QBs’ struggles matched only by porous defense Lots of lessons in rout by UCF
ORLANDO, Fla. — UConn dropped its third straight game Saturday night, falling 56-21 to No. 22 UCF at Spectrum Stadium. Here is the good, the bad and the ugly from the loss:
The good
After taking over from Jack Zergiotis midway through the first quarter and struggling on his first few drives, quarterback Steven Krajewski played well during the second half Saturday. The redshirt freshman collected the first three touchdown passes of his college career and finished with 273 yards, while completing 23 of 33 attempts. He’ll be UConn’s starter moving forward and could boost an offense that has struggled for much of the season.
Running back Kevin Mensah emerged from a funk, rushing for 123 yards on 23 carries.
Freshman receiver Cam Ross enjoyed the best game of his young career, with six catches for 91 yards and a touchdown.
UConn’s 426 yards of total offense marked a season high.
Defensive end Kevon Jones and linebacker Omar Fortt had sacks for the
Huskies.
The bad
UConn kicker Clay Harris missed both his fieldgoal attempts — one from 52 yards and one from 40.
The Huskies committed seven penalties, costing them 60 yards.
UCF quarterbacks completed 21 of 31 passes for a total of 377 yards and four touchdowns.
UConn converted only 4 of 14 third-down attempts, compared to 4 of 9 for UCF.
Returner Art Thompkins had a knee on the ground when he picked up a third-quarter kickoff at the 2-yard line, leaving UConn buried deep in its own territory. (Thompkins otherwise had a strong day in the return game, averaging 28 yards on three returns.)
The ugly
Starting quarterback Jack Zergiotis stumbled for the second straight week. He threw an interception on his first drive, fumbled on his second and went three-and-out (with negative yardage) on his third, before being replaced. It could be some time before he gets another chance.
In total, UConn quarterbacks committed four turnovers. After Zergiotis’s two giveaways, Krajewski threw a pick-six on his first attempt and later fumbled. The Huskies had two additional fumbles that they managed to jump on, preserving possession.
UConn allowed three plays of at least 70 yards in the first half. Two of them went for touchdowns. Safety Tyler Coyle blamed the big plays on defensive technique.
UCF scored touchdowns on five of its first seven drives of the game and led 42-0 at halftime. The Knights extended their lead to 56-0 before UConn’s three late touchdowns.
UCF finished with 610 yards on the night, including 230 on the ground.
Alex Putterman can be reached at aputterman@courant.com.