Home, no improvement
Huskies, looking for bounceback, commit numerous errors, fall to FCS Crusaders
EAST HARTFORD — The UConn football team, seven days removed from a shutout loss at Fresno State, had to be looking at Saturday’s home opener against Holy Cross at Rentschler Field as the perfect opportunity to rebound.
An FCS program, the Crusaders hadn’t beaten an FBS team since 2002. The Huskies, hungry for their first victory in over 670 days and maybe a little embarrassed after a season-opening thumping, were primed to start fresh at home against one of the few opponents they will be favored to beat this season.
Instead it was Holy Cross that did the thumping.
The Crusaders, a 2 ½-point underdog, controlled the tempo in their season-opening game from the start. They scored first, didn’t rattle when the 0-2 Huskies took the lead and forced four turnovers in a 38-28 win. The last time UConn lost to an FCS team was in 2013 against Towson.
“I think everybody is angry,” sophomore linebacker Jackson Mitchell said. “This is a game we should have won and we had chances to win and we let it slip away. Yeah, we’re angry. It’s embarrassing anytime someone comes on your field and they dance in the middle of your field after they beat you.”
Holy Cross scored first, but UConn answered with consecutive touchdowns — one on a