UConn Pulls Off the Upset of West Virginia 16-13 in OT

Nobody gave the UConn Huskies a chance to win against the West Virginia Mountaineers. And how could you.

The Huskies had been struggling the past few weeks and had been dealing with the suspension of Cody Endres and eventual departure of Endres along with starting offensive lineman Erik Kuraczea. They hadn’t scored a point in their last six quarters entering Friday night.

UConn didn’t get off to the best of starts on Friday night as they fell behind 10-0 and went three and out on their first five possessions. But as Zach Frazer got more comfortable at quarterback, the UConn defense stepped up it’s game eventually helping the Huskies pull off the 16-13 upset of the Mountaineers in overtime in front of a sold-out crowd at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT and a nationally televised audience.

With the win, the Huskies get to .500 at 4-4 and pick up their first Big East win (1-2). It’s the second straight loss for the Mountaineers as they fall to 5-3 (1-2). It’s also the first ever win for the Huskies over the Mountaineers. UConn was 0-6 before the win on Friday night.

So how did the Huskies pull this win off?

Well after allowing a big play for a touchdown in the 1st quarter, the defense stiffened up. And with Frazer getting a little more comfortable at quarterback, the offense was also able to move the ball. UConn did go three and out on it’s first five possessions but that streak ended when Frazer rushed for a first down. Yes our mobile quarterback Frazer.

UConn went to their two minute offense and drove the ball down the field at the end of the first half setting up the first of three Dave Teggart field goals. They came out in the two minute offense in the second half and that helped the Huskies continue to push the ball down field.

And while this was happening, the Huskies continued to make big plays on defense. They ended up with four fumble recoveries on the night. And normally when you can win the turnover battle, you can win the game.

The biggest fumble recovery came in overtime when West Virginia running back Ryan Clarke fumbled after the Mountaineers had the ball 1st and goal at UConn’s one. The Huskies took over and had Jordan Todman pound the ball, setting up the game-winning field goal for Dave Teggart.

This is an absolutely huge win for the Huskies. It could be a season saver as of right now.

Just when it looked like the Huskies could be playing out the string, they showed the naysayers, including myself, that this season is not over yet. Hopefully, they can continue this when they face the Pittsburgh Panthers on November 11th.

Scoring:

1st quarter

WVU – 10:15 – Brad Starks 53 Yd Run. (Tyler Bitancurt Kick) – WVU 7 UConn 0

WVU – 4:03 – Tyler Bitancurt 36 Yd Field Goal – WVU 10 UConn 0

2nd quarter

CON – 00:01 – Dave Teggart 39 Yd Field Goal – WVU 10 UConn 3

3rd quarter

CON – 6:17 – Jordan Todman 24 Yd Run. (Dave Teggart Kick) – UConn 10 WVU 10

WVU – 1:46 – Tyler Bitancurt 42 Yd – WVU 13 UConn 10

4th quarter

CON – 10:48 – Dave Teggart 26 Yd Field Goal – UConn 13 WVU 13

Overtime

CON – Dave Teggart 27 Yd Field Goal – UConn 16 WVU 13

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Offensive Player of the Game:

Pressed into action on short notice, Zach Frazer had a decent game. While he didn’t throw for any touchdowns, he was able to help lead the Huskies down field once he got comfortable after not playing since the Buffalo game. He finished 18-of-29 for 166 yards.

Defensive Players of the Game:

There’s no doubt about this one, it’s linebacker Sio Moore.

Moore had a game-high 17 tackles, 13 of the solo variety and three for losses. He also forced two fumbles and had two fumble recoveries.

Turning Point(s) of the Game:

Zach Frazer’s 40 yard pass to Kashif Moore in the 4th quarter put the Huskies in field goal range. Teggart was able to convert the field goal to tie the game at 13.

With West Virginia having the ball first and goal at the UConn 1 in overtime, Ryan Clark fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Lawrence Wilson. The Huskies took over and eventually Teggart kicked the game-winning field goal.

Offensive Notes:

Making his first start since the Buffalo game in September, Zach Frazer was 18-of-29 for 166 yards. Jordan Todman tied his career-high with 33 rushes that went for 113 yards and one touchdown. Todman also had four catches for 28 yards. Michael Smith caught six balls for 56 yards while Kashif Moore had two catches for 47 yards.

