[thesportsguru11]

A-Maize-ing!

Bradford, Wade tally two picks apiece, UConn goes on 38-0 run to bury Wolverines in the Big House 48-27

Sophomore corner Shavlion Wade was one of the stars of the night with two INT's, including one returned 98 yards for a score.

What was all this talk about a tough out of conference schedule?

UConn continues to prove the talk of a ringer-esque OOC schedule was mere heresy as the 17th-ranked Huskies walked into the Big House and trounced #12 Michigan 48-27 to run their record to 3-0 in the early stages of the 2020 season.

Leading the charge for UConn was a rather unlikely duo. Tanner Dean-Lowry (275 yards, 3 TDs) and a trio of TD's from tailback Luke Williamson led the scoring charge. However, it was a vintage performance from Coach Bob Diaco's defense that led to victory on the primetime stage.

The statistical numbers were not great as Darrell Reid from Michigan tossed for over 400 yards. However, senior All-American linebacker Marcus Bradford and sophomore rising star Shavlion Wade each picked off Reid twice, with Wade returning one of the picks 98 yards for a touchdown to turn the momentum completely in UConn's favor.

Michigan had a game early on, as Reid found junior tight end Stephen Williams, the reigning Mackey Award winner, for an early score. UConn would respond with a TDL touchdown toss to Rashad Harris from 11 yards out, and the floodgates would begin to open after Bradford's two picks on successive Wolverine drives, resulting in seven points on the legs of Williamson.

Wade's first INT came on the next Wolverine drive. With Michigan moving downfield, Reid heaved a deep ball headed toward the end zone. Wade leapt in front of J.J. Jones and snagged the pass at the 2. Getting a block and maneuvering around downed Wolverines, Wade circled into the end zone and had a clear lane around the right side of the field. He beat everyone home to give the Huskies a 21-7 lead and momentum for the remainder of the game.


Having already turned the ball over on three straight possessions, the Wolverines continued their turnover ways out of the halftime break. Reserve D-End James Mandrell stripped Reid, leading to a 12 yard TD catch for Kevin Lacey.

Reserve D-End James Mandrell made his case for more playing time with a forced fumble of Darrell Reid.

Wade's second INT on the next UM possession almost resulted in more points, but David Ferguson would stop the bleeding for Michigan with an interception of his own in the end zone.

By the time the dust settled, UConn had gone on a 38-0 run between the end of the first quarter through 2 minutes remaining in the third quarter to take a 38-7 lead. The Wolverines would get on track offensively with a TD throw from Reid to Lewis Maxey and short TD runs from Derrick Lawton and Landon Boone to make the final a little more respectable at 48-27. However, there was little doubt that UConn dominated the game on both offense and defense.

It wasn't all bad for Michigan. Lewis Maxey recorded a TD catch on the evening.

Coach Bob Diaco was very impressed with the improvement in the defense after the first two weeks of the season.

Quote:

Yeah we sucked in the fourth and I hate that our guys became complacent. But five straight turnovers is incredible no matter how you slice it, and they didn't just come from our stars. Shav [Wade] is still young and James [Mandrell] is a backup. We got production out of everyone and I liked that a lot.

Are we back to the UConn of old? All defense, but with the added bonus of having a high-octane offense!?!?

We're sure off to a flying starting.

And you know what else?

The Battle for New England is next week. Get hyped everyone. Thanks as always for joining the UConn soul train. See ya in Foxborough.

Connecticut Huskies at Michigan Wolverines
Sep 5, 2020	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#17 Connecticut Huskies (3-0)	7	21	10	10	48
#12 Michigan Wolverines (0-2)	7	0	7	13	27

Team Stats Comparison
	CONN	MICH
Total Offense	411	430
Rushing Yards	136	12
Passing Yards	275	418
First Downs	19	21
Punt Return Yards	29	13
Kick Return Yards	110	46
Total Yards	550	489
Turnovers	1	5
3rd Down Conversion	9-14 (64%)	9-13 (69%)
4th Down Conversion	0-0	1-2
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-1
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	6-3-1	3-2-0
Penalties	1-5	1-5
Possession Time	16:03	15:57

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		CONN	MICH
5:20	(MICH) Reid 21 pass Williams (Zapata kick)	0	7
:28	(CONN) Dean-Lowry 11 pass Harris (Miller kick)	7	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		CONN	MICH
5:41	(CONN) Williamson 29 run (Miller kick)	14	7
1:05	(CONN) Wade returned 98 INT (Miller kick)	21	7
:27	(CONN) Dean-Lowry 12 pass Lacey (Miller kick)	28	7
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		CONN	MICH
6:01	(CONN) Miller 38 FG	31	7
2:39	(CONN) Dean-Lowry 33 pass Williamson (Miller kick)	38	7
1:46	(MICH) Reid 34 pass Maxey (Zapata kick)	38	14
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		CONN	MICH
7:43	(CONN) Lawton 1 run (2-pt. failed)	38	20
4:29	(MICH) Miller 22 FG	41	20
2:23	(CONN) Boone 1 run (Zapata kick)	41	27
1:18	(MICH) Williamson 1 run (Miller kick)	48	27

Connecticut Huskies PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Tanner Dean-Lowry 19-32 275 3 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Luke Williamson 24 101 4.2 2 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Kevin Lacey 4 56 14.0 1 Jeff McNeal 4 46 11.5 0 Rashad Harris 3 59 19.6 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Kyler Parks 8 0 0 0 Marcus Bradford 5 0 2 0 Shavlion Wade 3 0 2 1

Michigan Wolverines PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Darrell Reid 30-47 418 2 4 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Derrick Lawton 15 41 2.7 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Vince Miller 9 120 13.3 0 Stephen Williams 7 73 10.4 1 J.J. Jones 5 99 19.8 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Bo Ernst 9 0 0 0 Quinton Baker 7 0 0 0 Chris Nicholson 5 (TFL) 1 0 0

Not to be overlooked, the All-American Bradford continues his big play ways.




Luke Williamson continues his fine start to the year with another 100 yard day and a TD through the air as well.

Quote: Originally Posted by whughes

All the side stories you keep us updated on is what makes this dynasty so great. It really helps with the immersion. Of course I'm pulling for a UConn win, but at least a part of me is pulling for the boys in blue. Good luck either way, I'm looking forward to the outcome

I take a lot of pride in the side stories.. I never realized until recently how much they contribute to the report. This is your dynasty universe just as much as it is mine so I feel obligated to let you in on it! And truthfully this aspect of the UConn dynasty is why I couldn't go on with Maryland. The storylines with UConn -- the Big 12, Diaco reportedly leaving every year, the D-Ham saga of 2018, Bobby Valentine and the A.D. post -- they've been writing themselves in front of my very eyes over the first six and a quarter seasons here.

And in this case.. it's Darrell Reid. He started this game. We all remember the giant fuss made over him a couple years back so I couldn't play Michigan with him starting and not bring it up.

Quote: Originally Posted by RoundingThird

Ah yes, the school I'm going to against one of the schools to turn me down. If you play Miami (OH) or Ohio State in upcoming years, I'll be really torn, as those were the other schools that wanted me. I was so close to going to Miami actually.

Miami is really interesting actually... thinking of starting a coaching career by chance? Hahah..