EAST HARTFORD – Riding another dominant defensive performance, the UConn football offense woke up and put the game away in the second half for a 17-10 win over Rice at Rentschler Field.
The teams almost mirrored each other – the only difference being Nick Evers’ fumble that led to an early Rice field goal – until Durell Robinson broke free for a 68-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. UConn’s defense continually swallowed the Owls, who didn’t help themselves with penalties, and Cam Edwards punched in another TD from the 4-yard line as the Huskies extended their lead in the fourth quarter.
After UConn added a field goal, Rice returned the kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to make the score 17-10 with 3 and a half minutes left.
UConn held on and improved to 5-3 on the year and 5-1 at Rentschler Field, where it will host Georgia State in the final home game of the season at 7 p.m. on Friday night.
Evers continued to struggle with consistency on Saturday, but again improved in the second half as he went 9-for-28 with 128 passing yards, plus the fumble and an interception. Rice freshman QB Drew Devillier made his first career start in place of the injured EJ Warner and finished 13-for-28 with just 60 yards passing.
UConn had only allowed five sacks entering the game (seventh in the FBS) but the Huskies’ offensive line was overpowered in pass protection and Evers went down twice in the first quarter. On the second sack, the ball was ripped from Evers and recovered by the Owls in scoring territory. Dal’Mont Gourdine batted down a pass on 3rd-and-3 and Rice had to settle for a 23-yard field goal from kicker Tim Horn to get on the board first.
Offense was hard to come by for both teams.
UConn had just 27 total yards after its first four drives and doubled the number on a 28-yard pass from Evers to TJ Sheffield down the sideline. Evers was intercepted by Rice safety Gabriel Taylor on the next play.
The Huskies did drive into field goal range early in the second quarter, but Chris Freeman’s 53-yard attempt missed wide right. Freeman was 11 for his last 11 field goal attempts before the miss, which would’ve tied the career-long he set last week.
Seconds before the end of the first half, Rice in field goal territory, Devillier tried to spike the ball to stop the clock but never secured the snap. The mishap resulted in an intentional grounding penalty and a 10-second runoff, which ended the half with the Owls ahead, 3-0.
At halftime, Rice had 103 total yards to UConn’s 70.
Robinson’s 68-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter held as the Huskies’ only score as they led, 7-3, entering the fourth. Evers completed a 17-yard pass to tight end Lou Hansen and a 34-yarder to Skyler Bell, which put the Huskies’ inside the 10 and set up Edwards’ touchdown run with 10 minutes to go in the game.
Robinson finished with 132 yards on 15 carries.
A 30-yard field goal from Freeman put the Huskies’ up two scores and, after the kick return, UConn ran the clock down to seal the game.
