3 --- 1-4 (0-2)
(15)
42 --- 4-2 (3-1)
One-Sided Battle
Jackson ties school record with 5 touchdown passes, Huskies smother BC in Battle For New England III
Ice-Jax was the man all night long.
In 2017, Rentschler Field rolled out a new marketing campaign depicting the stadium as The Property,
a catchy nickname posed by a fan considering UConn’s dominance at home (we were in the midst of a three year long home winning streak). The jokey nickname evolved into tradition and then adding music talking about property owning, laying the boom, and house parties.
Isaac Jackson was a true freshman being redshirted in 2017. If anyone has come to know the spirit of owning, it’s the Druid Hills, Georgia native.
Fast forward four years later, and on a day where Sam Hunt got the party started, it was only fitting that Jackson ended it. “Ice-Jax” was caught on camera multiple times jamming out to the familiar PA setlist and selections from the Husky band; Hunt's “House Party” played six times on Saturday evening, five times a result of Jackson’s passes that landed in the UConn end zone. All told, the QB’s handiwork led UConn to a 42-3 beatdown of rival Boston College, re-injecting some swagger into The Property a week after a sloppy and painful defeat to conference foe Virginia Tech, the first home loss for UConn in over two years.
Today’s outcome was rarely in question, as UConn held a 7-0 lead after the first quarter, extended the lead to 28-0 at halftime, and coasted to their fourth victory of the season over former UConn assistant Mike Cummings and his BC Eagles - UConn also makes it three straight victories in the Battle For New England.
Jackson’s five touchdowns tied the school record for a single game, equaling a mark set by now UConn quarterbacks coach Dan Orlovsky done thrice during his legendary career, while Jackson also impressed by completing 71% of his 28 passes for an impressive 301 yards.
More impressively, his touchdowns went to five different receivers on a day where everyone got involved: Second-string running back
J.P. Byers caught the first touchdown late in the first quarter, tight end
Ryne Thomas and star tailback
Luke Williamson followed in the second quarter,
Chamarkelle Byrom was the recipient of a 70 yard strike in the third quarter and hybrid tight end
Ja’Montres Jones caught the final in the fourth.
Ryne Thomas (LEFT), J.P. Byers (CENTER) and Ja'Montres Jones (RIGHT) were three of the more unlikely recipients of Isaac Jackson's touchdown passes this afternoon.
Other top contributors on the offensive side were Williamson, who put together a much needed confidence boosting 127 yard performance on the ground, while Byrom grabbed five balls for 103 yards and the aforementioned score, a 70 yard pass on a deep ball down the right sideline where he ran right past safety
Buster Thomas in single coverage. UConn only turned the ball over once -- stud freshman corner
Brad Royal intercepted Jackson on UConn’s very first possession in the contest as the Huskies were making a push for the end zone.
Freshman stud Brad Royal, a former ESPN 100 recruit at cornerback, provides one of BC's few highlights with this first quarter interception.
While BC’s defense struggled overall, you could say exactly the opposite for UConn’s stopping unit. The Eagles gained 264 yards of offense in total, but only 41 came from star running back
Scott Johnson, and they scored no touchdowns. The Eagles’ only three points came on a short field goal from
Anthony Camamaros in the second half. Reigning national sack leader
Altarri Gardner tallied three takedowns of BC slinger
Jason Drizianni to inflate his season total to ten in just six games. Canadian
Mike Hill led UConn with eight tackles from his middle linebacker spot, while
Sam Barnett recorded an interception for UConn's lone takeaway. For the second straight home game,
Shavlion Wade was unable to record an interception -- he’s still tied with Jamar Summers for the career record in that statistic with 20.
Mike Cummings shook hands with fans and UConn’s coaches after the game. “Yes it’s unfortunate we didn’t play better. But for me, the rivalry is more than the game.. I’ve been on both sides, so I have tremendous respect for all involved. We’ll come back and play better again when they come to our place next year, and best of luck to UConn the rest of the season.”
Stellar play from guys like Altarri Gardner (LEFT, sacking Jason Drizianni) and A.J. Paxston (RIGHT, stopping Scott Johnson for a loss) frustrated the Eagles offense and coach Mike Cummings all game.
Disappointment perhaps for Cummings, but it was all smiles for Isaac Jackson.
