2004 Connecticut Huskies football team

2004 Connecticut Huskies football
Motor City Bowl champion
Motor City Bowl, W 39–10 vs. Toledo
Conference	Big East Conference
Record	8–4 (3–3 Big East)
Head coach	Randy Edsall (6th season)
Offensive coordinator	Norries Wilson (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Hank Hughes (3rd season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Rentschler Field
Seasons ←  2003 2005  →

2004 Big East Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 25 Pittsburgh $+		4	–	2					8	–	4
No. 21 Boston College +		4	–	2					9	–	3
West Virginia +		4	–	2					8	–	4
Syracuse +		4	–	2					6	–	6
Connecticut		3	–	3					8	–	4
Rutgers		1	–	5					4	–	7
Temple		1	–	5					2	–	9
$ – BCS representative as conference champion + – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 2004 Connecticut Huskies football team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Big East Conference. The team was led by sixth-year head coach Randy Edsall and played its home games at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut.

The Huskies were invited to a bowl game for the first time in program history. ^[1] Connecticut played in the Motor City Bowl, defeating Toledo 39–10.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	12:00 pm	Murray State *	Rentschler Field East Hartford, CT		W 52–14	35,129
September 11	12:00 pm	Duke *	Rentschler Field East Hartford, CT		W 22–20	40,000
September 17	8:00 pm	at Boston College	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	ESPN2	L 7–27	42,564
September 25	12:00 pm	Army *	Rentschler Field East Hartford, CT		W 40–3	40,000
September 30	7:00 pm	Pittsburgh	Rentschler Field East Hartford, CT	ESPN2	W 29–17	40,000
October 13	7:30 pm	No. 17 West Virginia	Rentschler Field East Hartford, CT	ESPN2	L 19–31	40,000
October 23	12:00 pm	Temple	Rentschler Field East Hartford, CT		W 45–31	40,000
October 30	1:30 pm	at Syracuse	Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY (rivalry)		L 30–42	34,545
November 13	1:00 pm	at Georgia Tech *	Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta, GA		L 10–30	43,577
November 20	12:00 pm	Buffalo *	Rentschler Field East Hartford, CT		W 29–0	40,000
November 25	10:00 am	at Rutgers	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	ESPN2	W 41–35	20,224
December 27	5:30 pm	vs. Toledo *	Ford Field Detroit, MI (Motor City Bowl)	ESPN2	W 39–10	52,552
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Personnel

2004 UConn Huskies football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 1 Keron Henry Sr WR 3 Dan Desriveaux So FB 5 Lou Allen Fr QB 7 Dan Orlovsky Sr FB 8 Sam Dorvil So QB 13 Shane Fogarty So QB 14 Peter Harten So QB 15 D. J. Hernandez Fr QB 16 Matt Bonislawski So WR 17 Matt Cutaia Sr QB 19 Mark Punzelt Fr RB 24 Larry Taylor Fr FB 30 Deon Anderson Jr RB 31 Jon Wholley Sr RB 33 Cornell Brockington So RB 34 Chris Bellamy Sr RB 42 Matt Lawrence So RB 44 Terry Caulley Jr TE 46 Dan Murray So G 54 Brian Markowski Sr C 56 Jeff Fox Sr C 58 Billy Irwin Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class CB 2 Justin Perkins Sr DE 4 Harold Stanback Fr DE 6 Daniel Davis Fr LB 9 Alfred Fincher Sr FS 10 Marvin Taylor Fr LB 11 Maurice Lloyd Sr SS 12 John Fletcher Sr LB 14 Justin Derubertis Fr SS 15 Donnell Ford Fr SS 18 Quanear Gaskins Sr LB 20 Kinnan Herriott Sr FS 21 Donta Moore So LB 22 Johnathon Smith Fr CB 26 Allan Barnes So CB 27 Jahi Smith So CB 28 Darius Butler Fr FS 29 Tyvon Branch Fr DE 29 Bernie Huzar So LB 32 James Hargrave Jr FS 35 M. J. Estep So SS 36 Dahna Deleston Fr CB 38 Ricky McCollum Fr LB 39 Robert Theoudele Fr DE 40 Shawn Mayne So CB 41 Ernest Cole So LB 43 Ryan Henegan Fr LB 45 Julius Williams Fr LB 47 Taurien Sowell Jr LB 48 Danny Lansanah Fr DE 52 Tyler King Sr DT 53 Ray Blagman So DT 55 Donald Thomas Fr DT 57 Matt Applebaum So DE 59 Jason Ward So	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 6 Chris Pavasaris Fr P 37 Shane Hussar Fr K 94 Graig Vicidomino So K 95 Derek Marks Fr K 97 Tony Ciaravino Fr K 98 Matt Nuzie So	Head coach Randy Edsall Coordinators/assistant coaches Norries Wilson Offensive coordinator Hank Hughes Defensive coordinator Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: May 18, 2024

