2021 UConn Huskies football team

2021 UConn Huskies football
Conference	Independent
Record	1–11
Head coach	Randy Edsall (16th season; first 2 games) Lou Spanos (interim; final 10 games)
Offensive coordinator	Frank Giufre (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Lou Spanos (2nd season; first 2 games) Jarren Horton (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Rentschler Field
Seasons ←  2019 2022  →

2021 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 8 Notre Dame			–						11	–	2
No. 19 BYU			–						10	–	3
Army			–						9	–	4
Liberty			–						8	–	5
New Mexico State			–						2	–	10
UMass			–						1	–	11
UConn			–						1	–	11
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2021 UConn Huskies football team represented the University of Connecticut (UConn) in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Huskies competed as an independent, having left the American Athletic Conference following the 2019 season. They played their home games at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut.

On September 5, following the team's 38–28 loss to FCS-school Holy Cross, head coach Randy Edsall announced he would be retiring at the end of the season. ^[1] The following day, the school announced that Edsall had resigned effective immediately and defensive coordinator Lou Spanos was named the interim head coach. ^{[2] [3]}

On November 11, former UCLA coach Jim L. Mora was named the school's 31st head coach beginning with the 2022 season. Shortly after the hire he helped serve as an offensive assistant for the remainder of the season. ^[4]

The team finished the season 1–11.

In June 2020, it was announced that UConn's other sports programs would be joining the Big East Conference. Since the Big East does not sponsor football and the American did not want to keep UConn as a football-only school, it was decided that the football program would compete as an independent. ^[5] The move to the Big East was primarily due to the university wanting to focus more on the men's and women's basketball programs, feeling the move to the American had hindered those programs. ^[6]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 28	2:00 p.m.	at Fresno State	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA	CBSSN	L 0–45	26,043
September 4	12:00 p.m.	Holy Cross	Rentschler Field East Hartford, CT	CBSSN	L 28–38	18,782
September 11	3:00 p.m.	Purdue	Rentschler Field East Hartford, CT	CBSSN	L 0–49	14,817
September 18	12:00 p.m.	at Army	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	CBSSN	L 21–52	25,030
September 25	3:30 p.m.	Wyoming	Rentschler Field East Hartford, CT	CBSSN	L 22–24	12,538
October 2	7:30 p.m.	at Vanderbilt	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	ESPNU	L 28–30	21,218
October 9	3:30 p.m.	at UMass	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA (rivalry)	NESN	L 13–27	12,765
October 16	12:00 p.m.	Yale	Rentschler Field East Hartford, CT	CBSSN	W 21–15	18,596
October 22	6:00 p.m.	Middle Tennessee	Rentschler Field East Hartford, CT	CBSSN	L 13–44	10,698
November 13	12:00 p.m.	at Clemson	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	ACCN	L 7–44	77,522
November 20	4:00 p.m.	at UCF	Bounce House Orlando, FL (Civil Conflict)	ESPN+	L 17–49	37,454
November 27	12:00 p.m.	No. 24 Houston	Rentschler Field East Hartford, CT	CBSSN	L 17–45	12,685
Rankings from CFP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Source ^[7]

