(13)
35 --- 9-4
(16)
49 --- 10-3
High Water Mark
Three Molden touchdowns, Newton’s 95-yard pick six helps UConn pull away late, win rainy Citrus Bowl to end 2022 on a high note
We’ll catch you on the flip side, Kent Newton.
UConn has now faced off against Tennessee for the third time in four years since former coordinator Marty English took over the Vols. This time meeting at the end of the season instead of the beginning, UConn was able to salvage an odd season and win the Citrus Bowl thanks to similar late-game heroics that led to a win last time.
For the second straight meeting, the heroics came from a senior defensive back. With the Huskies up 42-35 late in the fourth quarter with Tennessee in the red zone,
Vadarian Hawkins dropped back and passed to the right side, looking for receiver
Joseph Newberry in the end zone to tie the score. Instead, Hawkins floated the pass and All-American
Kent Newton made a nice over the shoulder grab to intercept it, with a lot of open field in front of him. Newton was able to run the interception back all the way to the other end zone, a 95-yard return touchdown to give UConn an insurmountable 49-35 lead with just 30 seconds remaining in the contest.
That would be the final score, and any time you can win a bowl game, one should be happy with that. Though UConn did manage to win the game, however, this will not go down as one of their finest triumphs. UConn posted 28 points in the opening two quarters on the strength of two
Jordan Brown touchdown passes and a pair of eleven-yard touchdown runs from
Mike Molden, who filled in for
Ashanti Swift when he exited the game with back spasms. Jordan was superb on the afternoon, completing 20 of his 22 passes for 272 yards in less-than-optimal field conditions. Tennessee, on the other hand, scored just one touchdown (a Hawkins touchdown run) in the first half after star tailback
Greg Madison left the game with a sprained ankle. However, the Vols went into the break only trailing 28-21 thanks to a pair of defensive touchdowns.
Early in the second quarter, Molden lost a fumble that was scooped up by
Kyle Peterson and returned for a Vol touchdown. Shortly after Molden’s second touchdown,
Isaiah Koonce intercepted a
Linzell Tyson option pitch and ran that back 33 yards for a touchdown as well. UConn managed to take their scant seven point lead on a last-second touchdown pass from Jordan Brown to
Marcus Rodgers, who busted open on a seam route over the middle. The 28-21 lead was a bit misleading, however, as the Huskies largely dominated the opening section of the game, outgaining the Vols almost 300-100. It was only their sloppy play on offense that kept Tennessee around.
Isaiah Koonce recorded one of two fumble sixes and three forced fumbles on the afternoon.
Nevertheless, both teams dug in and held close until the end, trading touchdowns in the second half. The Vols tied the score at 28 out of the break on a three-yard pass from Hawkins to tight end
Josh Brown, then UConn retook the lead on an eight-yard pass from Jordan Brown to
Marcus Rodgers. The Jet Rodgers winner this season, Rodgers led all receivers with 94 yards and two scores to wrap up his breakout season.
Following a Tennessee punt, UConn would score again after tight end
Alex Paige converted a third down; he led UConn receivers with six catches on the day. On the next play, Molden ripped off a 30-yard touchdown run to the right side to put UConn up 42-28 with about four minutes remaining in the contest. Spinning around a couple Tennessee secondary members, Molden displayed impressive burst as he beat everyone down the right sideline. Like Rodgers, Molden has emerged as a steady presence in the backfield this year. A redshirt junior who has played second fiddle to others for most of his career, Molden ran for a spectacular 108 yards and three scores to pick up the slack in Swift’s absence. We can argue that it was his presence that helped UConn to victory.
Mike Molden emerged seemingly out of nowhere for a 100-yard, three-touchdown game.
On the other side, despite losing Madison, freshman
Courtney Bannister helped out Tennessee in the run game and responded with a touchdown run of his own to pull back within one touchdown. A nine-play drive, the Vols were helped by an impressive diving catch from Newberry, who beat
Tory Greening, UConn's leading tackler on the day, down the right side. Tennessee then seemed primed to tie the game after forcing and recovering their third fumble of the game shortly thereafter on a Jordan Brown scramble.
Blue-chip freshman corner
Bryley Williams, UT’s leading tackler on the day with nine stops, knocked the ball free and defensive end
Ross Butler scooped it up at their own 47 yard line. The Vols proceeded to move into the red zone on the strength of first down catches from
Troy Bell and
Tanner Doss. but after
Alex Brown dragged down Hawkins for a loss of four yards, Tennessee would face a 4th and 13 to stay alive.
The Vols almost got back in the game after a third forced fumble and recovery - this time it was freshman corner Bryley Williams (LEFT) and Ross Butler (RIGHT) that gave UT one last chance to tie the score.
Hawkins was a respectable 14-of-22 for 176 yards and a touchdown on the air and through the ground. However, he was quiet in accumulating his stats; needless to say he had to have this fourth down conversion to redeem a largely average game. Unfortunately, he didn’t. Hawkins dropped back, and Newton capitalized with his eighth interception and the subsequent score en route to the 49-35 triumph. A bit of a gutty win for UConn, but a win is a win nevertheless. Especially so for a team that endured a topsy-turvy second half of the season, a tenth win is sure to be a popular one in fan circles, one that will likely help momentum entering 2023.
