University of Connecticut Athletics
Football Falls To Syracuse 20-14
11/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (November 18, 2006) – Syracuse quarterback Perry Patterson threw for 143 yards and a touchdown while Curtis Brinkley scored twice to led the Orange to a 20-14 college football victory over the University of Connecticut Saturday afternoon at the Carrier Dome before a crowd of 35,079.
UConn drops to 4-6 on the season and 1-4 in BIG EAST play while the Orange up their record to 4-7 overall and 1-5 in the BIG EAST.
Syracuse took control of the game in the third quarter with a 10-7 lead after UConn missed a 45-yard field goal and the Orange took possession at their own 28 leading 10-7. SU took the ball 72 yards on 10 plays and Patterson hooked up with Brinkley for a 18-yard scoring strike to give the Orange a 17-7 lead.
Syracuse kicker Patrick Shaddle finished the Syracuse's scoring with a 44-yard field goal with 12:05 to go.
UConn scored a touchdown on its final drive of the game as sophomore quarterback D.J. Hernandez (Bristol, Conn.) hit freshman wide receiver Terence Jeffers (Lawrenceville, Ga.) with a 16-yard TD pass with four seconds left in the game.
Delone Carter led Syracuse in rushing with 115 yards on 16 carries while Brinkley finished with 68 yards.
UConn managed 266 yards of total offense on the day as redshirt freshman Donald Brown (Atlantic Highlands, N.J.) had 18 carries for 67 yards. Hernandez rushed 14 times for 23 yards.
The UConn defense played a respectable game as its allowed just 306 yards by the Syracuse offense.
The Orange led 10-7 at the half and scored the only points of the second quarter on a 35-yard field goal by Patrick Shadle. That score was set up by an interception of a Hernandez pass by Nick Chestnut that gave the Orange the ball at the UC 20. The Husky defense then put up a good stand and just allowed Syracuse three yards to force the field goal attempt.
Connecticut and Syracuse traded first quarter touchdowns as each team scored on its opening possession. The offenses then shut down for the half as UConn failed to score on its next five possessions – which included three punts and the Hernandez interception – while Syracuse managed the field goal after four-straight punts. UConn managed just six yards of total offense in the first half after its TD drive while Syracuse had 38.
The Orange started the contest with a nifty nine play-86 yard drive that saw Patterson completed passes of 23 yards to Mike Williams and 25 yards to Lavar Lobdell that put the ball at the UConn two. Brinkley had a one yard rush on second down for the score.
UConn came right back with a more methodical drive on 16 plays that amassed 81 yards and took 6:06. The Huskies converted three third downs on the drive, including a 12-yard strike to junior wide receiver Larry Taylor (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) on a 3rd and 11 from the SU 25. UConn scored on another third down play that saw Hernandez throw a three-yard pass to Brown.
Connecticut returns to action next Saturday when it takes on Cincinnati at 12:00 p.m. in its 2006 home finale at Rentschler Field. The game will be televised by ESPN Regional as the BIG EAST Game of the Week and will be seen locally on WTXX-TV Channel 20.
TEAM NOTES
w The Orange now leads the series 2-1 after SU won at the Carrier Dome, 42-30, on Oct. 30, 2004 and UConn won at Rentschler Field, 26-7, on Oct. 7, 2005.
w UConn is 1-2 in domes all-time. Prior to today, UConn dropped a 42-30 decision at the Carrier Dome on Oct. 30, 2004 and beat Toledo, 39-10, in the Motor City Bowl at Ford Field on Dec. 27, 2004.
w UConn is now 1-8 on the road in BIG EAST play all-time. The Huskies lone win entering today is a 41-35 win at Rutgers on Nov. 25, 2004.
w Today is the fourth time that UConn has been held under 200 yards of total offense in the Division I-A era and the first since netting 117 at West Virginia on Nov. 2, 2005.
w UConn has now scored on its opening drive of consecutive games for the first time since Sept. 17-Oct. 1, 2005 when the Huskies scored on their opening possessions against Georgia Tech and Army, respectively.
w UConn’s 16-play scoring drive in the first quarter ties for its longest of the Division I-A era. The Huskies also marched 16 plays for a Matt Nuzie 24-yard field goal on Nov. 15, 2003 at Wake Forest.
w Matt Applebaum shifted over to right tackle today after starting the first nine games of the year at left guard. It means that no Husky has started all 10 games in the same spot this year on offense. Conversely, seven different Huskies have done it on defense (DE Dan Davis, DT Rhema Fuller, DT Ray Blagman, LB Donta Moore, LB Danny Lansanah, CB Darius Butler and CB Tyvon Branch). Today was the fifth different offensive line combination that UConn has started in its 10 games.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
w D.J. Hernandez’s 25-yard pass to Dan Murray was UConn’s longest completion since the USF game (Oct. 7).
w The interception of D.J. Hernandez just before halftime broke a streak of 37 straight passes without one for the sophomore during which time he threw five touchdowns and completed 27 of those 37 passes (73%).
w Andre Dixon returned his first career kickoffs.