Roster

2021 Connecticut Huskies football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 1 Keelan Marion Fr WR 3 Heron Maurisseau  So WR 4 Matt Drayton So WR 5 Aaron Turner Fr WR 7 Cameron Ross So QB 8 Steven Krajewski  So WR 9 Darius Bush Fr QB 10 Micah Leon  Jr QB 11 Jack Zergiotis So QB 12 Tyler Phommachanh Fr QB 13 Miles Foerster  Fr WR 14 Elijah Jeffreys  So WR 15 Mark Didio Fr RB 25 Devontae Houston Fr RB 26 Nathan Carter Fr RB 28 Brian Brewton Fr RB 30 Robert Burns GS RB 34 Kevin Mensah Sr RB 36 Khyon Gillespie  So WR 39 Hayden Jordon  Fr WR 42 Kevin Dunn  Fr RB 44 Max Modeste Fr TE 45 Christopher Johnson Fr OL 50 Dylan Niedrowski  So OL 51 Peter Rooney Jr.  So OL 52 Yakiri Walker Fr OL 53 Sidney Walker Jr OL 60 Mason Raymer Fr OL 61 Jesse Polansky Fr OL 62 Noel Ofori-Nyadu  So OL 64 Christian Haynes  So OL 67 Christopher Fortin Fr OL 69 Will Meyer Fr OL 70 Femi Sakiri Fr OL 71 Valentin Senn  Fr OL 72 Rayonte Brown  Fr OL 74 Ryan Van Demark Sr OL 75 Chase Lundt  Fr OL 76 Jonathan Pace Jr OL 77 Robby Rochester Fr OL 79 Danny Antolovich Fr TE 80 Jayce Medlock So TE 81 Jay Rose Sr TE 82 Brendan Heatherman Fr TE 83 Brandon Niemenski Fr WR 84 Jacob Flynn  Fr TE 85 Russell Dixon  Fr WR 86 Kevens Clercius  Fr WR 87 Cameron Hairston  Jr WR 88 Josh Tracey Fr WR 89 Jahkai Gill So	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 0 Reyan Blake Fr DB 2 Myles Bell So DB 3 Diamond Harrell Sr LB 5 Terrence Ganyi  So LB 6 Ian Swenson  Jr DB 7 Tre Wortham Jr DB 8 Jalon Ferrell  So DL 9 Langston Hardy Fr DB 12 Kaleb Anthony Fr DB 14 Malcolm Bell Fr LB 15 Tui Faumuina-Brown Fr DB 16 Malik Banks  So DB 17 Stan Cross Fr DB 18 Jaylen Jones  Fr DB 19 Durante Jones Fr DB 20 Deon Mclean Jr. Fr DB 21 Jeremy Lucien Jr DB 22 Alfred Chea Fr DB 23 Juan Rosario So LB 24 Desmond Fogle Fr LB 27 Omar Fortt Sr LB 29 Jordan Morrison  So DB 31 Malik Dixon  Fr DB 32 Shamel Lazarus  So LB 33 Hunter Webb  So DB 37 Kyle Williams GS DB 38 Winston Jules  Fr LB 40 Deondrick Speight Fr LB 41 D.J. Morgan GS LB 43 Jackson Mitchell So LB 46 John Bechtle Fr LB 47 Justin Bryant  So DL 48 Kevon Jones Jr DL 55 MarQuayveon Evans Fr DL 56 Carter Hooper Fr DL 57 Travis Jones Jr LB 58 Dillon Harris Sr DL 65 Aaron Lange Fr DL 68 Justin Moore  Fr DL 90 Pryce Yates Fr DL 91 Collin McCarthy Fr DL 93 Pierce DeVaughn  So DL 94 Nick Harris Fr DL 95 Eric Watts So DL 96 Dal'mont Gourdine  Fr DL 98 Lwal Uguak Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 17 Blake Otto Fr LS 53 Brian Keating Sr LS 59 Nilay Upadhyayula Fr LS 63 Kevin Cahill So K 84 Joe McFadden Fr K 92 Noah Iden  So K 97 Noe Ruelas Fr P 99 Haydn Kerr Fr	Head coach Randy Edsall (games 1) Lou Spanos (games 3–12) Coordinators/assistant coaches Frank Giufre Offensive coordinator/offensive line Jarren Horton Defensive coordinator/star, nickel, dime Eddie Allen Special teams coordinator Kyle Weiss Running backs Corey Edsall Tight ends Darrell Perkins Defensive backs Dennis Dottin-Carter Defensive line Aaron Smith Wide receivers Mike Moyseenko Quarterbacks Jim Mora Offensive assistant Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: June 7, 2021

