University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies Drop Homecoming Contest to Ball State
10/27/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
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STORRS, CT (October 27, 2001)- Ball State tailback Marcus Merriweather had 144 yards on 33 carries and scored the game's only touchdown as the Cardinals defeated Connecticut 10-5 in front of a homecoming crowd of 16,041 at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
With the loss, Connecticut fell to 2-5 on the season, while Ball State picked up its third straight win to bring its record to 3-4.
UConn took an early 3-0 lead after the two teams exchanged interceptions. Connecticut started its drive at the Ball State 47 and the Huskies moved the ball down to the seven before Marc Hickok's (Jr., Gloversville, NY) 24 yard field goal with 5:02 remaining in the first.
After the Connecticut punting team pinned Ball State on its own 10 yard line, with 11:19 to go before the half, the Cardinals answered with a five play, 90-yard drive that lasted just one minute and 50 seconds. The Ball State backfield carried most of the load on the drive as Jason Teeters broke off a 37-yard run and Merriweather had three carries for 42 yards including a four yard touchdown run at the 9:19 mark in the second. Mike Langford made it 7-3 with his extra point as it stood that way at halftime.
On its opening possession of the second half, Ball State built on its lead with a 11 play, 77 yard drive that saw Merriweather go over the 100-yard mark for the eighth time in his career and fourth time this season. Three plays after Merriweather became the fifth Cardinal to cross the century mark in the last six games for Ball State, Langford capped the drive with a 21-yard field goal to make it to 10-3 with 5:53 remaining in the third.
UConn's best chance at an equalizer came on its final possession of the game, however, after getting it to the Ball State 14, Dan Orlovsky (Fr., Shelton, CT) could not hit O'Neil Wilson (So., Philadelphia, PA) on fourth and eighth with 1:10 left in the contest.
After UConn turned it over on downs, Ball State took a delay of game penalty to run out the clock before having punter Reggie Hodges go out of the back of the end zone for an intentional safety on the game's final play to end it 10-5.
For Connecticut, Orlovsky made the second start of his career and went 22 of 39 for 189 yards and one interception. Talmadge Hill ran the Ball State offense and went 10 of 16 for 101 yards and an interception.
UConn returns to the road for its next contest as it travels to Nippert Stadium for a Nov. 3 match up against Cincinnati. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
