University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Tennessee
Huskies Lose at No. 19 Tennessee
11/4/2023 4:08:00 PM | Football
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 19 nationally ranked Tennessee Volunteers scored three defensive touchdowns on the way to posting a 59-3 win over the UConn Huskies in front of a sold out 10,195 at Neyland Stadium Saturday afternoon.
The Huskies fall to 1-8 on the season with the loss, their second this season to a nationally ranked opponent. UConn r-junior quarterback Ta'Quan Roberson (Orange, N.J.) finished 24 for 48 for 218 yards with two interceptions. Sophomore tight end Justin Joly (New Rochelle, N.Y.) caught a career-high eight passes for 89 yards in the loss.
The Vols, 7-2 on the year, where led by quarterback Joe Milton III threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns while running back Jaylen Wright needed just eight carries to hit 113 yards with a score.
Tennessee used three big plays on offense and got a fumble return for a touchdown on the way to a 35-3 lead at the half. On the second play of the game, Wright ripped off an 82-yard touchdown run to open the scoring. The Huskies got on the board as Roberson led the Huskies on a 10-play drive that stalled at the Tennessee four-yard line and resulted in a Noe Ruelas (West Hartford, Conn.) 22-yard field goal, his first on the season, to trail 7-3 with 2:47 left in the first.
Milton III hit on a pair of big-pass plays, answering the UConn score with a 60-yard hook-up to Ramel Keyton and then finding Squirrel White on an 82-yard pitch-and-catch score late in the second quarter. The Vols ended the half with a defensive score as Tyler Baron scooped-and-scored on a Geordon Porter (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) fumble from 24-yards out for a 35-3 lead at the break.
The Tennessee defense came out for the second half and put two more touchdowns on the board as Jaylen McCollough had a 30-yard interception return on the second play from scrimmage and Aaron Beasley scored on a 39-yard pick-six on the next possession. It was the first time in program history a Tennessee defense had three scores in a game.
The Vol offense finished the game with 650 yards of total offense, 375 through the air and 275 on the ground.
UConn's Jackson Mitchell (Ridgefield, Conn.) had eight tackles to lead the defense.
Up Next:
The Huskies finish three-straight on the road with a visit to nationally ranked James Madison University next Saturday, November 11. Kick-off is 2:00 pm on ESPN+.
