We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

[bryan3169]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

Just waiting on Brennan's head to roll as the DC at Purdue lol its just all bad


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[thesportsguru11]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

Meant Ash, the OLB. Sands does look like a beast though.

Gotcha! Ash will become our favorite player if we get him.. just watch!

As you said, Guru, this could be a freakishly fearsome defensive front. I'm in the midst of rebuilding mine, as I have no one over a 79 if I remember right, but they're all young too. It's damn near impossible to stop the run, we only do if they turn to the pass. On top of that, I can't usually get pressure without a blitz. It's causes challenges...

So if you have guys stick around and build that DL and LB corps...watch out, UConn will be tough!!!

Can't wait to see where you land in the bowl race man.

For sure we're in the same space as you guys are, and the sad part is we're getting even younger next year, especially at linebacker. We don't stop the run particularly well, but the stats mask that because not many teams try to run on us. When they do (see, UCF, Wake Forest), they beat us, and that's been our undoing this year. Blitzing usually works alright, but knowing that most teams want to air it out 40-50 times a game means I want my linebackers in man or five/ten yards downfield protecting against that.

Patience is the name of the game, and you can see my excitement in that hypothetical lineup post a few days ago. Even if one of these recruits doesn't pan out, all we need is two or three to hit and we'll be set for a long time to come. Easier said than done, though, as my recruiting has been very hit and miss through the dynasty so far. Payton Ash, as well as a couple corner/safety recruits next year, will complete the look, if you will. It's a real shame I couldn't land Hartfield or Lenon in recruiting this year, but at least we know where we need to look in the prep ranks moving forward.

Bowl game will be coming soon, don't worry! I had to play it twice after a minor issue, but we got a good game with the same result both times. It's a familiar opponent, which is a little unfortunate, but I'm happy it turned out be a nice game. Hopefully you all will see it sometime in the next week.

I'm back!!!!!! I still love what you're doing, and always will. In about 2 weeks, I'll start working for the actual UConn football team, on the field for the home games at "The Property" and periodically traveling with the team, at least while I'm still an underclassmen. So, you and I will get to further build upon this bond we've formed around this team. But, for the first time in my life, I will not be buying Madden this year, and I will not be coming out with a new 'chise in the fall. I'll still be here following this. Maybe I'll show it to some of the players.

Ayyyyy! Good to see you as always, RT, and continued thanks for checking in on your favorite school! This season wasn't as good as others, but I think we'll be really good next year, so I hope you'll stick around!

Unfortunate to hear about your decision on Madden, but I understand as once upon a time I thought I had retired from gaming too. Haha..haha. I think you might be back eventually. Anyways, congrats on the new gig! Fairly sure I've mentioned previously a friend of mine who is a student assistant for the UVM basketball team. Having heard some of his stories, I have a good idea of what you'll be up to, and it sounds like a lot of fun! Needless to say I'll be looking hard on the sideline for a student-looking dude when I watch UConn this fall!

It's going to be very weird watching UConn in real life moving forward. This fall, only two players remain on their actual roster who were on the virtual roster when we first embarked on this journey; Ryan Crozier and James Atkins. Crazy to think of how much time has passed, but that shouldn't get in the way of watching a few games a year if possible.... a very odd statement to say being a part-BC fan. You should see the crap they spew about UConn on BCInterruption, it's hilarious and/or sad, depending on your view of the school (but granted, BC is in Chestnut Hill, the snotty, rich part of Boston. Anyways....)

Great to see you bud!

Just waiting on Brennan's head to roll as the DC at Purdue lol its just all bad

I had to test-sim a few stages of the offseason through a backup file after I ran into some problems (which are taken care of, thankfully), but I can say with 100% confidence that Coach Brennan is getting canned. It's really too bad as you guys had talent at Purdue, but couldn't put it together, for some reason. I had hoped you would get a head coaching job after that awesome 2019 season when Purdue got to the New Year's Six, but ultimately playing Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Nebraska every year was more bad than good.

Where he'll go, I have no idea, but sometimes a step back to a small school is a good thing. Coach Gilbert bounced around the ACC, got canned, and helped lead Troy to the Sun Belt title this year. Anything is possible! Either way, I'm expecting some fireworks within the CAC ranks this year.

Thanks again everyone - We'll find out where UConn is bowling within the next day or two!

