The UConn Huskies had a fast start and a late chance, but Miami (OH) did just enough in between to pull out a 24-21 win Saturday afternoon at Fred C. Yager Stadium in front of 18,180.
Kalieb Osborne did plenty for UConn in the loss, throwing for 215 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 84 yards and another score. The Huskies finished with 377 total yards, but the RedHawks answered every time the game seemed ready to tilt.
UConn opened by marching 75 yards in eight plays, with Osborne finding Javon Brown from seven yards out for the first touchdown of the day and a 7-0 lead. After the defense forced a three-and-out, the Huskies stayed aggressive. On fourth-and-one at the Miami 38, Osborne kept it, bounced to the right edge and ran untouched for a 14-0 cushion at 6:23 of the first quarter.
Miami settled in from there. David McComb got the RedHawks on the board in the second quarter with a 90-yard drive that ended in a 10-yard touchdown run, trimming the lead to 14-7 at 5:56.
Then, with 1:50 left before halftime, McComb guided another long march, this one 87 yards, and capped it with a 58-yard strike to Brendan Loftus, who made a one-handed grab and outran the defense to tie the game at 14-14. UConn had a shot to reclaim the lead before the break, but Jack O'Connor’s 46-yard field goal try missed wide right.
The second half opened with missed chances on both sides. Miami’s first drive after halftime reached the UConn 26, but Kellan McLaughlin’s 44-yard field goal attempt hit the crossbar and bounced away. The RedHawks kept coming, though, and on their next possession McComb hit Scoop Smith for an 11-yard touchdown to finish a nine-play, 83-yard drive and put Miami ahead 21-14 with 3:48 left in the third.
UConn answered quickly. Osborne connected with Shamar Porter on a 53-yard pass to get deep into Miami territory, and Cyncir Bowers finished the drive with a one-yard run to tie it at 21-21 with 48 seconds left in the third quarter.
From there, the game turned on missed kicks and a late turnover. Miami came up empty on another field goal try early in the fourth when McLaughlin’s 40-yarder sailed wide left.
Then McComb left the game with an injury, and senior backup Caleb Heavner stepped in. Still, the RedHawks got the big play they needed when CJ Young intercepted Osborne and returned possession to Miami at the UConn 44.
That set up the finish. Miami worked 11 plays over 6:49 and Brady Stidham drilled a 33-yard field goal with 1:58 remaining to make it 24-21. UConn got the ball back with a chance to answer in two-minute mode, but Miami’s defense held firm and forced a turnover on downs at the RedHawks’ 38 to close it out.
McComb finished with 312 passing yards and two touchdowns, and Miami piled up 414 yards of offense in the win.
In Other News...
Jason Candles Ohio Return Gives UConn An Early Road Test
Jason Candles first road trip back into familiar Mid-American Conference territory comes with a little extra edge, and UConn will get a useful early read on where it stands under its first-year head coach. Candle spent a decade leading Toledo, so a matchup with Miami (Ohio) brings him back to a league and a setting he knows well, even if the Huskies are the ones now absorbing the lessons of an early-season test away from home.
Miami, too, offers a clean measuring stick because the RedHawks have been part of the MAC backdrop Candle lived in for years. UConn will be looking to see how it handles the pace, physicality and game-day environment on the road, and Candles own history against this conference adds another layer to a game that already carries some intrigue for a program trying to establish its identity. [Read more 🡒]
UConns Conference Future Just Got A Lot More Complicated
Reports surfaced this week that UConn football is being tied to a football-only return to the American Athletic Conference, a development that would reshape the programs long-running independence without touching the Huskies other sports. The idea comes with Miami of Ohio and James Madison also pursuing full membership, adding another layer to a conference picture that has been anything but static.
But the UConn side of the story is still murky. Athletic director David Benedict said he was never contacted about the report and was unaware of any such plans, leaving the Huskies with no clear indication that a move is actually in motion. For now, football remains independent while the rest of UConns programs continue in the Big East, and the gap between speculation and reality is still wide. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Let A Winnable Road Game Slip Away Late
UConn had a road game in reach before it slipped away late in a 24-21 loss to Miami (Ohio), a result that will sting because the Huskies had enough offense to make it a very playable afternoon. Kalieb Osborne did his part, throwing for 215 yards and a touchdown while adding 68 rushing yards and another score, giving UConn a balanced enough attack to stay in it against a Miami team that kept answering.
The RedHawks leaned on David McComb, who was sharp while he was in the game, completing 19 of 29 passes for 312 yards and two touchdowns before leaving injured. Even with that setback, UConn could not finish the job when it mattered most, and the late sequence will linger as the kind of missed chance that can define an early-season road trip. [Read more 🡒]