The Man of the Hour
TDL has record setting day as UConn routs Hoosiers 55-18
Tanner Dean-Lowry now sits high on the UConn single-game records list after his 459 yard, 4 TD performance this evening.
Looking to gain some extra home field edge, seventh-year UConn headman Bob Diaco put together a playlist filled with UConn fight music and some pop hits to be blared from the PA system every time UConn scored, got first downs, forced turnovers, and so on during UConn's home opener against Indiana. The PA man was very busy on Saturday night, a night dedicated to the retiring of Josh Marriner's #26 into the rafters. A festive night it was.
Sam Hunt's "House Party" played seven times on Saturday night, as the Huskies scored seven touchdowns and torched visiting Indiana 55-18 at the impenetrable fortress otherwise known as The Property.
The leader of the charge was junior QB
Tanner Dean-Lowry, newly anointed as the fulltime starting QB. Dean-Lowry had a career night, completing 25 of his 30 passes (including 13 in a row at one point) for 459 yards and 4 touchdowns. TDL also added 43 more yards on the ground for a grand total of 502 yards of offense (a new UConn single-game record).
Which leads me to believe.. was Diaco lying about TDL's struggles in spring practice? No matter, but TDL certainly looked like a potential All-Conference and Heisman candidate against a veteran-laced Indiana defense.
Right off the bat, UConn seemed to be in for a fight. The Hoosiers marched all the way down the field with QB
Joey Kennlane looking sharp early on and completing three straight passes of 10+ yards. However, instead of feeding star tailback
Kaivonte O'Neill in the red zone, Kennlane threw toward the end zone for
Tyler Merrick. UConn countered with the double team, and 6'5 senior safety
Ross Sinclair leapt and snagged the INT one-handed. UConn never looked back.
Ross Sinclair records a phenomenal one-handed INT to prevent an Indiana touchdown. That INT would shift the momentum completely to UConn's direction and allowed the Huskies to jump out to a 21-0 lead.
TDL found
Rashad Harris for a 10 yard score. IU missed a field goal.
Jeff McNeal ran in a score. Despite
Jeff Grigsby picking off TDL in the end zone, the UConn QB responded with a 60 yard strike to McNeal in the second quarter for his second passing TD. Just like that, UConn was up 21-0 and would go into halftime with a 24-7 advantage.
And UConn would extend their lead out of the halftime break. Duke grad transfer and new wideout
Derrick Ferwerda validated Diaco's high praise and used his 94 speed rating to break free from a Hoosier defender on a short catch over the top. He outran everyone else for a 78 yard score of his own.
Luke Williamson (who had 120 yards of his own) got into the action with a five yard TD punch. Then TDL's final strike was to tight end
Royce Archie from eight yards out. TDL and the rest of the starters were taken out early in the fourth quarter, but the fun didn't stop there.
Mike Hill, a sophomore linebacker starting the season on the bench, made his case to possibly take
Tim Duchane's starting spot, recording two tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble that set up
Isaac Jackson's 37 yard TD run off the read option.
While it certainly wasn't a perfect performance (200+ passing yards from Kennlane and 100+ yards from O'Neill to lead the Indiana offense), the UConn offense did a lot to inspire hope by racking up 709 yards of total offense through the air and the ground. After the 49-point showing in the season-ending Cactus Bowl last year, UConn certainly built upon the momentum that day.
TDL is the guy. Annnnnnnnnnd we're off. Tennessee next. See ya then for more UCahhhhhnnn football!
Derrick Ferwerda and Rashad Harris each had TD grabs on the evening.
Indiana Hoosiers at Connecticut Huskies |
Aug 22, 2020 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
Indiana Hoosiers (0-1) | 0 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 18 |
Connecticut Huskies (1-0) | 14 | 10 | 21 | 10 | 55 |
Team Stats Comparison |
| IND | CONN |
Total Offense | 434 | 708 |
Rushing Yards | 168 | 249 |
Passing Yards | 266 | 459 |
First Downs | 22 | 27 |
Punt Return Yards | 0 | 56 |
Kick Return Yards | 0 | 97 |
Total Yards | 434 | 861 |
Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
3rd Down Conversion | 2-11 (18%) | 3-5 (60%) |
4th Down Conversion | 1-1 | 0-0 |
2-Point Conversion | 1-1 | 0-0 |
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals | 5-2-1 (60%) | 7-4-1 (71%) |
Penalties | 1-10 | 1-5 |
Possession Time | 15:04 | 16:56 |
Scoring Summary |
FIRST QUARTER SCORING | IND | CONN |
4:41 | (CONN) Dean-Lowry 10 pass Harris (Miller kick) | 0 | 7 |
0:48 | (CONN) McNeal 2 run (Miller kick) | 0 | 14 |
SECOND QUARTER SCORING | IND | CONN |
5:42 | (CONN) Dean-Lowry 60 pass McNeal (Miller kick) | 0 | 21 |
1:55 | (CONN) Miller 34 FG | 0 | 24 |
0:52 | (IND) Kennlane 6 pass O'Neill (Conversion Good) | 8 | 24 |
THIRD QUARTER SCORING | IND | CONN |
7:26 | (CONN) Dean-Lowry 78 pass Ferwerda (Miller kick) | 8 | 31 |
4:58 | (IND) Kennan 24 FG | 11 | 31 |
3:21 | (CONN) Williamson 5 run (Miller kick) | 11 | 38 |
:49 | (CONN) Dean-Lowry 8 pass Archie (Miller kick) | 11 | 45 |
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING | IND | CONN |
7:00 | (IND) Kennlane 17 pass Travasse (Kennan kick) | 18 | 45 |
4:44 | (CONN) Miller 42 FG | 18 | 48 |
3:17 | (CONN) Jackson 37 run (Miller kick) | 18 | 55 |
Indiana Hoosiers | PASSING | C/A | YDS | TD | INT | Joey Kennlane | 21-36 | 266 | 2 | 1 | RUSHING | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | Kaivonte O'Neill | 13 | 125 | 9.6 | 0 | Joey Kennlane | 11 | 43 | 3.9 | 0 | RECEIVING | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | James Travasse | 6 | 76 | 12.6 | 1 | Justin King | 4 | 72 | 18.0 | 0 | Tony Leak | 4 | 44 | 11.0 | 0 | DEFENSE | TACK | SACK | INT | TD | Alex McTaggart | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Greg Robinson | 6 (TFL) | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jeff Grigsby | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Connecticut Huskies | PASSING | C/A | YDS | TD | INT | Tanner Dean-Lowry | 25-30 | 459 | 4 | 1 | RUSHING | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | Luke Williamson | 22 | 135 | 6.1 | 1 | J.P. Byers | 6 | 34 | 5.6 | 0 | Tanner Dean-Lowry | 4 | 41 | 10.2 | 0 | Isaac Jackson | 1 | 37 | 37.0 | 1 | RECEIVING | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | Derrick Ferwerda | 6 | 120 | 20.0 | 1 | Kevin Lacey | 6 | 91 | 15.1 | 0 | Rashad Harris | 5 | 79 | 15.8 | 1 | Luke Williamson | 3 | 61 | 20.3 | 0 | Royce Archie | 3 | 39 | 13.0 | 1 | Jeff McNeal | 1 | 60 | 60.0 | 1 | DEFENSE | TACK | SACK | INT | TD | Tim Duchane | 7 (2 TFL) | 0 | 0 | 0 | Ross Sinclair | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Mike Hill | 2 (2 TFL) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
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