“I’m proud of the way we played, and I’m happy with how things turned out for myself, as well”, stated the usually quiet and humble Jackson after the game. Orlovsky added that he is “glad that little sucker didn’t break my record”, with a friendly laugh for good measure. “Isaac’s a great kid, he wants to play well and is disappointed when he doesn’t. He's worked really hard to get his starting shot, and coach Stephen [Belichick]'s offense is catered to the pass more than the run, so he has a lot of opportunities. His mentality is great, and I’m happy to see him do well in a big game today.”
While this game doesn't show if Jackson has regained his clutch gene, it's certainly a step in the right direction after a tough showing last week.
UConn moves to 4-2 overall and 3-1 in ACC play with the win today to officially mark the halfway point in the 2021 regular season. The Huskies continue ACC play when they travel to face Clemson in Death Valley next weekend. BC falls to 1-4 and 0-2 in conference play, and remain at the bottom of the 16-team ACC.
Chamarkelle Byrom, are you serious?| Boston College Eagles at Connecticut Huskies |
| Oct 9, 2021 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Boston College Eagles (1-4, 0-2) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| #15 Connecticut Huskies (4-2, 3-1) | 7 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
| Team Stats Comparison |
| BC | CONN |
| Total Offense | 264 | 487 |
| Rushing Yards | 51 | 186 |
| Passing Yards | 213 | 301 |
| First Downs | 15 | 25 |
| Punt Return Yards | 24 | 38 |
| Kick Return Yards | 17 | 42 |
| Total Yards | 305 | 567 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| 3rd Down Conversion | 3-13 (23%) | 5-9 (55%) |
| 4th Down Conversion | 1-3 (33%) | 1-1 (100%) |
| 2-Point Conversion | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals | 2-0-1 (50%) | 6-5-0 (83%) |
| Penalties | 2-10 | 1-5 |
| Possession Time | 15:43 | 20:17 |
| Scoring Summary |
| FIRST QUARTER SCORING | BC | CONN |
| :48 | (CONN) Byers 11 pass Jackson (Ricciardi kick) | 0 | 7 |
| SECOND QUARTER SCORING | BC | CONN |
| 6:59 | (CONN) Thomas 7 pass Jackson (Ricciardi kick) | 0 | 14 |
| 3:35 | (CONN) Williamson 3 pass Jackson (Ricciardi kick) | 0 | 21 |
| :37 | (CONN) Williamson 3 run (Ricciardi kick) | 0 | 28 |
| THIRD QUARTER SCORING | BC | CONN |
| 6:28 | (CONN) Byrom 70 pass Jackson (Ricciardi kick) | 0 | 35 |
| 4:11 | (BC) Camamaros 19 FG | 3 | 35 |
| FOURTH QUARTER SCORING | BC | CONN |
| 6:19 | (CONN) Jones 11 pass Jackson (Ricciardi kick) | 3 | 42 |
| Boston College Eagles | | PASSING | C/A | YDS | TD | INT | | Jason Drizianni | 27-41 | 213 | 0 | 1 | | RUSHING | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | | Scott Johnson | 13 | 46 | 3.5 | 0 | | RECEIVING | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | | Scott Johnson | 9 | 47 | 5.2 | 0 | | Josh Dotson | 7 | 88 | 12.5 | 0 | | Courtney Bradshaw | 3 | 22 | 7.3 | 0 | | DEFENSE | TACK | SACK | INT | TD | | Charles Hall | 10 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | | Buster Thomas | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | Darin Ridenour | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | Brad Royal | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | | KICKING | FG | XP | PTS | LONG | | Anthony Camamaros | 1-1 | 0-0 | 3 | 19 |
| | Connecticut Huskies | | PASSING | C/A | YDS | TD | INT | | Isaac Jackson | 20-28 | 301 | 5 | 1 | | RUSHING | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | | Luke Williamson | 28 | 127 | 4.5 | 1 | | J.P. Byers | 6 | 38 | 6.3 | 0 | | RECEIVING | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | | Chamarkelle Byrom | 5 | 123 | 24.6 | 1 | | Ryne Thomas | 4 | 46 | 11.5 | 1 | | Ja'Montres Jones | 3 | 35 | 11.6 | 1 | | Lonte' Speier | 2 | 48 | 24.0 | 0 | | DEFENSE | TACK | SACK | INT | TD | | Mike Hill | 8 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | | Altarri Gardner | 5 (3) | 3 | 0 | 0 | | Sam Barnett | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | | KICKING | FG | XP | PTS | LONG | | Anthony Ricciardi | 0-0 | 6-6 | 6 | |
|