Game summaries

At Fresno State

See also: 2021 Fresno State Bulldogs football team

UConn Huskies at Fresno State Bulldogs  – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	0	0	0	0	0
Bulldogs	7	24	7	7	45

at Bulldog Stadium • Fresno, California

• Date: August 28
• Game time: 2:05 p.m.
• Game weather: Temperature: 90 °F (32 °C) • Wind: 4 SE • Weather: Smoke
• Game attendance: 26,043
• Referee: T. Salaam
• TV announcers (CBSSN): Rich Waltz (play-by-play), Aaron Taylor (color), and Lindsay Rhodes (sideline)
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter FRES – Arron Mosby 31-yard fumble return (Cesar Silva kick), 2:40. Bulldogs 7–0. Second quarter FRES – Ty Jones 9-yard pass from Jake Haener (Cesar Silva kick), 10:47. Bulldogs 14–0. Drive: 4 plays, 69 yards, 1:43. FRES – Ronnie Rivers 61-yard pass from Jake Haener (Cesar Silva kick), 3:50. Bulldogs 21–0. Drive: 1 play, 61 yards, 0:10. FRES – Jalen Cropper 86-yard pass from Jake Haener (Cesar Silva kick), 1:46. Bulldogs 28–0. Drive: 1 play, 86 yards, 0:14. FRES – Cesar Silva 24-yard field goal, 0:00. Bulldogs 31–0. Drive: 9 plays, 71 yards, 1:12. Third quarter FRES – Jordan Mims 8-yard run (Cesar Silva kick), 3:21. Bulldogs 38–0. Drive: 10 plays, 48 yards, 3:44. Fourth quarter FRES – Raymond Pauwels Jr. 1-yard pass from Logan Fife (Cesar Silva kick), 11:30. Bulldogs 45–0. Drive: 10 plays, 57 yards, 3:45. Top passers CONN – Jack Zergiotis – 12/24, 64 yards FRES – Jake Haener – 20/26, 331 yards, 3 TD Top rushers CONN – Kevin Mensah – 11 rushes, 31 yards FRES – Ronnie Rivers – 13 rushes, 58 yards Top receivers CONN – Cameron Ross – 5 receptions, 37 yards FRES – Jalen Cropper – 3 receptions, 87 yards, TD

Statistics	UConn	FRES
First downs	9	25
Total yards	107	538
Rushing yards	35	156
Passing yards	72	382
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	29:03	30:57

Holy Cross

See also: 2021 Holy Cross Crusaders football team

Holy Cross Crusaders at UConn Huskies  – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Crusaders	7	17	7	7	38
Huskies	14	7	7	0	28

at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field • East Hartford, Connecticut

• Date: September 4
• Game time: 12:00 p.m.
• Game weather: Temperature: 79 °F (26 °C) • Wind: None • Weather: Sunny
• Game attendance: 18,782
• Referee: Jeff Pruitt
• TV announcers (CBSSN): Ed Cohen (play-by-play), Ross Tucker (color), and Tina Cervasio (sideline)
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter HC – Matthew Sluka 6-yard run (Derek Ng kick), 10:36. Crusaders 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 77 yards, 4:21. CONN – Keelan Marion 50-yard pass from Jack Zergiotis (Joe McFadden kick), 4:23. Tied 7–7. Drive: 2 plays, 61 yards, 0:29. CONN – Jack Zergiotis 1-yard run (Joe McFadden kick), 2:22. Huskies 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 2 yards, 1:13. Second quarter HC – Jason Modak 29-yard interception return (Derek Ng kick), 14:44. Tied 14–14. HC – Ayir Asante 24-yard pass from Matthew Sluka (Derek Ng kick), 6:54. Crusaders 21–14. Drive: 5 plays, 47 yards, 1:47. CONN – Keelan Marion 3-yard pass from Jack Zergiotis (Joe McFadden kick), 2:57. Tied 21–21. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 3:57. HC – Derek Ng 30-yard field goal, 0:03. Crusaders 24–21. Drive: 11 plays, 62 yards, 2:54. Third quarter HC – Tyler Purdy 3-yard pass from Matthew Sluka (Derek Ng kick), 6:43. Crusaders 31–21. Drive: 6 plays, 47 yards, 2:39. CONN – Jayce Medlock 8-yard pass from Jack Zergiotis (Joe McFadden kick), 3:18. Crusaders 31–28. Drive: 11 plays, 58 yards, 3:25. Fourth quarter HC – Tyler Purdy 14-yard run (Derek Ng kick), 8:19. Crusaders 38–28. Drive: 4 plays, 98 yards, 2:06. Top passers HC – Matthew Sluka – 9/16, 123 yards, 2 TD CONN – Jack Zergiotis – 17/41, 174 yards, 3 TD, INT Top rushers HC – Matthew Sluka – 14 rushes, 112 yards, TD CONN – Kevin Mensah – 21 rushes, 66 yards Top receivers HC – Jalen Coker – 3 receptions, 47 yards CONN – Keelan Marion – 3 receptions, 60 yards, 2 TD