[thesportsguru11]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

C-USA: #17 Western Kentucky 35, Rice 21
B. Foster (QB, WKU): 18-27, 288 yds, TD

AAC: #5 UCF 35, Navy 28
A. McDonald (WR, UCF): 20 rec, 219 yds, 4 TD

SEC: #1 Ole Miss 49, #6 Florida 32
D. McCullough (QB, MISS): 18-25, 311 yds, 2 TD

MWC: San Diego State 52, #11 Air Force 35
B. Horton (QB, SDSU): 20-28, 421 yds, 5 TD

PAC-12: #19 Washington 53, #4 UCLA 46
T. Graves (QB, WASH): 28-39, 430 yds, 6 TD, rush TD

ACC: #12 Notre Dame 37, #20 Miami 27
D. Taylor (QB, ND): 26-40, 286 yds, 3 TD

BIG 10: #8 Michigan State 35, #2 Wisconsin 14
L. Puckett (WR, MSU): 6 rec, 120 yds, 2 TD

BIG 12: #9 Oklahoma 52, #18 Houston 30
J. Tryson (QB, OU): 18-33, 318 yds, 4 TD, 11 rush, 112 yds, TD

MAC: #16 Eastern Michigan 27, Bowling Green 17
J. Bryant (QB, EMU): 16-25, 186 yds, 3 TD, 15 rush, 65 yds

Tryson wins Heisman

Putting together a five touchdown performance in a Big 12 win that will almost certainly send his team to the College Football Playoff, Oklahoma gunslinger Justyce Tryson has won the Heisman Trophy for the 2022 season. The fifth-year senior put together one of the best statistical seasons in recent memory, completing 279 passes for 4,015 yards while running for 853 more. Tryson accounted for 52 total touchdowns, with a playoff game or two still to play.

Tryson’s win is the first for a Sooner since Sam Bradford in 2008, and the first for a quarterback since 2018, when Florida’s Will Grier took home the award. For further information, each of the previous three Heisman winners at the quarterback position since the start of the dynasty have advanced their teams to the National Title Game.

Washington State’s sensational senior tailback Patrick Tuivalea, who finished the regular season with a national-leading 2,100 yards, finished second. UCLA quarterback Stephen Francis finished third, with UCF QB Aaron Houston and Ole Miss QB Devon McCullough rounding out the top five.

UConn Awards: Rodgers ironically wins Jet Rodgers; Butkus to Mike Hill; other Huskies come up empty

UConn snared an award that they are very familiar with winning. Marcus Rodgers took home the Johnny “Jet” Rodgers Award for the nation’s best return man during the Home Depot Awards Show, becoming the fourth different winner of the award from UConn. Rodgers follows Deshon Foxx (2014), Arkeel Newsome (2015-2017) and Jeff McNeal (2018).

After the return game struggled a bit following the graduation of Newsome, Rodgers electrified in 2022, often displaying no fear to return a deep kick. Rodgers led the nation in return touchdowns with one kickoff and punt apiece.

Other Huskies were not as lucky, however.

Mike Hill and his nation leading 108 tackles were enough to win him the Butkus Award for the nation’s best linebacker. However, he was unable to claim the Bednarik Award for the nation’s best defensive player, which went to Michael Riley of Ole Miss. James Mandrell finished behind Iowa State’s Dan Glover for the Lombardi Award, while Pitt corner Tyjuan Monroe beat out our own Kent Newton for the Thorpe Award.

Congrats to Rodgers and Hill!

[thesportsguru11]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

UConn to face Tennessee for third time in four years in Citrus Bowl

If they couldn’t get a top tier bowl game, at least they got something close. UConn has been selected to play in the NextEra Energy Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day against an opponent they know quite well. The Tennessee Volunteers will be their opponent, the third time in four years the teams have met. The Vols are coached by Marty English, the defensive coordinator for UConn’s 2017 national title winning team. The teams split a home and home they played in 2019 and 2020, the Vols winning in Hartford the first game and UConn winning in Knoxville the second on a miraculous last-second tackle by Jake Crowder.

Tennessee shares a 9-3 record with UConn this season; they went 7-1 in SEC play but that loss came to Florida, which kept them out of the SEC Title Game. The Vols are led on offense by senior QB Vadarian Hawkins (89 OVR), senior running back Greg Madison (92 OVR), and senior wide receiver Tanner Doss (91 OVR).

Playoff Bracket; Nebraska slips in at #4

With the full bowl lineup released today, we now know the four teams that will compete in the College Football Playoff this season. Ole Miss, unsurprisingly, is the top seed as they finished 13-0 after beating Florida in the SEC Championship Game.

Michigan State, after an impressive beatdown of Wisconsin in the Big 10 Title Game, jumps all the way up to #2 and will face the Big 12 champion Oklahoma Sooners, who handily beat Houston in their conference championship. Both teams are making their first appearances in the CFP; they will square off in the 8:00 P.M. Fiesta Bowl.