Game summaries

Murray State

Murray State Racers at Connecticut Huskies – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Racers	7	7	0	0	14
Huskies	7	7	28	10	52

at Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Connecticut

• Date: September 14
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
• Game attendance: 35,129
• Box score, Stats

Game information

First quarter CONN – Matt Lawrence 34-yard pass from Dan Orlovsky (Matt Nuzie kick), 11:16. Huskies 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 72 yards, 2:20. MURR – Nick Turner 3-yard run (Morgan Riley kick), 9:15. Tied 7–7. Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 1:51. Second quarter CONN – Matt Lawrence 3-yard run (Matt Nuzie kick), 9:03. Huskies 14–7. Drive: 15 plays, 66 yards, 5:15. MURR – Nick Turner 94-yard kickoff return (Morgan Riley kick), 8:48. Tied 14–14. Third quarter CONN – Jason Williams 40-yard pass from Dan Orlovsky (Matt Nuzie kick), 11:44. Huskies 21–14. Drive: 4 plays, 54 yards, 0:15. CONN – Keron Henry 31-yard pass from Dan Orlovsky (Matt Nuzie kick), 7:16. Huskies 28–14. Drive: 7 plays, 78 yards, 0:45. CONN – Jason Williams 80-yard pass from Dan Orlovsky (Matt Nuzie kick), 5:44. Huskies 35–14. Drive: 1 play, 60 yards, 0:11. CONN – Dan Murray 61-yard pass from Dan Orlovsky (Matt Nuzie kick), 0:00. Huskies 42–14. Drive: 4 plays, 79 yards, 1:42. Fourth quarter CONN – Alfred Fincher 16-yard interception return (Matt Nuzie kick), 7:35. Huskies 49–14. CONN – Matt Nuzie 22-yard field goal, 2:40. Huskies 52–14. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 0:10.

Statistics	MURR	CONN
First downs	10	23
Total yards	167	530
Rushing yards	76	144
Passing yards	91	386
Turnovers	1	2
Penalties–yards	2–20	0–0

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Murray State	Passing	Adam Fisher	5/8, 78 yards
	Rushing	Ron Lane	10 rushes, 39 yards
	Receiving	Daniel Rumley	2 receptions, 53 yards
Connecticut	Passing	Dan Orlovsky	19/29, 382 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Matt Lawrence	18 rushes, 76 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jason Williams	4 receptions, 128 yards, 2 TD

Duke

See also: 2004 Duke Blue Devils football team

Duke Blue Devils at Connecticut Huskies – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Blue Devils	7	6	7	0	20
Huskies	3	0	3	16	22

at Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Connecticut

• Date: September 11
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
• Game attendance: 40,000
• Box score

Game information

First quarter CONN – Matt Nuzie 21-yard field goal, 5:57. Huskies 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 32 yards, 3:44. DUKE – John Talley 62-yard interception return (Matt Brooks kick), 2:55. Blue Devils 7–3. Second quarter DUKE – Matt Brooks 24-yard field goal, 12:05. Blue Devils 10–3. Drive: 9 plays, 53 yards, 1:53. DUKE – Matt Brooks 36-yard field goal, 8:20. Blue Devils 13–3. Drive: 6 plays, 23 yards, 1:40. Third quarter CONN – Matt Nuzie 23-yard field goal, 6:41. Blue Devils 13–6. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:09. DUKE – Calen Powell 2-yard pass from Chris Dapolito (Matt Brooks kick), 2:00. Blue Devils 20–6. Drive: 9 plays, 71 yards, 2:35. Fourth quarter CONN – Cornell Brockington 1-yard run (Matt Nuzie kick), 11:05. Blue Devils 20–13. Drive: 13 plays, 71 yards, 5:04. CONN – Justin Perkins 27-yard interception return (kick failed), 10:14. Blue Devils 20–19. CONN – Matt Nuzie 21-yard field goal, 3:40. Huskies 22–20. Drive: 8 plays, 67 yards, 2:36.