Statistics	HC	UConn
First downs	19	18
Total yards	363	262
Rushing yards	226	88
Passing yards	137	174
Turnovers	1	4
Time of possession	33:13	26:47

Purdue

See also: 2021 Purdue Boilermakers football team

Purdue Boilermakers at UConn Huskies  – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Boilermakers	7	28	14	0	49
Huskies	0	0	0	0	0

at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field • East Hartford, Connecticut

• Date: September 11
• Game time: 3:00 p.m.
• Game weather: Temperature: 80 °F (27 °C) • Wind: None • Weather: Sunny
• Game attendance: 14,187
• Referee: Stuart Mullins
• TV announcers (CBSSN): Ed Cohen (play-by-play), Randy Cross (color), and Josh Martin (sideline)
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter PUR – Payne Durham 17-yard pass from Jack Plummer (Mitchell Fineran kick), 5:06. Boilermakers 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 56 yards, 2:18. Second quarter PUR – David Bell 30-yard pass from Jack Plummer (Mitchell Fineran kick), 13:21. Boilermakers 14–0. Drive: 9 plays, 83 yards, 2:51. PUR – King Doerue 1-yard run (Mitchell Fineran kick), 8:16. Boilermakers 21–0. Drive: 7 plays, 68 yards, 3:34. PUR – David Bell 59-yard pass from Jack Plummer (Mitchell Fineran kick), 3:29. Boilermakers 28–0. Drive: 4 plays, 82 yards, 1:51. PUR – David Bell 8-yard pass from Jack Plummer (Mitchell Fineran kick), 0:35. Boilermakers 35–0. Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 1:43. Third quarter PUR – Mershawn Rice 15-yard pass from Aidan O'Connell (Mitchell Fineran kick), 10:38. Boilermakers 42–0. Drive: 11 plays, 90 yards, 4:15. PUR – T.J. Sheffield 5-yard pass from Aidan O'Connell (Mitchell Fineran kick), 4:12. Boilermakers 49–0. Drive: 9 plays, 46 yards, 4:01. Fourth quarter No scoring plays Top passers PUR – Jack Plummer – 16/20, 245 yards, 4 TD CONN – Steven Krajewski – 14/25, 99 yards, INT Top rushers PUR – King Doerue – 12 rushes, 74 yards, TD CONN – Steven Krajewski – 11 rushes, 42 yards Top receivers PUR – David Bell – 6 receptions, 121 yards, TD CONN – Heron Maurisseau – 1 reception, 40 yards

Statistics	PUR	UConn
First downs	29	11
Total yards	562	223
Rushing yards	187	124
Passing yards	375	99
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	34:34	25:26

At Army

See also: 2021 Army Black Knights football team

UConn Huskies at Army Black Knights  – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	0	0	14	7	21
Black Knights	14	28	7	3	52

at Michie Stadium • West Point, NY

• Date: September 18
• Game time: 12:00 p.m.
• Game weather: Temperature: 78 °F (26 °C) • Wind: NW 5 MPH • Weather: Mostly cloudy
• Game attendance: 25,030
• Referee: Jerry Magallena
• TV announcers (CBSSN): Jason Horowitz (play-by-play), Ross Tucker (analyst) & Tina Cervasio (sideline)
• Box score

