For the third week in a row, UConn football took a lead deep into the fourth quarter, only to see it dwindle in the final minutes. But unlike the previous two contest, the Huskies held on to defeat the Ball State Cardinals, 31-25.
The offense, led by Cam Edwards, Skyler Bell and Joe Fagnano, helped seal the victory to bring UConn back to .500 at 2-2. Edwards ran wild for 194 yards and two touchdowns — the latter of which put the game away with 1:50 remaining — Bell proved to be uncoverable with 14
catches for 113 yards and a touchdown while Fagnano threw for 181 yards on 20-30 passing.
The unit came up with timely plays throughout. The Huskies converted on just 5-15 third downs but moved the chains on all five fourth down attempts.
After punting on its opening drive, UConn scored on its next two. First, Chris Freeman got the Huskies on the board with a 30-yard field goal before Bell and Fagnano hooked up on a 2-yard catch in the flat to cap off a 10 play, 85 yard drive. That gave UConn an early 10-0 lead in the first half.
Ball State scored its first points of the day seven seconds into the second quarter on a 19-yard trick pass play from Qian Magwood to Kiael Kelly. The visitors’ score cut UConn’s advantage to 10-7 heading into the break.
The Huskies were hampered by an inability to keep drives alive in the opening half, going just 1-6 on third down conversions. That trend continued after the break, though Jim Mora kept his offense on the field with some aggressive decisions. On the team’s first drive in the second half, UConn converted two fourth down attempts to set up Terrence Smith for a one-yard touchdown run.
On the next drive, the Huskies stuck with it and on 4th-and-1, Edwards broke free for a 32-yard score. That gave UConn a commanding 24-10 lead with 10:24 remaining.
Ball State wouldn’t go quietly, though. The Cardinals pulled back within one score on a touchdown with 3:28 left, though Edwards slammed the door with a 67-yard touchdown run just 1:38 later. Ball State added another touchdown and converted the ensuing two-point conversion, though it came with just nine ticks remaining. UConn recovered the ensuing onside kick to reach the final score of 31-25.
The Huskies will now take their show back on the road next weekend when they travel to face Buffalo on Saturday. The Bulls are 2-2 and are coming off a 21-17 loss to the Troy Trojans.