Taking the fourth slot is Nebraska at 10-2. The Huskers are making their third straight appearance in the CFP, and earned the spot after UCLA lost in the Pac-12 Title Game. Had the Bruins won, they would have easily claimed the final spot. Instead, the final debate came between the Huskers and the UCF Knights, AAC champs. Despite not playing in the Big 10 title game, the committee picked Nebraska after deeming they had a harder schedule out of conference (including games against Oklahoma and Florida), better wins (including ranked squads in Rutgers, Florida and Minnesota), while their two losses came to the Sooners (by three points) and a Wisconsin team ranked inside the top four for much of the year.

The undefeated Rebels and Huskers square off in the Peach Bowl at 3:30 EST on New Year’s Day. The National Title Game will take place at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on January 10, with ABC handling the coverage of each game.

Playoff Primer

Ole Miss (13-0, second CFP appearance, 2014) is the complete team. All-Americans line the offense and defense, a superb mix of young kids and veterans. Senior quarterback Devon McCullough is the engine that makes the car run, and he’s surrounding by the best supporting cast in the land with great running backs Brad Wilson and Skyler Cannon, as well as talented wideouts Di’Onta Gray and Aaron Spurlock. Michael Riley leads the defense, but it’s a true team effort. Sophomore D-Tackle Nwkende Bososo, linebacker Nick Jones and safeties John Burton and Ryan McDonald are just as good. Their only real weaknesses come in their lack of depth at cornerback and their youth on the offensive line, starting two freshmen and a sophomore, but everyone on the team is so good that’s not really an issue. There’s a reason they are 13-0 and no one else is, and you’d be crazy to not call the Rebels the favorite.

Michigan State (11-2, first CFP appearance) is the hottest team in the land, capping off an eight-game win streak with a Big 10 Title and pounding of #2 Wisconsin; the Badgers looked destined to try and knock off the Rebels in the National Title Game. Entering the Playoff, they’re down starting quarterback Parker Bourrie, but will rely on spectacular tailbacks Kentrice Caron (a junior) and Kylan Rosemore (a senior). Sophomore wideout Landon Puckett is one of the most electrifying players in the entire country, having just won the Biletnikoff Award and passed 100 receptions and 1,800 yards. Their defensive front is loaded with senior starters as well. While we may not expect the Spartans to be a contender, this team has the makeup to go far in the playoff.

Oklahoma (11-2, first CFP appearance) has the Heisman winner Justyce Trsyon and a few weapons in wideouts Lavont’a Dobson and Kevin Porter. However, a suspect defense outside of some solid linebackers could be an issue against electric offenses like Michigan State’s or Ole Miss’. Nevertheless, when the Sooners have the best offensive players in the nation, they can never truly be counted out.

While Nebraska (10-2, third consecutive CFP appearance) may not be the most deserving team, they are in the playoff and should never be taken lightly. After all, they pulled a 4-1 upset last season against USC. They face a much more arduous task in taking down Ole Miss this year, but have advantages where the Rebels face deficiencies. The Huskers have a solid pass rush, led by Cameron Kingery and his team leading 5.5 sacks, and have a deep group of experienced wide receivers with Wyatt Osterlund and Brian Larson leading the way. Quarterback Elfrid Harper has played on this stage before, as well. Is it finally Nebraska’s year?

Full Bowl Map

Bowl	Team	Team
Sports Authority Bowl Denver	(7-4)	(7-5)
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl	(6-6)	(6-6)
Dish Network Poinsettia Bowl	(6-6)	#24 (9-4)
Tropicana St. Petersburg Bowl	(8-4)	(7-5)
CenturyLink New Orleans Bowl	(7-5)	(7-5)
Amazon Las Vegas Bowl	(6-6)	#18 (11-2)
Sheraton Aloha Bowl	(8-5)	(6-6)
Ford Motor City Bowl	(7-5)	(8-4)
CitiBank Military Bowl	(7-5)	(7-5)
Chevron Holiday Bowl	(6-5)	#22 (7-5)
Nassau Paradise Island Bahamas Bowl	(8-4)	(6-6)
Camping World Independence Bowl	(7-5)	(8-4)
Target Bowl Minneapolis	(8-4)	(6-6)
Phillips 66 Bluebonnet Bowl	#25 (8-4)	#14 (8-3)
Cessna Armed Forces Bowl	(7-5)	(8-4)
Intel Silicon Valley Classic	(6-6)	(6-6)
Valero Alamo Bowl	(8-4)	#21 (8-4)
Buffalo Wild Wings Cactus Bowl	(7-4)	(9-4)
Dollar General Music City Bowl	(6-6)	#20 (8-4)
Sysco Sun Bowl	(8-4)	#19 (8-4)
Garden State Bowl	(7-5)	(7-5)
AutoNation Gator Bowl	(7-5)	(8-5)
NextEra Energy Citrus Bowl	#13 (9-3)	#16 (9-3)
Outback Bowl	(7-5)	#23 (8-4)
AutoZone Liberty Bowl	(7-5)	#17 (11-2)
Windy City Chicago Bowl	(6-6)	(7-5)
Hall of Fame Classic	#15 (12-1)	(7-5)
NEW YEAR'S SIX
Capital One Orange Bowl	#8 (10-3)	#5 (11-2)
Farmers Insurance Rose Bowl	#11 (9-4)	#6 (11-2)
Goodyear Cotton Bowl	#12 (9-3)	#9 (10-3)
Allstate Sugar Bowl	#10 (10-3)	#7 (10-2)
Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl (CFP SEMI)	#4 (10-3)	#1 (13-0)
Microsoft Fiesta Bowl (CFP SEMI)	#3 (11-2)	#2 (11-2)
CFP National Championship (San Francisco, CA)	Winner Fiesta	Winner Peach

