Mora Effect On Display In Road Win
The Story: The football team won its second consecutive game on Saturday by pounding FIU on the road 33-12 behind nearly 300 yards on the ground.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: UConn’s running game bullied FIU by piling up 295 yards on the ground as the Huskies improved to 3-4.
• Sophomore Devontae Houston rushed for a career-high 135 yards on only 12 carries before leaving with an ankle injury. Freshman Victor Rosa added 86 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.
• The running produced explosive plays with Houston (61), Rosa (55), redshirt junior quarterback Cale Millen (49), sixth-year senior running back Robert Burns (18) and freshman quarterback Zion Turner (11) all having a carry with double-digit gains.
• Senior cornerback Tre Wortham had two interceptions as the Huskies’ defense has held opponents in check the last two weeks.
THE MORA EFFECT? This was UConn’s first road win since 2019 and its three wins are the most since 2017. Jim Mora has the Huskies heading to Indiana to take on Ball State on Saturday. UConn could very well be .500 when it hosts Boston College on Oct. 29.
• UConn led FIU 20-0 in the first half before a sloppy second half drew Mora’s ire, though it wasn’t enough to dampen the win.
• Millen threw his first touchdown pass of his career as he found Turner on a reverse option. Millen showed his explosive ability with his legs as a 49-yard rush put the game away.
• Speaking of Turner, although the passing game remains a work in progress, he was efficient. He went 14-for-19 for 104 yards. Freshman tight end Justin Joly had five receptions for 62 yards and is the Huskies’ most attractive target.
WHAT DID MORA SAY? “It’s always great to win a game. That’s the No. 1 objective. Don’t feel like we played great. I feel like we played good. There are a lot of things we’ve got to do better if we want to improve, and our team is really intent on improving.”
THUMBS DOWN ON ESPN3: It wasn’t your internet or TV settings. The production of Saturday’s game on ESPN3 would have looked better if it were shot on the new iPhone 14 Pro Max.
• The Conference USA television deal with ESPN has the schools take care of the production costs and it looked very much like a high school production.
TIME TO SAY THE B WORD? Not yet. The word that shall not be mentioned cannot be uttered until the Huskies get to .500. They can do that on Saturday as they are early 9.5-point underdogs on the road.
Hot Start on the Ice
The Story: At 4-0, the men’s hockey team is off to its best start in 45 years as a 4-3 overtime win over Union on Saturday ensured a second straight sweep of the weekend home-and-homes.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Sophomore Chase Bradley scored the winning goal in overtime as the Huskies equaled a start last accomplished in the 1976-77 season.
• Senior Jake Flynn, junior Nick Capone and freshman Jake Percival also had goals for the Huskies, with Percival scoring the tying goal 7:23 into the third period. Freshman goalie Arsenii Sergeev had 27 saves.
• The Huskies’ special teams were the difference as they scored on the power play, shorthanded and three-on-three.
• UConn won 4-1 on Friday night behind goals from Capone, Percival, Bradley and junior Hudson Schandor.
NEXT UP: The Huskies can make it a 5-0 start when they host Ohio State on Friday night at the XL Center.
Morning Reads
• Former UConn standout George Springer was carted off the field on Saturday following a scary collision in the outfield. The Blue Jays lost the game to the Mariners and were knocked out of the playoffs. (Associated Press)
• Top-ranked North Carolina defeated the No. 12-ranked field hockey team 3-0 in Storrs yesterday afternoon. (UConnHuskies.com)
• The women’s soccer team lost 1-0 yesterday at Xavier. (UConnHuskies.com)
• It was also a forgettable weekend for the men’s soccer team, which lost 1-0 at Seton Hall on Saturday. (UConnHuskies.com)
• At least the women’s volleyball team beat Xavier at home on Saturday after losing to Creighton the night before. (UConnHuskies.com)
Top photo: Jim Mora won his first back-to-back games while at UConn on Saturday. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)
