EAST HARTFORD – It was too little, too late for the UConn football team as it dropped its first game at Rentschler Field this season to a better-than-its-record Wake Forest team, 23-20.
Down 10 with just over six minutes remaining, UConn’s offense pulled together a 13-play drive complete with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Nick Evers to tight end Louis Hansen. Down three, the Huskies’ defense got the ball back to their offense with two minutes remaining and the crowd of 30,122 came to life.
UConn’s final drive started with a 21-yard completion to TJ Sheffield just before the two-minute timeout, but two incompletions and a false start after a gain of seven led to another incomplete pass that ended the game.
The loss was UConn’s first since it came up short in slightly similar fashion against another ACC opponent, Duke, in Week 3.
UConn (4-3) managed 304 total yards of offense to the Wake Forest’s 397, turned the ball over once and punted six times with five 3-and-outs on 13 total possessions.
Evers, returning after missing the Temple game two weeks ago, finished with 264 passing yards on 26-for-43 passing with two touchdowns and an interception. Struggling with the size of the Demon Deacons’ defensive line, UConn managed only 40 rushing yards on 25 attempts (1.6 yards per carry).
Jasaiah Gathings was the Huskies’ leading receiver with seven catches for 75 yards and a touchdown.
UConn’s pass rush, helped by the season-debut of redshirt junior defensive lineman Pryce Yates, who’d been out with a head injury, caused problems for the Demon Deacons’ slow mesh offense to start the game.
After Evers forced a pass over the middle and was intercepted on the Huskies’ second drive, UConn defensive lineman Jevon Banks came up with a 1st down sack and Wake Forest wasn’t able to regroup. They punted on each of their first two drives, and a strong 3rd down pass rush from Jayden McDonald held them to a 33-yard field goal after getting into the red zone on their third series.
The Huskies lost a pair of offensive linemen in Ben Murawski and Kyle Jeurgens, both at the guard spot, and their running game suffered. But Evers spread the ball around and moved the Huskies down the field with his arm on their fourth series, which stalled inside the Wake 20-yard line. Kicker Chris Freeman tied the score with a 35-yard field goal.
Wake Forest QB Hank Bachmeier completed a 41-yard pass to Micah Mays Jr., which set up a five-yard rushing score for Demond Claiborne. It was the only touchdown of the first half.
UConn’s defense held strong again in the red zone, forcing another field goal (31 yards), and Freeman responded with a career-long kick from 53 yards. Running their two-minute offense, Wake Forest moved back into the red zone and looked as if it would tack on another score just before the half, but defensive back Cam Chadwick had other plans. The UConn DB, who returned this week from a head injury, intercepted Bachmeier’s pass in the end zone and UConn kneeled into the half trailing 13-6.
Claiborne punched in another touchdown from the goal line on the Demon Deacons’ opening drive in the second half, set up by another explosive pass play.
Mel Brown returned the ensuing kickoff all the way to midfield and UConn’s offense took advantage of the field position. A pair of 3rd down runs moved the ball to the 20-yard line and Evers threw a perfect 20-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jasaiah Gathings, who had three catches on the drive, to bring the Huskies’ deficit back to seven.
Wake Forest drove down the field in response, but had its 42-yard field goal attempt blocked by Dal’Mont Gourdine. The Demon Deacons drove down inside the 10 on their next drive, but a sack from McDonald on 3rd-and-goal held them to a 36-yard field goal, which made the score 23-13 with just over 11 minutes remaining in the game.
After starting the half with a touchdown, UConn’s offense wasn’t able to get anything going. The Huskies went 3-and-out on their next three possessions and the crowd voiced its displeasure with a decision to punt on 4th-and-1 with 10 minutes left.
Evers tossed a 25-yard touchdown pass to Hansen on 3rd-and-15 to bring the Huskies within three. UConn got the ball back to its offense with only 25 seconds coming off the clock during the Demon Deacons’ ensuing drive, but failed to convert on 4th-and-8 on what appeared to be a missed pass interference call.
UConn returns to Rentschler Field for a 3:30 p.m. matchup against Rice on Saturday.