CAC In Bowl Games

Sports Authority Bowl - Hawai’i (HC Bob Trebell; DrGravyBoat)
Century Link New Orleans Bowl - CAC MATCHUP! Texas State (HC William Brooks; TheOtherPotterGuy) vs. Troy (OC Laurence Gilbert; Mike7Vinas)
Dish Network Poinsettia Bowl - San Diego St. (OC Foxke Brihay; nofx94)
Tropicana St. Petersburg Bowl - Southern Miss (OC Trent Davis; UKWildcat999)
Nassau Paradise Island Bahamas Bowl - UTEP (OC J.J. Mac; RedRaider10)
Phillips 66 Bluebonnet Bowl - Rutgers (OC Tyrell Coley; Knickerbocker91)
Valero Alamo Bowl - Washington State (HC Kaelyn Willingham; kswgrad2012)
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl - Central Michigan (OC Max Crenshaw; whughes)
Windy City Chicago Bowl - UTEP (OC J.J. Mac; RedRaider10)
AutoZone Liberty Bowl - Temple (OC Ryan Sorbera; YaBoySorbs)
Hall of Fame Classic - Eastern Michigan (OC Caleb Henderson; NewscasterNews4)
Capital One Orange Bowl - UCF (HC Connor Turley; convict38)

[thesportsguru11]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

USC also finished 4-8 this season.

[RoundingThird]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

Brady Hoke finally got fired lol. Diaco to Michigan?? My condolences

[young22]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

Man I wish the editor would work for me. Hopefully y'all can finish the year strong with a nice bowl win.

Sent from my SM-A520W using Operation Sports mobile app

[SilverBullet19]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

Solid matchup for your bowl. An SEC opponent is never anything to be upset with. If anything, that’s some good motivation for a team that had playoff hopes not long ago. I can’t wait to see the matchup breakdown


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[thesportsguru11]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

UConn Flashback

Relive UConn's past matchups with our former defensive coordinator Marty English and Tennessee by clicking on the years below!

2019: UConn's first game against old friend Marty English did not go as expected. Riding high off an upset of #12 Illinois, the Huskies played at home again and got outplayed in a 28-19 loss. Both Tanner Dean-Lowry and Isaac Jackson played at QB, but TDL losing a late fumble and throwing three interceptions trumped his three touchdown-performance. Nathan Sharp led the Vols with 123 yards and a score on the ground, while Desmond Love (above) recorded the game-sealing INT.


2020: Capping off the home and home, UConn traveled to Neyland and promptly knocked off the eighth-ranked Vols 45-41 after former corner Jake Crowder dragged down J.D. Motley (11 catches, 202 yards) a yard short of the winning touchdown for Tennessee. The win catapulted UConn into the national discussion on their way to the playoff that season. TDL, albeit briefly, entered Heisman discussion after throwing for 380 yards, three touchdowns and running for two more. Below is a picture of TDL diving into the end zone, and the Heisman race. Little did he know what would happen next!

Brady Hoke finally got fired lol. Diaco to Michigan?? My condolences

Apparently 8-5 every year is good enough to keep you on the job in this game for some reason. I think playing in the Motor City Bowl is the last straw, as mighty Michigan should never be playing there LOL.

Diaco may be a horrible coach in real life, but he's a genius in this universe, having won us a national title and taking us to five big-boy bowl games, so that's all that matters! If not Diaco, I wouldn't be surprised if Jim Harbaugh ended up in that Michigan job (like in real life), or maybe even Coach Shea TBH. Seeing as how I'm accelerating the process of Hoke's firing manually, I haven't decided what's going to happen here just yet.