Statistics	DUKE	CONN
First downs	12	16
Total yards	245	402
Rushing yards	61	112
Passing yards	184	290
Turnovers	2	2
Penalties–yards	5–43	6–79

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Duke	Passing	Chris Dapolito	12/21, 129 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Aaron Fryer	20 rushes, 59 yards
	Receiving	Ronnie Elliott	3 receptions, 46 yards
Connecticut	Passing	Dan Orlovsky	23/34, 290 yards, INT
	Rushing	Cornell Brockington	20 rushes, 78 yards, TD
	Receiving	Keron Henry	8 receptions, 112 yards

At Boston College

See also: 2004 Boston College Eagles football team

Connecticut Huskies at Boston College Eagles – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	0	7	0	0	7
Eagles	7	10	0	10	27

at Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

• Date: September 17
• Game time: 8:00 p.m. EDT
• Game attendance: 42,564
• TV: ESPN2
• Box score

Game information

First quarter BC – Joel Hazard 12-yard pass from Paul Peterson (Ryan Ohliger kick), 14:12. Eagles 7–0. Drive: 2 plays, 13 yards, 0:28. Second quarter BC – Ryan Ohliger 42-yard field goal, 11:44. Eagles 10–0. Drive: 12 plays, 62 yards, 5:43. BC – Andre Callender 1-yard run (Ryan Ohliger kick), 4:27. Eagles 17–0. Drive: 10 plays, 79 yards, 3:22. CONN – Cornell Brockington 7-yard run (Matt Nuzie kick), 0:50. Eagles 17–7. Drive: 9 plays, 79 yards, 3:22. Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter BC – Grant Adams 34-yard pass from Paul Peterson (Ryan Ohliger kick), 12:20. Eagles 24–7. Drive: 5 plays, 64 yards, 1:49. BC – Ryan Ohliger 37-yard field goal, 5:04. Eagles 27–7. Drive: 10 plays, 26 yards, 5:11.

Statistics	CONN	BC
First downs	18	21
Total yards	291	334
Rushing yards	98	141
Passing yards	193	193
Turnovers	2	2
Penalties–yards	7–94	6–50

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Connecticut	Passing	Dan Orlovsky	22/32, 193 yards, INT
	Rushing	Cornell Brockington	24 rushes, 105 yards, TD
	Receiving	Matt Cutia	4 receptions, 50 yards
Boston College	Passing	Paul Peterson	14/23, 193 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Andre Callender	26 rushes, 98 yards, TD
	Receiving	Grant Adams	5 receptions, 85 yards, TD

Army

See also: 2004 Army Black Knights football team

Army Black Knights at Connecticut Huskies – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Black Knights	3	0	0	0	3
Huskies	14	13	10	3	40

at Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Connecticut

• Date: September 25
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
• Game attendance: 40,000
• Box score

Game information

First quarter CONN – Dan Murray 3-yard pass from Dan Orlovsky (Matt Nuzie kick), 13:00. Huskies 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 73 yards, 1:40. CONN – Keron Henry 45-yard pass from Dan Orlovsky (Matt Nuzie kick), 11:12. Huskies 14–0. Drive: 2 plays, 52 yards, 0:35. ARMY – Austin Miller 44-yard field goal, 3:05. Huskies 14–3. Drive: 7 plays, 50 yards, 2:07. Second quarter CONN – Cornell Brockington 4-yard run (kick failed), 11:31. Huskies 20–3. Drive: 8 plays, 66 yards, 2:10. CONN – Keron Henry 15-yard pass from Dan Orlovsky (Matt Nuzie kick), 3:09. Huskies 27–3. Drive: 5 plays, 35 yards, 1:15. Third quarter CONN – Tim Lassen 1-yard pass from Dan Orlovsky (Matt Nuzie kick), 9:05. Huskies 34–3. Drive: 8 plays, 59 yards, 3:11. CONN – Matt Nuzie 26-yard field goal, 2:02. Huskies 37–3. Drive: 11 plays, 65 yards, 3:47. Fourth quarter CONN – Matt Nuzie 34-yard field goal, 12:14. Huskies 40–3. Drive: 9 plays, 38 yards, 2:38.

