Huskies Upend Rice on the Road

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HOUSTON, Texas – UConn r-junior quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson (Orange, N.J.) threw for 215 yards and a pair of touchdowns and the defense forced four turnovers as the Huskies went on the road and earned their first win of the 2023 campaign, beating Rice, 38-31, Saturday night at Rice Stadium in front of 21,207.

UConn (1-5) fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter but scored 28 unanswered points into the third to take a lead they would never relinquish. Senior linebacker Jackson Mitchell (Ridgefield, Conn.) had a fumble return for a 50-yard touchdown and r-junior Jelani Stafford (Brownsville, Pa.) scored twice from the one-yard line for the Huskies who scored their most points (38) since a 2019 win at UMass, 56-35.

Rice (3-3) quarterback JT Daniels threw for 362 yards and two touchdowns while Luke McCaffrey caught seven for 100 yards and both of his scores.

The Huskies forced a three-and-out one on the game’s first possession and got great field position on the Rice 42 but missed a chance for the game’s first points when a Joe McFadden (Grapevine, Texas) field goal missed its mark. Rice responded with a six-play drive and running back Juma Otoviano scoring on a 24-yard run through the middle for a 7-0 lead at 6:53.

Rice went up 14-0 on their next drive as Otoviano scored for the second time, capping an eight-play drive that covered 78 yards on a run from seven yards out. The UConn defense switched the momentum, creating a turnover on Rice’s next drive to set up a first and goal. R-sophomore Pryce Yates (San Antonio, Texas) got a strip-sack of Daniels at the Rice six-yard line and Stafford covered up at the two-yard line. Two plays later, the Husky defensive lineman plunged in from a yard out for his fourth score of the season. The extra point attempt was blocked, leaving the Huskies trailing 14-6 with 10:49 left in the half.

The UConn defense came up with another big play after a big kick return by Rice. A backward pass from Daniels to wideout Braylen Walker fell short and UConn’s Mitchell was there to scoop the loose ball and return it 50-yards for his second career touchdown to make it 14-13 with 9:54 left. The Huskies would make it 20 unanswered points on their next possession as Roberson hit a streaking Cam Ross (Newark, Del.) on a 41-yard pitch-and-catch in the endzone to make it 20-14 at the 3:48 mark. That’s where it would stay after Rice’s Tim Horn missed a field goal just before the half.

The Huskies rolled out of the locker room and took the opening second-half kick-off for a seven-play drive where short-yardage specialist Stafford got his second of the day from a yard out followed by a Roberson to Justin Joly (New Rochelle, N.Y.) two-point try to push the UConn lead to 28-17 to start the third. Rice ended the Huskies 28-point run on the ensuing possession as Daniels put together a 14-play drive that covered 80 yards and was topped off by finding Luke McCaffrey on a third and goal from the four to pull within 28-21 with 7:45 left in the quarter.

The fourth quarter started with UConn extending the lead to 31-21 on a McFadden 47-yard field goal, matching his career-long set in 2021 against Mid Tennessee at home. Rice answered with a Daniels to McCaffrey 30-yard hook-up to pull within 31-28 with just under seven to play. The Huskies would quickly respond and Roberson hit for another big play, finding his tight end Joly for a 59-yard touchdown that helped seal away the win. After a late Horn 23-yard field goal, Joly would recover the onside kick with 40 seconds left to seal the win.

The sophomore tight end finished with seven catches for 96 yards in the win. Sophomore. Victor Rosa (Bristol, Conn.) rushed for 89 yards on 18 carries to pace the ground game.

Up Next:

The Huskies have their bye week upcoming and return to action on Saturday, October 21 when they host the USF Bulls at home at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. The game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. and will be carried on CBS Sports Network.