UCF drills UConn in opener
Despite a scary start, UCF looked like it hadn’t missed a beat under new UCF coach Josh Heupel.
The No. 21 Knights jumped out to quick 14-0 lead before cruising to a 56-17 win over UConn last night in East
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Hartford, Conn.
“I thought we came out and played really well,” Heupel said after earning his first victory leading a college program. “1-0. It’s never as good and never as bad as it seems. I’m proud of the way our kids competed. I loved the energy from them.
“I’ve never not had fun. I was really calm for whatever reason I was less nervous than I was as a coordinator. The energy and environment inside our building is pretty special.”
The evening, however, started out on a somber note after UCF defensive back Aaron Robinson was injured during the opening kickoff. The redshirt sophomore was down on the field surrounded by athletic trainers for about 10 minutes before being carted off the field.
“He’s going to be OK,” Heupel said of Robinson. “He’s going to stay overnight.”
UConn looked impressive on its first drive, moving the football down the field to the UCF 36-yard line before middle linebacker Pat Jasinski forced the ball out of Zavier Scott’s hand and Richie Grant recovered the ball at the 39.
“One of the most important parts for a defense is creating turnovers,” Jasinski said.
He said Grant’s big play helped shift the momentum in UCF’s favor early.
“It was huge,” Jasinski said. “They were driving on us and we were having some difficulties. Richie coming up with that play was huge.”
The Knights (1-0, 1-0 AAC) wasted little time in moving the football, driving 61 yards on 10 plays capped off by a two-yard touchdown run by Adrian Killins. The drive took just 2:07 off the clock.
The Huskies (0-1, 0-1) struggled on their next possession, going a quick threeand-out.
UCF took over deep in its own territory but moved the ball downfield quickly before quarterback McKenzie Milton scrambled to his right. He listed the football 34 yards downfield to Tre Nixon, who reached out to snag it for a touchdown in the back of the end zone. The score put the Knights up 14-0 with nine minutes left in the first quarter.
UConn put together a 13play drive capped by a 44yard field goal to cut the lead to 14-3.
Four plays, 76 yards and 53 seconds later, Milton zipped a pass to Gabe Davis for a 10yard touchdown that put the Knights up 21-3 with more than eight minutes left in the first half.
But David Pindell wasn’t going to let UConn go down quietly. The Huskies quarterback led his team on another long drive spanning 10 plays before connecting with Tyler Davis for a 5-yard touchdown that brought the home crowd to life and cut the lead to 21-10 with 4:04 left in the first half.
Milton didn’t waste much time on the ensuing possession for UCF, connecting with Dredrick Snelson on three consecutive passes of 12, 26 and 31 yards before hitting Otis Anderson out of the backfield for a five-yard touchdown pass that extended the lead to 28-10 at the half.
UCF, which averaged 530 yards of total offense last season, amassed more than 616 yards of total offense against an overwhelmed Huskies defense.
Maine 35, New Hampshire 7 — In Orono, Maine, Chris Ferguson threw two touchdown passes and Drew Belcher added a 52-yard scoring toss as the Black Bears pounded the Wildcats in the 107th meeting between the two schools.
Ferguson threw for 199 yards and Belcher tossed just one pass, but he also hauled in five passes from Ferguson for 34 yards. Jaquan Blair grabbed three tosses for 70 yards and a score. Joe Fitzpatrick rushed 17 times for 76 yards and a touchdown for the Black Bears.
Maine jumped out to a 22-0 halftime advantage and eased to the victory.
Christian Lupoli threw for 98 yards and one score to lead New Hampshire.
Ball State 42, Central Conn. 6— Riley Neal threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns and the Cardinals amassed a school-record 652 offensive yards in a win over the Blue Devils in Muncie, Ind.
West Chester 44, Bentley 6 — A.J. Long threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more as the Golden Rams trounced the Falcons in Waltham.