Statistics	ARMY	CONN
First downs	17	30
Total yards	250	503
Rushing yards	136	199
Passing yards	114	304
Turnovers	2	1
Penalties–yards	6–49	7–49

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Army	Passing	Matt Silva	9/20, 87 yards
	Rushing	Carlton Jones	16 rushes, 81 yards
	Receiving	Jeremy Trimble	2 receptions, 34 yards
Connecticut	Passing	Dan Orlovsky	25/34, 288 yards, 4 TD, INT
	Rushing	Cornell Brockington	17 rushes, 111 yards, TD
	Receiving	Keron Henry	7 receptions, 117 yards, 2 TD

Pittsburgh

See also: 2004 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

Pittsburgh Panthers at Connecticut Huskies – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	7	3	7	0	17
Huskies	7	6	10	6	29

at Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Connecticut

• Date: September 30
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
• Game attendance: 40,000
• TV: ESPN2
• Box score

Game information

First quarter CONN – Justin Perkins 9-yard interception return (Matt Nuzie kick), 6:27. Huskies 7–0. PITT – Greg Lee 77-yard pass from Tyler Palko (Josh Cummings kick), 0:00. Tied 7–7. Drive: 2 plays, 76 yards, 0:43. Second quarter CONN – Matt Nuzie 24-yard field goal, 5:02. Huskies 10–7. Drive: 11 plays, 60 yards, 2:57. PITT – Josh Cummings 30-yard field goal, 0:19. Tied 10–10. Drive: 12 plays, 50 yards, 4:31. CONN – Matt Nuzie 49-yard field goal, 0:00. Huskies 13–10. Drive: 2 plays, 18 yards, 0:08. Third quarter CONN – Matt Nuzie 20-yard field goal, 7:38. Huskies 16–10. Drive: 6 plays, 28 yards, 2:18. PITT – Tyler Palko 1-yard run (Josh Cummings kick), 5:44. Panthers 17–16. Drive: 5 plays, 66 yards, 1:50. CONN – Keron Henry 8-yard pass from Dan Orlovsky (Matt Nuzie kick), 3:28. Huskies 23–17. Drive: 6 plays, 62 yards, 2:06. Fourth quarter CONN – Cornell Brockington 11-yard run (pass failed), 5:45. Huskies 29–17. Drive: 8 plays, 67 yards, 2:37.

Statistics	PITT	CONN
First downs	14	25
Total yards	349	395
Rushing yards	82	158
Passing yards	267	237
Turnovers	2	2
Penalties–yards	8–48	2–24

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Pittsburgh	Passing	Tyler Palko	11/31, 267 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Tyler Palko	15 rushes, 49 yards, TD
	Receiving	Greg Lee	2 receptions, 129 yards, TD
Connecticut	Passing	Dan Orlovsky	23/43, 237 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Cornell Brockington	31 rushes, 185 yards, TD
	Receiving	Keron Henry	7 receptions, 86 yards, TD

No. 17 West Virginia

See also: 2004 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

No. 17 West Virginia Mountaineers at Connecticut Huskies – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 17 Mountaineers	7	3	14	7	31
Huskies	3	3	0	13	19

at Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Connecticut

• Date: October 13
• Game time: 7:30 p.m. EDT
• Game attendance: 40,000
• TV: ESPN2

Statistics	WVU	CONN
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Penalties–yards

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
West Virginia	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Connecticut	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Temple

See also: 2004 Temple Owls football team

Temple Owls at Connecticut Huskies – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	0	7	3	21	31
Huskies	21	10	7	7	45

at Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Connecticut

• Date: October 23
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
• Game attendance: 40,000

Statistics	TEM	CONN
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Penalties–yards

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Temple	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Connecticut	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Syracuse

See also: 2004 Syracuse Orange football team

Connecticut Huskies at Syracuse Orange – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	7	13	3	7	30
Orange	7	14	14	7	42

at Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York

• Date: October 30
• Game time: 1:30 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: None (played indoors)
• Game attendance: 34,545

