University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn Stops Buffalo, 24-3
9/14/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
AMHERST, NY (Sept. 14)
The University of Connecticut football team notched its first win of the season Saturday night as it defeated the University at Buffalo by a 24-3 score. UConn improves to 1-2 on the season, while Buffalo has an identical 1-2 record.
True freshman Terry Caulley led the charge for UConn, leading the team in both rushing and receiving. Caulley racked up 136 yards on the ground on 26 carries while catching a team-high five passes against the Bulls, good for 40 more all-purpose yards. Tommy Collins registered a career high 96 receiving yards on three catches including a career-long 50-yard touchdown to help the Husky cause.
The Huskies scored the only points of the first half on a 20 yard field goal by Mark Hickok with 14 seconds left to play in the second quarter to take a 3-0 edge into the locker room.
UConn extended its lead to 10-0 on its first possession of the second half as the Huskies mounted an 11 play, 75-yard drive, capped by a Keron Henry one yard touchdown run.
Buffalo scored its only points in the game on a 34 yard field goal by Dallas Pelz with 1:20 left in the third quarter to cut the score to 10-3. The Huskies sealed the win with two fourth quarter touchdowns. Collins scored on a 50 yard pass from Dan Orlovsky with 8:12 left to play, while Orlovsky hit pay dirt on a 13 yard scamper with 6:25 left. Orlovsky finished the night 18-of-29 passing for 242 yards with one touchdown and, for the second consecutive game, no interceptions.
UConn limited Buffalo to just 169 yards total offense and only 45 yards of rushing offense. Meanwhile, the Huskies racked up 187 yards of rushing offense, the team’s highest total on the road since rushing for 203 at Maine on Oct. 11, 1997. It was UConn’s largest margin of victory on the road since beating Yale by 42 points (63-21) on Sept. 26, 1988 at the Yale Bowl in New Haven.
Reflecting the dominance of UConn’s ball control offense and steady-defense, the Huskies ran 77 plays on offense as compared to the Bulls’ 56, a number made more lopsided by UB’s six three-and-outs in the contest.
UConn returns to action next Saturday, when it plays host to Ohio at 12 noon, at Memorial Stadium.
UCONN POST GAME NOTES:
TEAM NOTES
* The margin of victory is the largest for UConn since posting a 37-7 win over Colgate on Sept. 9, 2000. It is UConn’s largest margin of victory in a road game since beating Yale 63-21 (42 points) on Sept. 26, 1998 at the Yale Bowl in New Haven.
* UConn’s 187 rushing yards tonight is the most by the Huskies since rushing for 192 against Villanova on Oct. 16, 1999. It is the most on the road since rushing for 203 at Maine on Oct. 11, 1997.
* UConn rushed for 187 yards in the game after rushing for 104 in the first two games of the season combined.
* The Huskies forced Buffalo into a third-and-10 or more situation eight times in the game with Buffalo unable to convert on all eight. BC and Georgia Tech combined only faced five third-and-10+ situations against UConn in the first two games of the year. The Eagles and Yellow Jackets each were successful once.
* The scoreless first quarter was the first in a UConn game since Oct. 31, 1998 when UConn and Northeastern were both scoreless after one quarter of play. UConn would win the game 32-22.
* Marc Hickok’s 20-yard field goal with 14 seconds to play in the first half narrowly averted the first scoreless tie at halftime of a UConn game since October 1, 1983 against New Hampshire. UConn went on to beat UNH 9-7.
* UConn now leads the all-time series 9-4 and has won six of the seven meetings since 1995. UConn has now won four straight meetings in Buffalo (2002, 2000, 1996, 1960), last losing at UB in 1951. The Huskies will return to Buffalo in 2003 with the Bulls returning to Connecticut in 2004.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
* WR Jason Williams’ 32-yard second quarter reception was a career long, eclipsing a 22-yard grab at Boston College.
* QB Keron Henry’s third quarter TD run was the third of his career, all coming on the road, and his first ever against a non-BIG EAST team with the others coming at Virginia Tech and Rutgers.
* TB Terry Caulley posted his first career 100-yard rushing game tonight. He is the first Husky to his the century mark since Chandler Poole had an even 100 against Middle Tennessee last November 17 in the team’s only 100-yard rushing effort of the season. UConn now has three active running backs with a 100-yard game to their credit as Caulley and Poole are joined by Evan Benson who rushed for 119 against South Florida on Oct. 28, 2000.
* WR Matt Cutaia set a new career high for receiving yards tonight. Cutaia previously had 49 yards receiving in UConn’s 19-0 win over Eastern Michigan on Oct. 6, 2001.
* TE Tommy Collins set a new career high for receiving yards tonight topping his 64 against Utah State on Nov. 10, 2001…Collins’ 50-yard TD reception was the longest of his career eclipsing a 30-yard catch in last year’s 20-19 win at Rutgers.
* CB Roy Hopkins made his fifth career interception in the game.
* QB Dan Orlovsky ran for his third career TD, his first of the season and the first of his career when on the road.
* TB Terry Caulley and RT Steve Cully returned to the starting lineup after missing the Georgia Tech game.