Defensive Notes:

Sio Moore had a game-high 17 tackles, 13 of the solo variety and three for losses. He also forced two fumbles and had two fumble recoveries. Harris Agbor had eight tackles while Jerome Junior had seven including one for a loss. Lawrence Wilson had six tackles, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries including a huge one in overtime. Jesse Joseph had three tackles and one sack that went for an eight yard loss.

Special Teams Notes:

Dave Teggart was a perfect 3-of-3 on field goals. He hit from 39 yards, 26 yards and 27 yards. He also made his only extra point. Cole Wagner had nine punts with a long of  62 yards. Three of those punts were downed inside the 20 yard line. One of Chad Christen’s four kickoffs went out-of-bounds. Totally unacceptable in my book.

Injuries:

UConn running back Jordan Todman injured his elbow again in the second quarter but returned to the game.

UConn safety Harris Agbor suffered an unknown injury.

Officials:

Referee: Jerry McGinn; Umpire: Richard Feeney; Linesman: M. Fitzgerald; Line judge: Ralph Newell; Back judge: James Downey; Field judge: Glenn Crowther; Side judge: B. Vasconcells; Scorer: Andrew Prince;

Game Notes:

West Virginia Mountaineers @ UConn Huskies 10.29.10 box score

Here are the postgame quotes from WVU head coach Bill Stewart and UConn head coach Randy Edsall along with some of the players from both teams.

The following game notes are courtesty of the UConn Athletics Communications Department:

• Tonight’s win is the first in BIG EAST play (1-2) for the Huskies and evens their overall record (4-4)
• This is UConn’s first victory over West Virginia
• Dave Teggart nailed a 27-yard field goal in the first overtime to cement the UConn win
• Tonight’s game was the first overtime affair since the Huskies faced Notre Dame (11/21/09)
• Zach Frazer makes his fifth start of the season (first since 9/25 vs. Buffalo); he is the third different starting quarterback the Huskies have used this season
• Jordan Todman’s 4-yard carry in the first quarter pushes him into fifth all-time in rushing at UConn (2,438 yards)
• Jordan Todman scored a third quarter touchdown that ties him for fourth all-time in rushing TDs at UConn (26)
• Todman rushed for 113 yards on career-high tying 33 carries; also he hauled in a career-high four receptions
• UConn did not register a first quarter first down
• Cole Wagner’s 63-yard punt in the second quarter extended his streak of having a punt downed inside the 20 in every game this season
• Sio Moore forced and recovered two fumbles, collected 17 tackles, and registered 3.0 TFL
• Michael Smith led the Husky receiving attack with 6 catches and 56 yards; he has a reception in every game this season
• Kashif Moore extended his streak of games with multiple receptions to ten
• Ryan Griffin finished with ­­­3 receptions for 17 yards giving him at least three catches in four straight games
• Lawrence Wilson recovered a fumble on West Virginia’s first OT possession

Big East Games and Results:

Saturday, October 30

Louisville
Pittsburgh, 12:00 p.m.

Syracuse
Cincinnati, 12:00 p.m.

Things to Work On:

• Head coach Randy Edsall has a decision to make. Does he stick with Zach Frazer at quarterback or does he go back to Michael Box? Honestly, I can’t see how he doesn’t keep Frazer there right now.
• Make sure Zach Frazer gets enough reps. He was the No. 3 QB for a few weeks and didn’t take snaps with the first team until Thursday. The rust showed early but he rebounded. More reps will only help him and UConn get better.
• Have Chad Christen keep his kickoffs on the field. The one he kicked out of bounds could have cost the Huskies the game.
• Keep working on preventing the big play. The Huskies defense allowed only one big play but turned up their game and were pretty solid from that point forward.

Up Next:

The Huskies are off next week and return to action on Thursday, November 11th when they’ll host the Pittsburgh Panthers at Rentschler Field at 7:30 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.

Photo credits (in order of photo): AP Photo, AP Photo, Michael McAndrews – Hartford Courant