Statistics	CONN	SYR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Penalties–yards

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Connecticut	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Syracuse	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Georgia Tech

See also: 2004 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team

Connecticut Huskies at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	3	0	0	7	10
Yellow Jackets	7	13	3	7	30

at Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: November 13
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 43,577

Statistics	CONN	GT
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Penalties–yards

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Connecticut	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Georgia Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Buffalo

See also: 2004 Buffalo Bulls football team

Buffalo Bulls at Connecticut Huskies – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulls	0	0	0	0	0
Huskies	7	5	10	7	29

at Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Connecticut

• Date: November 20
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 40,000

Statistics	BUF	CONN
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Penalties–yards

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Buffalo	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Connecticut	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Rutgers

See also: 2004 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

Connecticut Huskies at Rutgers Scarlet Knights – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	14	7	14	6	41
Scarlet Knights	7	14	7	7	35

at Rutgers Stadium, Piscataway, New Jersey

• Date: November 25
• Game time: 10:00 a.m. EST
• Game attendance: 20,224
• TV: ESPN2

Statistics	CONN	RUTG
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Penalties–yards

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Connecticut	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Rutgers	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Vs. Toledo (Motor City Bowl)

See also: 2004 Motor City Bowl and 2004 Toledo Rockets football team

Connecticut Huskies vs. Toldeo Rockets (Motor City Bowl) – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	17	13	3	6	39
Rockets	0	7	3	0	10

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

• Date: December 27
• Game time: 5:30 p.m. EST
• Game weather: None (played indoors)
• Game attendance: 52,552
• Referee: Cooper Castleberry
• TV: ESPN2

Game information

First quarter CONN – Matt Nuzie 35-yard field goal, 12:05. Huskies 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 41 yards, 2:55. CONN – Jason Williams 32-yard pass from Dan Orlovsky (Matt Nuzie kick), 4:41. Huskies 10–0. Drive: 5 plays, 36 yards, 1:43. CONN – Larry Taylor 68-yard punt return (Matt Nuzie kick), 2:31. Huskies 17–0. Second quarter TOL – Bruce Gradkowski 1-yard run (Jason Robbins kick), 10:53. Huskies 17–7. Drive: 10 plays, 63 yards, 6:27. CONN – Brian Sparks 7-yard pass from Dan Orlovsky (Matt Nuzie kick), 7:42. Huskies 24–7. Drive: 9 plays, 41 yards, 3:11. CONN – Matt Nuzie 37-yard field goal, 1:24. Huskies 27–7. Drive: 11 plays, 55 yards, 3:23. CONN – Matt Nuzie 25-yard field goal, 0:00. Huskies 30–7. Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards, 0:55. Third quarter TOL – Jason Robbins 27-yard field goal, 11:47. Huskies 30–10. Drive: 9 plays, 56 yards, 3:13. CONN – Matt Nuzie 36-yard field goal, 1:53. Huskies 33–10. Drive: 12 plays, 65 yards, 5:58. Fourth quarter CONN – Matt Lawrence 11-yard run (kick blocked), 0:25. Huskies 39–10. Drive: 5 plays, 45 yards, 2:52.

Statistics	CONN	TOL
First downs	20	20
Total yards	398	281
Rushing yards	159	78
Passing yards	239	203
Turnovers	1	3
Time of possession	28:18	31:42

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Connecticut	Passing	Dan Orlovsky	20/41, 239 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Cornell Brockington	15 rushes, 72 yards
	Receiving	Keron Henry	9 receptions, 109 yards
Toledo	Passing	Marques Council	16/28, 160 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Trinity Dawson	19 rushes, 78 yards
	Receiving	Chris Holmes	4 receptions, 47 yards

After the season

NFL Draft

The following Huskies were selected in the 2005 NFL draft following the season. ^[2]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL club
3	82	Alfred Fincher	Linebacker	New Orleans Saints
5	145	Dan Orlovsky	Quarterback	Detroit Lions

References

1. "Edsall, Orlovsky keeping focus", New Haven Register (New Haven, CT), December 11, 2004, Sean O'Rourke
2. "2005 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 29, 2023.