Man I wish the editor would work for me. Hopefully y'all can finish the year strong with a nice bowl win.

It took me a long time to get the editor working myself, but it's well worth it if you can figure it out. Wish I could help you more than I'm able, but being on opposite consoles doesn't help, unfortunately.

A win against a good Tennessee team will be a nice way to cap off an odd second half and salvage a ten-win season. That'd be really nice, indeed! Still a lot to play for with the young team we've got looking to the future.

Solid matchup for your bowl. An SEC opponent is never anything to be upset with. If anything, that’s some good motivation for a team that had playoff hopes not long ago. I can’t wait to see the matchup breakdown.

Tennessee lines up pretty well with us for sure. I'd expect a nice, close game here to get us back in line entering the offseason. As I said in the last response, we've got a lot of young kids who will/should be returning to the team next fall, and this will be a nice barometer of what we could have.

If we come out strong, our guys will go into the offseason riding a nice bowl win and a general happy feeling around the squad. A loss means we will have some problems entering the offseason that will take some time/effort to solve; perhaps many open competitions for starting jobs. Certainly a lot to play for today, hopefully we can end this very odd season on a high note!


Note from the author: Thanks again to all of you for your awesome comments lately. Expect some time before this game gets posted; my laptop has a nice crack on the outside that makes it annoying to open and close. Not sure what will need to be done or how long it will take to get it fixed, but in the interim I'd prefer not to make matters worse by using it a ton.

Luckily for me, this time gives me a chance to take a break after going rapid fire through the second half of the season, as well as plan out the offseason posts and do some research regarding player development and sim stats in the companion Madden CFM. I didn't realize until yesterday that there are so many aspects of the CFM in M25 that are just plain broken as you get five to ten seasons in, so I'll try and figure some things out.

Thanks for hanging in there, and I'll see you all soon!

[K0ZZ]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

It's awesome to see this still running, definitely going to have to get caught back up at some point, but I'm several seasons behind. Looks like you have a chance to beat the SEC in the Postseason and the offseason!

[thesportsguru11]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

Some random Tweets to chew on....

With the Coach Shea saga continuing, just wanted to make one last try at CAC signups for anyone interested, I'll give until the end of the week. If you have not yet submitted a coach in previous seasons and have interest, follow this link, copy/paste and fill it out either in the thread or via PM. I do this because I have no new entrants so far this year, so this either means I'm trying too hard or I've dried up the pool. Not required, but it's a lot of fun. Maybe you'll get a fake tweet someday too!

It's awesome to see this still running, definitely going to have to get caught back up at some point, but I'm several seasons behind. Looks like you have a chance to beat the SEC in the Postseason and the offseason!

Happy to still be running! I have a hard time starting other projects anyhow because nothing I do will compare to what we've built here; the storylines continue to write themselves and I enjoy it at post 1,661 as much as I did on post 1. This is a real nice second hobby for me to keep occupied when I'm not working or sick of reading LOL.

Things are starting to slow down a bit with the end of the season near so this is a great time to catch up. At some point I'll hopefully start to pace at about two seasons per calendar year (June-December during fall semester and January-June during spring semester) for everyone to be able to keep up in real time.

This coming sequence of events will be huge for UConn's future. The bowl result will influence who stays/goes roster-wise, and affects our approach this offseason as such, recruiting and development wise. Off-season recruiting could be huge as well with several immediate impact guys on our board (Ash, Monroe, Martin-Moser, Ferguson to name a few). Additionally, I've got some inter-squad position changes that have already been made and will be revealed soon - the outcome of this game will show us just how different our roster will look next year.

It's always nice to beat the $EC! Facing our old buddy Marty English is a pleasure as well, we've got a fun rivalry going on with him since he left the UConn defensive coordinator role many years ago. Would love to take a 2-1 lead in that series for sure, but they've got a good team.

[thesportsguru11]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

(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

Next: Offseason

[SilverBullet19]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

That's a good win over an SEC opponent in bowl season. It's wild you had that interception so late, when it seems like they are poised to take it to overtime. It's an awesome feeling to seal it like that. You had a hell of a game passing it too, 20/22!

[young22]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

Great bowl win. End on a high and look towards next year

Sent from my SM-A520W using Operation Sports mobile app

[nofx94]

Re: We have a football team too... Guru's UConn Huskies (NCAA 14)

Another playoff push incoming!

Good win. Always nice to see a double-digit victory season!

Nice that you can nearly plug-and-play with your running backs. Your UCONN Huskies are like if Wisconsin could throw. Excited to hear about the off-season!