Huskies Bounce Back With 17-3 Win Over Buffalo

Saturday, September 24

UB Stadium, Buffalo, N.Y.

6:00 PM

University of Connecticut

Buffalo

9/24/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football

Sept. 24, 2011

Final Stats | Photo Gallery | AP Photo Gallery

AMHERST, N.Y. - The University of Connecticut football team posted a 17-3 win against the University at Buffalo on Saturday night before a crowd of 18,215 at UB Stadium. Connecticut is now 2-2 on the season while Buffalo is 1-3.

UConn junior quarterback Johnny McEntee (Servite, Calif.) took the majority of snaps and was 12 of 21 in the air for 213 yards and two touchdowns, the first two of his career.

Junior wide receiver Nick Williams (East Windsor, N.J.) sparked the Husky offense with a pair of big plays, the first of which was a 64-yard catch and run that set up the first Connecticut touchdown of the game. Williams' second catch was another catch and run, going for 49 yards and a score with 4:52 left in the game to seal the win.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Scott McCummings (Natick, Mass) ran the ball 5 times for 7 yards while freshman QB Michael Nebrich (Burke, Va.) attempted just one pass.

Husky redshirt freshman Lyle McCombs (Staten Island, N.Y.) had 30 carries for 61 yards. UConn redshirt senior Isiah Moore (Cambridge, Mass.) led UConn made a team-best four receptions for 49 yards.

Branden Oliver led Buffalo in rushing with 23 yards on 85 carries while quarterback Chazz Anderson was 18 of 39 in the air for 192 yards and ran for 30 yards on seven rushes.

For the second time this season, the Huskies held their opponent to just three points, the first of which came in a season-opening 35-3 win over Fordham. Despite just the one score, the Bulls moved the ball for 314 yards, including 122 on the ground, opposed to UConn's 292 yards of total offense.

The Huskies led at halftime 10-3 and the third quarter was scoreless. UCconn redshirt freshman linebacker Yawin Smallwood (Worcester, Mass.) made the biggest play of the quarter as he made an endzone interception on a third and goal play by the Bulls at the UConn five. Buffalo had moved the ball 80 yards on 11 plays on that drive.

UConn took that 10-3 halftime lead when it scored the first touchdown of the game with 15 seconds left to go. The drive began on the UConn 17 as McEntee threw a 15-yard pass to McCombs to move the ball to the Husky 32. McEntee then hooked up on the longest Husky pass play of the year on a 64-yard connection to Nick Williams to put the ball at the Bull 4.

McEntee then threw a four-yard TD pass to redshirt junior fullback Mark Hinkley (Kanehoe, Hawaii) for the UConn lead. It was the first TD pass in McEntee's career and the first TD reception of Hinkley's.

After a scoreless first quarter, the two teams opened scoring by trading field goals in the second quarter. Peter Fardon gave the Bulls a 3-0 lead on a 28-yard field goal with 5:28 left in the quarter to cap a 13 play-57 yard drive. Fadron had missed a 30-yarder at the beginning of the second quarter.

UConn broke into the scoring with a 47-yard field goal by senior Dave Teggart (Northborough, Mass.) that ended an eight-play 51-yard drive. Teggart had a 49-yard FG attempt blocked in the first quarter.

The Huskies return to action next Saturday when they wrapup the non-conference portion of the regular season against Western Michigan. Gametime at Rentschler Field is 3:30 p.m. and the game will be televised by SNY and on the UConn-WTIC Radio Network.