMU should be at a disadvantage in the Dec. 6 matchup with the cold New England weather likely to play a role. UCF didn’t seem to be comfortable in the cold and wet conditions of Connecticut, but then again, the elements could work against the Huskies just as much, or worse than their opponents. They only have familiarity on their side.

Last year’s late rally was without any reward, but with an opportunity to break even for the season and bowl eligibility on the line for the rest of the season, UConn can surely pull it together for another fantastic finish.