UConn are Bowl Eligible For The First Time Since 2015

A seven-year postseason drought will end for the Connecticut Huskies this year after Jim Mora’s squad secured their sixth win of the season on Saturday. Six wins are more than what the program accrued from 2018 to 2021.

UConn defeated fellow FBS Independent Liberty in East Hartford by a score of 36-33. The Flames were ranked #19 in both the AFCA Coaches Poll and the AP Poll entering this week’s game. The victory marked just the fourth time that the Huskies beat an opponent ranked in the AP poll. 2015 was also the last time that the Huskies beat a ranked opponent.

The Huskies’ defense made critical stops on Liberty’s last three drives of the game to put themselves in position. Quarterback Zion Turner hit Kevens Clercius for the go-ahead touchdown pass with 5:43 remaining.

Turner finished the game with 15 completions on 21 attempts for 103 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Turner also rushed for 23 yards on five carries. Robert Burns was the Huskies’ leading rusher with 104 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Freshman running back Victor Rosa also scored two touchdowns with 62 yards on ten carries.

Despite the loss, Liberty had more total yardage than UConn with 474 yards compared to 318. The Flames also had two 100-yard rushers in this game, seemingly making up for the production lost by the injury to Dae Dae Hunter last week. TJ Green had 24 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown. Demario Douglas had two carries for 105 yards and a touchdown. Douglas had a 75-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.

The Huskies have one game remaining with road date against Army on November 19. Liberty, now 8-2, have home games against Virginia Tech and New Mexico State remaining in the regular season.