For the first time in 13 years, overtime decided the UConn football team’s 27-20 fall to Syracuse on Saturday at the JMA Wireless Dome.
The Huskies last won in triple overtime against Louisville in 2012, but this wasn’t the case this time around.
On a fourth down with 23 seconds remaining in the game, Skyler Bell hauled in a 27-yard bomb from quarterback Joe Fagnano. On the Orange’s 48-yard line, the duo reconnected for 16 yards, putting UConn on the 23-yard line. Chris Freeman exploited the field positioning, kicking a 41-yard field goal, tying the matchup 20-20 and forcing overtime for Connecticut.
Syracuse struck first as Steve Angeli found Justus Ross-Simmons for a 6-yard touchdown, giving them a 27-20 lead. The Huskies struggled to execute plays, moving the chains once after accepting a pass interference call. With extra downs, the program strived for the equalizer but could not cross the goal line.
For the Huskies, the biggest challenge came in the third and fourth quarters, as they punted away six consecutive drives. The Orange capitalized on this, as Yasin Willis rushed 3 yards for 6 points, while Ross-Simmons snagged a 53-yard touchdown and a 2-point conversion.
“We played hard, but we didn’t make plays when we needed to make plays,” said UConn Head Coach Jim Mora in his opening statement at the postgame press conference.
“I’m talking about everyone, not just the players. When I say make plays, I’m talking about staff, coaches,” Mora added.
Throughout the clash, third downs stumped both teams. Connecticut advanced on four of 17 attempts, while Syracuse converted five of 15 tries.
The Huskies sparked the first end zone appearance on a trick play, with 14 minutes and 55 seconds left in the second half. Fagnano lateraled to wide receiver John Neider, who passed to wide-open tight end Alex Honig for a 15-yard touchdown.
While Syracuse advanced to Connecticut’s 10-yard line, the defense interrupted those plans. Tyrece Mills strip-sacked quarterback Angeli in the red zone. Bryun Parham recovered the ball for UConn at their own 37-yard line, with 9:05 remaining in the half.
After a quick three-and-out, Zach Christinat mishandled a snap to Connor Stutz. Syracuse tackled the punter, resulting in Tripp Woody drilling a 38-yard field goal. This put the Orange on the scoreboard for the first time with 3:37 remaining in the second quarter.
Not long after, Mel Brown bolted down the sideline for a 45-yard touchdown, extending UConn’s lead 14-3, with a minute before halftime.
As the clock ticked down, Darrell Gill Jr. successfully toe-tapped a 20-yard catch, advancing Syracuse to the Huskies’ 14-yard line. The team eventually settled for a 32-yard field goal, closing the deficit to 14-6. This was the first time since Nov. 20, 2010, that the Orange trailed UConn at halftime.
Returning from the half, Fagnano threw a key 34-yard pass to running back Cam Edwards, positioning Freeman for a successful 35-yard field goal. This gave the Huskies a comfortable 17-6 lead with five minutes left in the third quarter.
Offensively, neither team performed perfectly, as Fagnano completed 24 of 43 (55.8%) throws for 259 yards. As for Angeli, the 21-year-old delivered 33 of 53 (62.3%) attempts for 417 yards, two passing touchdowns and one interception.
In the wide receiver room, Bell contributed a career-high of 11 receptions, totaling 105 yards. The senior hardly saw production in the first half, as eight catches came in the back end.
Reymello Murphy notched the second-most receiving yards, racking up 51 yards. One flaw Connecticut hurt itself with was communication. All game long, Fagnano misfired several times, hitting the wideout and nearly getting picked off.
When it came to the run game, the Huskies held their ground, as Edwards and Brown combined for 156 yards. For the ACC team, Willis and Will Nixon totaled 81 yards.
Defensively, UConn kept the Orange on their toes, sacking Angeli for a loss of 17 yards. Guarding the deep threats challenged Syracuse, as Dan Villari led with 105 yards, reeling in seven of eight targets. Additionally, Gill Jr. and Ross-Simmons gathered a total of 167 yards.
Next, the Huskies travel to Delaware (1-1), looking for a rebound win on Saturday.