UConn left Philadelphia with exactly what it needed: a reset.
After last week’s gut-punch 42-41 overtime loss to Syracuse, the Huskies answered with a 34-20 win over Temple on Saturday afternoon to get back to .500 at 3-3. Temple dropped to 2-4.
The result came with a lot to like on the ground. UConn ran it 39 times for 248 yards, good for 6.4 yards per carry, and the production was spread across multiple threats.
Cyncir Bowers handled the most work with 18 carries for 84 yards, while Trey Cornist turned just seven rushes into 114 yards. Kenji Christian only touched the ball once, but he made that touch count with a 39-yard touchdown run.
Kalieb Osborne also added a rushing score, and all three backs found the end zone on the ground.
Osborne did plenty through the air, too. He finished 17-of-23 for 257 yards and completed passes to nine different receivers. No one had more than three catches, but Ryder Treadway led the group with three receptions for 63 yards.
The defensive numbers tell a different part of the story. Temple piled up 435 yards, which won’t sit well with Jason Candle, but UConn made the key plays that mattered. The Huskies recovered two fumbles, didn’t turn the ball over themselves, and added four sacks while bringing steady pressure in the second half.
That second half was the difference. UConn took a 24-17 lead into halftime, then held Temple to just three points after the break.
The first half was wide open, with both offenses moving the ball freely, and UConn put together its second most productive first half in yards since 2004. After that, the Huskies’ defense made Ajani Sheppard’s life miserable, forcing him to deal with pressure in the backfield over and over again.
There was also at least some progress in the penalty department. UConn came in as one of the most penalized teams in the country, and eight penalties for 65 yards still isn’t clean football.
But it was better than what the Huskies had been putting on tape. They had 44 penalties in their first five games, averaging almost nine per contest, and were giving up 81.8 penalty yards per game.
That number came down Saturday, and if UConn can keep tightening that up, it gives itself a better chance to put games away sooner.
In Other News...
UConn Finally Found The Formula Fans Have Been Waiting For
UConns road win at Temple had the feel of the kind of game the program has been trying to find all season, one where the Huskies played with control, took advantage of momentum swings and left with a 34-20 victory. A late first-half touchdown and field goal helped change the tone before the break, and the offense got steady work from quarterback Kalieb Osborne along with running backs Trey Cornist and Cyncir Bowers, while the defense forced two fumbles to keep Temple from settling in.
The result pushed UConn to 3-3 under head coach Jason Candle and gave the Huskies something more valuable than a single conference road win: a sense that the pieces can fit when they play cleanly on both sides of the ball. Now comes a bye week before UMass, which gives Candle and his staff a chance to build on what worked in Philadelphia and sort out whether this was a one-game spark or the start of a more reliable formula. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Just Showed It Can Control A Game On The Road
UConns trip to Lincoln Financial Field turned into a steady road win, the kind that can tell a team plenty about itself in October. The Huskies handled Temple 34-20 and stayed in control from start to finish, getting balanced production on offense while the defense kept the Owls from ever fully flipping the games momentum.
Kalieb Osborne threw for 257 yards and added a rushing touchdown, while Trey Cornist kept the ground game moving and found the end zone as UConn built and protected its lead. By the time the Huskies closed it out, the performance looked less like a lucky escape and more like a team learning how to dictate terms away from home. [Read more 🡒]
Former UConn QB Is Suddenly One Snap From His NFL Debut
Joe Fagnanos NFL journey has taken a quick turn, and now the former UConn quarterback is on the verge of his first regular-season game-day role. Baltimore is getting ready to face the Atlanta Falcons with Lamar Jackson sidelined by an ankle injury, which moves Tyler Huntley into the starting job and puts Fagnano in line for backup duties.
For a player who came into the league as an undrafted free agent, the opportunity is a meaningful one, especially after he turned heads in the preseason following his signing with the Ravens. He has already done enough to put himself on the radar, and now he is one snap away from his NFL debut if Baltimore needs him against Atlanta. [Read more 🡒]