University of Connecticut Athletics
Cincinnati Hands Football First Conference Loss Of Season, 27-3
11/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
CINCINNATI, Ohio (November 10, 2007) – Cincinnati graduate student quarterback Ben Mauk was 21 of 33 in the air for 276 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Bearcats to a 27-3 victory over 16th-ranked Connecticut on Saturday afternoon before 30,943 at Nippert Stadium.
UConn drops to 8-2 with the loss and 4-1 in BIG EAST play. Cincinnati is also now 8-2 on the year with a 3-2 conference mark.
Husky junior quarterback Tyler Lorezen (Fremont, Iowa) was 18 of 37 in the air for UConn with 182 yards.
Cincinnati was led in rushing by sophomore Jacob Ramsey with 17 carries for 66 yards. Junior Dominick Goodwin led the Bearcats in receiving with eight carries for 127 yards and a TD.
The Bearcats limited the UConn offense to just 57 yards total in the second half, after they outgained UConn 151-147 in the first half. For the game, UConn had just 204 yards of total offense, including just 22 rushing yards.
The Bearcats led 13-3 at halftime and extended their lead to 20-3 with the only scoring of the third quarter as Mauk had an 11-yard TD rush to complete an eight-play 62-yard drive with 7:56 left in the quarter to make it 20-3 Cincy.
Cincinnati scored the final points of the game on a 37-yard TD pass from Mauk to Goodman with 17 seconds into the fourth quarter. That pass completed a six-play, 80-yard drive.
Cincy took the opening possession of the game for a touchdown as the Bearcats marched eight plays for 56 yards. Cincy graduate student quarterback Ben Mauk completed a one-yard pass to junior tight end Connor Barwin for the TD score.
The Bearcats took a 13-0 lead as Lorenzen threw an interception that was picked off by junior Adam Hoppel and returned it to the UConn six. Two plays later, Mauk completed a six-yard TD pass to sophomore Charlie Howard for the score.
The Huskies scored their only points of the game with 2:08 left in the first half on a 22-yard field goal by junior Tony Ciaravino (Boca Raton, Fla.). The field goal ended an 11 play-74 yard drive.
UConn returns to action next Saturday for its final home game of the 2007 season at Rentschler Field as it takes on Syracuse at 12:00 p.m. That game will be nationally televised by ESPN2.
CONNECTICUT FOOTBALL POSTGAME NOTES
AT CINCINNATI w NOV. 10, 2007
TEAM NOTES
w UConn dips to 0-4 all-time against Cincinnati and 0-3 at Nippert Stadium. Cincinnati and West Virginia are the only BIG EAST schools that UConn has never defeated.
w The Huskies dip to 2-2 on the road this year. Of UConn’s 29 losses in the FBS/I-A era, 18 have come on the road.
w UConn falls back into a tie atop first place in the BIG EAST. UConn and West Virginia are both 4-1 in the league.
w The Huskies are now 1-1 all-time when playing as a ranked team.
w UConn is still off to the best start in school history at 8-2. The Huskies also went 8-2 in 1901 and 1998.
w UConn did not intercept a pass today. It is the first time that the UConn defense had intercepted a pass in 11 straight games, dating back to the Nov. 18, 2006 tilt at Syracuse.
w This is the most points that UConn has allowed this year. The previous high was 18 by Rutgers last week. Entering today, only UConn and Ohio State had held all of its opponents under 20 points but both teams failed to do so today.
w Today marked the first time that an opponent has thrown for more than one touchdown against the Huskies this year.
w Today marked the first time that the Huskies have allowed a touchdown on the opening possession of the game since the season opener at Duke on Sept. 1
w UConn started the usual defensive alignment. The Huskies have started the same defensive combination in each of its 10 games this year.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
w Tony Ciaravino’s second quarter field goal was his 20th of the year, tying the school record set by Matt Nuzie in 2004. It ties for the seventh best seasonal total in school history.
w Larry Taylor made his first career start as a tailback. He played the position for the first year and a half of his UConn career before moving to wide receiver.