“Lots of room for improvement. We’ll look ahead to next year and improve”, commented coach Stephen Belichick. Improvement is an apt word for this team, as both coach and team had lots of growing pains to endure this season. But a win at the end is a great way to finish for a team laden with first and second year players. It’s worth noting that UConn is set to lose just eight seniors to graduation, and key players such as Jordan Brown, Ashanti Swift, Chamarkelle Byrom and Lonte’ Speier are all returning next fall as experienced players. Assuming UConn can replace a few new key pieces, especially on defense, you have to assume that a Citrus Bowl win could very well serve as a springboard for another UConn playoff push in 2023.
Marcus Rodgers finished off a breakout season with two more touchdown catches. | Tennessee Volunteers at Connecticut Huskies |
| Jan 1, 2023 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| #13 Tennessee Volunteers (9-4, 7-1) | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| #16 Connecticut Huskies (10-3, 7-2) | 7 | 21 | 7 | 14 | 49 |
| Team Stats Comparison |
| TENN | CONN |
| Total Offense | 333 | 437 |
| Rushing Yards | 157 | 190 |
| Passing Yards | 176 | 247 |
| First Downs | 15 | 20 |
| Punt Return Yards | 23 | 62 |
| Kick Return Yards | 48 | 0 |
| Total Yards | 404 | 499 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| 3rd Down Conversion | 4-12 (33%) | 6-10 (60%) |
| 4th Down Conversion | 0-1 | 1-1 |
| 2-Point Conversion | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals | 3-2-0 (66%) | 4-4-0 (100%) |
| Penalties | 4-35 | 1-10 |
| Possession Time | 14:53 | 21:07 |
| Scoring Summary |
| FIRST QUARTER SCORING | TENN | CONN |
| 5:56 | (CONN) Speier 10 pass from J. Brown (Ricciardi kick) | 0 | 7 |
| 4:10 | (TENN) Hawkins 20 run (Willis kick) | 7 | 7 |
| SECOND QUARTER SCORING | TENN | CONN |
| 8:38 | (CONN) Molden 11 run (Ricciardi kick) | 7 | 14 |
| 6:53 | (TENN) Peterson returned fumble 35 yds (Willis kick) | 14 | 14 |
| 3:39 | (CONN) Molden 11 run (Ricciardi kick) | 14 | 21 |
| 2:53 | (TENN) Koonce returned fumble 33 yds (Willis kick) | 21 | 21 |
| :11 | (CONN) Rodgers 36 pass from J. Brown (Ricciardi kick) | 21 | 28 |
| THIRD QUARTER SCORING | TENN | CONN |
| 5:49 | (TENN) J. Brown 3 pass from Hawkins (Willis kick) | 28 | 28 |
| 1:38 | (CONN) Rodgers 8 pass from J. Brown (Ricciardi kick) | 28 | 35 |
| FOURTH QUARTER SCORING | TENN | CONN |
| 6:40 | (CONN) Molden 30 run (Ricciardi kick) | 28 | 42 |
| 4:21 | (TENN) Bannister 4 run (Willis kick) | 35 | 42 |
| :35 | (CONN) Newton returned INT 95 yds (Ricciardi kick) | 35 | 49 |
| Tennessee Volunteers | | PASSING | C/A | YDS | TD | INT | | Vadarian Hawkins | 14-22 | 176 | 1 | 1 | | RUSHING | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | | Courtney Bannister | 18 | 74 | 4.1 | 1 | | Vadarian Hawkins | 10 | 50 | 5.0 | 1 | | Greg Madison | 5 | 33 | 6.6 | 0 | | RECEIVING | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | | Josh Brown | 5 | 32 | 6.4 | 1 | | Tanner Doss | 3 | 44 | 14.6 | 0 | | Joseph Newberry | 2 | 56 | 28.0 | 0 | | DEFENSE | TACK | SACK | INT | TD | | Bryley Williams | 9 (2) | 1 | 0 | 0 | | Kyle Peterson | 8 (2) | 2 | 0 | 0 | | Bryan Roland | 5 (2) | 1 | 0 | 0 | | Isaiah Koonce | 4 (2) | 1 | 0 | 0 | | KICKING | FG | XP | PTS | LONG | | Nate Willis | 0-1 | 5-5 | 5 | |
| | Connecticut Huskies | | PASSING | C/A | YDS | TD | INT | | Jordan Brown | 20-22 | 247 | 3 | 0 | | RUSHING | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | | Mike Molden | 18 | 108 | 6.0 | 3 | | Ashanti Swift | 16 | 55 | 3.4 | 0 | | RECEIVING | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | | Alex Paige | 6 | 46 | 7.6 | 0 | | Chamarkelle Byrom | 5 | 68 | 13.6 | 0 | | Marcus Rodgers | 4 | 94 | 23.5 | 2 | | Lonte' Speier | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 1 | | DEFENSE | TACK | SACK | INT | TD | | Tory Greening | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | Mike Hill | 7 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | | A.J. Paxston | 4 (2) | 1 | 0 | 0 | | Kent Newton | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | | Tarik Madison | 3 (1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | | KICKING | FG | XP | PTS | LONG | | Anthony Ricciardi | 0-0 | 7-7 | 7 | |
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Next: Offseason