Huskies Run Their Way To Historic 33-30 Win Over Notre Dame

Ever since the passing of Jasper Howard, the UConn Huskies football team has gone through a gauntlet of emotions.

They played West Virginia close and almost pulled off the upset in their first game since his death losing by four points late in the game. UConn then heads to Miami to bury their fallen teammate just two days later.

Then came one of Howard’s best friends, Tim Brown, catching the game-winning touchdown late to give Rutgers a four-point victory. Finally, the Huskies fell behind the Cincinnati Bearcats big only to see their rally fall short.

Saturday afternoon they fell behind early to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Late in the fourth quarter, Huskies running back Andre Dixon ran for not one but two touchdowns only to have them called back on penalties. Then kicker Dave Teggart misses a game-winning 37 yard field goal with no time left in the fourth quarter.

You could hear the collective sigh of UConn Country saying “Here we go again, we’re going to lose another close game.”

But my friends that was simply not the case.

After matching touchdowns in the first overtime, UConn’s defense held strong and the Irish had to settle for a field goal.

Then UConn’s strength took over as they ran the ball four straight times after an incomplete pass, the final one a four yard scamper into the end zone for Dixon to give the Huskies a 33-30 over the Irish in front of a sold-out Notre Dame Stadium.

Since their rise to the FBS, there have been some good wins over good programs but they really lacked a signature win. Saturday’s win over Notre Dame gives them that signature win.  Sure the Irish are struggling and their head coach Charlie Weis will probably find himself out of a job at the end of the season but for some people, Notre Dame is college football.

They are a storied program or should I say, they were a storied program.  Nonetheless, it’s a win that this UConn football program desperately needed. You can only think that this win on national television over Irish will do wonders for Randy Edsall’s recruiting efforts.

With another win, the Huskies become bowl eligible but it will probably take wins in their final two games to secure a bowl berth. It can be done folks, we just have to have faith.

Somewhere in heaven, Jazz is smiling down on his teammates and the UConn football program and rightfully so.

Scoring:

1st quarter

ND – Golden Tate 8 yd pass from Jimmy Clausen (David Ruffer kick) – Notre Dame 7 UConn 0

2nd quarter

ND – Jimmy Clausen 1 yd run (David Ruffer kick) – Notre Dame 14 UConn 0

CON – Jordan Todman 43 yd run (Dave Teggart kick) – Notre Dame 14 UConn 7

CON – Dave Teggart 39 yd field goal – Notre Dame 14 UConn 10

3rd quarter

ND – David Ruffer 20 yd field goal – Notre Dame 17 UConn 10

CON – Jordan Todman 96 yd kickoff return (Dave Teggart kick) – UConn 17 Notre Dame 17

4th quarter

ND – David Ruffer 23 yd field goal – Notre Dame 20 UConn 17

CON – Dave Teggart 29 yd field goal – UConn 20 Notre Dame 20

1st OT

CON – Kashif Moore 11 yd pass from Zach Frazer (Dave Teggart kick) – UConn 27 Notre Dame 20

ND – Michael Floyd 4 yd pass from Jimmy Clausen (David Ruffer kick) – UConn 27 Notre Dame 27

2nd OT

ND – David Ruffer 36 yd field goal – Notre Dame 30 UConn 27

CON – Andre Dixon 4 yd run – UConn 33 Notre Dame 30

Offensive Players of the Game:

The dynamic running duo for UConn takes home offensive player of the game honors.

Jordan Todman had 26 carries for 130 yards and a touchdown. He also returned a kickoff for 96 yards for a touchdown.

Andre Dixon ran 20 times for 114 yards and the game-winning touchdown.

Defensive Player of the Game:

Also another double winner as defensive players of the game.

Lawrence Wilson, the Big East leader in tackles, added 16 to his total while Scott Lutrus had 14 tackles.

Turning Point(s) of the Game:

1. Trailing by seven points, Jordan Todman returns a kickoff after a Notre Dame field goal to tie the game up in the third quarter.
2. After a UConn field goal to tie the game at 20 late in the 4th quarter, Armando Allen fumbled the ball that was recovered by UConn. The Huskies drove down the field only to have Dave Teggart miss the game-winning 37 yard field goal.
3. Andre Dixon’s four yard run in the second overtime gave the Huskies their first win since the passing of Jasper Howard.

Offensive Notes:

• Zach Frazer was 12-of-25 for 141 yards with a touchdown and interception
• Jordan Todman had 26 carries for 130 yards and a touchdown. He also returned a kickoff for 96 yards for a touchdown
• Andre Dixon ran 20 times for 114 yards and the game-winning touchdown
• Marcus Easley had four catches for 67 yards while Ryan Griffin had three catches for 33 yards
• Kashif Moore, celebrating his 21st birthday, had two catches for 13 yards and a touchdown

Defensive Notes:

• Lawrence Wilson, the Big East leader in tackles, added 16 to his total while Scott Lutrus had 14 tackles
• Both Robert McClain and Robert Vaughn had eight tackles
• Kendall Reyes had five tackles and a sack while Lindsey Witten had four tackles and a sack
• Twyon Martin and Trevardo Williams also added sacks

Special Teams Notes:

• Jordan Todman returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown and finished with 156 return yards
• Robert McClain returned three punts for 43 yards
• Dave Teggart made field goals of 29 yards and 39 yards while missing from 37 yards
• Ray Guy Award semifinalist Desi Cullen had six punts with an average of 41.3 yards. Two of those punts were downed inside the 20

Officials:

Officials: Referee: Pat Garvey; Umpire: Jeff Akers; Linesman: T. Considine; Line judge: Tod Reese; Back judge: Mark McAnaney; Field judge: Rick Santilli; Side judge: B. Vasconcells

Game Notes:

UConn Huskies @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish 11.21.09 box score

Here are some quotes from UConn head coach Randy Edsall’s postgame press conference.

Game notes courtesy of the UConn Sports Information Department:

The Huskies are now 1-0 all time against Notre Dame winning their first meeting with the Fighting Irish in the history of the two programs.

UConn improves to 4-1 on the season when they take on non-conference opponents.

The Huskies are now 19-25 on the road since joining the FBS in 2002.

UConn is now 22-15 in games following a loss since 2002.

UConn holds an impressive 37-16 record over non-conference opponents since 2002 winning 12 of their last 15 games.

The four-yard TD run by Dixon was the 10th fantastic finish for the Huskies in their FBS era, the fourth in overtime and the second in the second overtime period. It is the first fantastic finish for the Huskies this season.

The kickoff return for a touchdown by Jordan Todman was the first of his career and tied the game at 17-17.

With Andre Dixon and Jordan Todman recording 100-yard rushing games today, this is the third time this season the duo has teamed up for the feat, and the first since the Huskies played Baylor on September 19.

The 100-yard game was the fourth this season for Todman and fourth of his career.

Big East Games and Results:

Louisville 22
South Florida 34

Rutgers 13
Syracuse 31

Things to Work On:

• As effective as the running game was, the play calling needs to be a little more balanced as you would expect Syracuse and South Florida to stack the box.
• Dave Teggart needs to work on his technique. Whether it was the pressure of a game-winning field or not, he had made one from 39 yards earlier in the game.

Up Next:

The Huskies return home to Rentschler Field next Saturday to take on the Syracuse Orange. Game time is scheduled for 12 p.m.