EAST HARTFORD - For most of the first half, UMass was in a one-score game, but in the span of 32 seconds just before halftime, UConn broke it open and never looked back here at Rentschler Field on Friday night.
Husky quarterback Kalieb Osborne threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to JD Willoughby with 1:36 left in the half. After UMass went three-and-out in just 19 seconds, UConn running back Cyncir Bowers took the first snap of the next possession 70 yards up the middle for another touchdown.
The three-score deficit was too large for the Minutemen to come back from and they went on to lose 35-16, their fourth straight loss after beginning the season with four straight wins.
Trailing 21-3 at the half and needing to do something on offense, UMass instead went three-and-out on its first two possessions of the third quarter, and by the time Shamar Porter blocked Edward Phillipson’s punt and recovered it in the end zone to put the Huskies up 28-3, the game was essentially over even though it wasn’t yet 10 minutes into the half.
UMass quarterback Pop Watson was up-and-down in his return after missing two straight games with an ankle injury. He finished 22-for-38 for 205 yards and a touchdown with just 11 rushing yards on seven attempts.
He was up at the start, though.
UMass took the opening kickoff and marched 69 yards in 13 plays, chewing 7:57 off the clock. Watson completed all five of his throws for 58 yards on the drive, and a double pass, Watson to Kezion Dia-Johnson and back to Watson, produced a first-down to the UConn 18. The drive stalled inside the 5, though.
Running back Elijah Faulkner gained 2, a direct snap to Reece Adkins lost 2, Watson took a sack, and Derek Morris settled it with a 24-yard field goal at the 7:03 mark of the first quarter.
UConn answered with a 13-play, 75-yard drive of its own, which UMass helped it along.
Cornerback TJ Magee drew a pass interference penalty on 3rd-and-11, and a facemask on Justin Krueger turned a stop at the 19 into 1st-and-Goal at the 9. Osborne capped it by finding Shamar Porter for a 5-yard touchdown with 1:13 left in the quarter.
The second quarter turned into a field-position fight, and for 13 minutes, UMass’ defense held up. The Minutemen sacked Osborne three times in the quarter, once each by Krueger, Aubrey Melvin and William DePaepe while Isaiah Reed broke up a fourth-down pass to give UMass the ball at its own 39.
The offense didn’t do its part, though.
UMass punted five times in the second quarter and gained just 54 yards. After being perfect in the first, Watson was just 5-for-15 in the second.
UConn finally cashed in on the field position with 2:43 left in the half, taking over at the UMass 45. Bowers ran for 13 and 4 and then Osborne scrambled for 8 before hitting Willoughby with a 20-yard touchdown pass with 1:36 to play.
UMass’ three-and-out gave the Huskies the chance to add on and Bowers took the first snap 70 yards for the score.
UConn outgained UMass 283-126 in the first half and averaged 8.3 yards per play to the Minutemen’s 3.6.
Bowers carried 11 times for 112 yards. Osborne went 7-for-10 for 129 yards and two touchdowns.
Watson was 11-for-21 for 100 yards, and more importantly UMass was just 1-for-8 on third downs.
After the blocked punt for a touchdown in the third quarter, UMass’ offense finally showed signs of life later in the quarter.
Watson hit Joe Griffin Jr. deep for 41 yards, the Minutemen’s longest play of the night, then found Jabari Lewis for 11 before the quarter ended. Two plays into the fourth, Watson found Curtis Kimmons IV with a nifty toss for an easy seven-yard touchdown. UMass elected to go for two to try to cut the lead to 17, but Reece Adkins dropped a wide-open pass to keep it at 28-9 with 14 minutes to play.
The Minutemen had their final true effort fail on its next possession when they turned the ball over on downs midway through the fourth quarter.
Osborne capped the ensuing nine-play, 41-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown run, shaking two UMass defenders in the process.
The Minutemen inserted backup quarterback Logan Inagawa for mop-up duty on their final drive of the game and he engineered a nine-play, 57-yard drive, which ended with a 6-yard touchdown run by Justin Williams-Thomas.
For the game, UConn outgained UMass 438-303, including 265-53 on the ground, and the Minutemen were penalized 10 times for 100 yards. Osborne finished 14-for-19 for 173 yards and two touchdowns passing and ran 15 times for 66 yards and another touchdown. Bowers carried 15 times for 131 yards.
Griffin Jr. led UMass with four catches for 77 yards, Kimmons IV caught five passes for 33 yards and the touchdown, and Inagawa finished 4-for-6 for 45 yards. UMass sacked Osborne five times, Isaiah Reed broke up three passes, and neither team turned the ball over.
The Minutemen have a bye next week before coming back to host a MACtion game against Ball State on Wednesday, Nov. 4th.
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