Game information

First quarter ARMY – Christian Anderson 2-yard run (Cole Talley kick), 11:14. Black Knights 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 64 yards, 1:56. ARMY – Isaiah Alston 39-yard pass from Christian Anderson (Cole Talley kick), 5:41. Black Knights 14–0. Drive: 5 plays, 49 yards, 2:31. Second quarter ARMY – Christian Anderson 1-yard run (Cole Talley kick), 14:12. Black Knights 21–0. Drive: 8 plays, 40 yards, 4:27. ARMY – Tyrell Robinson 70-yard run (Cole Talley kick), 11:40. Black Knights 28–0. Drive: 2 plays, 82 yards, 0:51. ARMY – Jakobi Buchanan 2-yard run (Quinn Maretzki kick), 9:25. Black Knights 35–0. Drive: 3 plays, 33 yards, 1:26. ARMY – Anthony Adkins 1-yard run (Quinn Maretzki kick), 0:16. Black Knights 42–0. Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 5:49. Third quarter CONN – Tyler Phommachanh 38-yard run (Joe McFadden kick), 10:07. Black Knights 42–7. Drive: 4 plays, 68 yards, 1:20. ARMY – Wilson Catoe 2-yard run (Quinn Maretzki kick), 2:30. Black Knights 49–7. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 7:37. CONN – Brian Brewton 96-yard kickoff return, 2:12. Black Knights 49–14. Fourth quarter ARMY – Quinn Maretzki 28-yard field goal, 5:55. Black Knights 52–14. Drive: 18 plays, 64 yards, 11:17. CONN – Tyler Phommachanh 4-yard run, 1:09. Black Knights 52–21. Drive: 10 plays, 88 yards, 4:46. Top passers CONN – Tyler Phommachanh – 11/26, 109 yards, INT ARMY – Christian Anderson – 2/2, 70 yards, TD Top rushers CONN – Tyler Phommachanh – 11 rushes, 60 yards, 2 TD ARMY – Tyrell Robinson – 3 rushes, 84 yards, TD Top receivers CONN – Aaron Turner – 2 receptions, 49 yards ARMY – Isaiah Alston – 1 reception, 39 yards, TD

Statistics	UConn	ARMY
First downs	9	24
Total yards	225	504
Rushing yards	116	397
Passing yards	109	107
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	19:24	40:36

Wyoming

See also: 2021 Wyoming Cowboys football team

Wyoming Cowboys at UConn Huskies  – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	3	7	14	24
Huskies	10	3	0	9	22

at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field • East Hartford, Connecticut

• Date: September 25
• Game time: 3:30 p.m.
• Game weather: Temperature: 73 °F (23 °C) • Weather: Sunny
• Game attendance: 12,538
• Referee: Timothy Hedgepeth
• TV announcers (CBSSN): Ed Cohen (play-by-play), Randy Cross (analyst) & Josh Martin (sideline)
• Box score

Game information

First quarter UCONN – Joe McFadden 28-yard field goal, 11:39. Huskies 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 45 yards, 3:15. UCONN – Jay Rose 42-yard pass from Tyler Phommachanh (Joe McFadden kick), 1:25. Huskies 10–0. Drive: 6 plays, 74 yards, 1:06. Second quarter UCONN – Joe McFadden 29-yard field goal, 12:54. Huskies 13–0. Drive: 5 plays, 29 yards, 2:47. WYO – John Hoyland 24-yard field goal, 4:44. Huskies 13–3. Drive: 16 plays, 72 yards, 8:06. Third quarter WYO – Isaiah Neyor 18-yard pass from Sean Chambers (John Hoyland kick), 10:51. Huskies 13–10. Drive: 9 plays, 69 yards, 4:40. Fourth quarter UCONN – Joe McFadden 35-yard field goal, 11:16. Huskies 16–10. Drive: 16 plays, 74 yards, 6:15. WYO – Xazavian Valladay 1-yard run (John Hoyland kick), 6:31. Cowboys 17–16. Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 4:39. WYO – Titus Swen 2-yard run (John Hoyland kick), 3:34. Cowboys 24–16. Drive: 5 plays, 29 yards, 2:43. UCONN – Nate Carter 2-yard run (pass failed), 0:04. Cowboys 24–22. Drive: 14 plays, 64 yards, 3:24. Top passers WYO – Sean Chambers – 15/26, 149 yards, TD, 2 INT UCONN – Tyler Phommachanh – 19/40, 171 yards, TD, INT Top rushers WYO – Xazavian Valladay – 22 rushes, 101 yards, TD UCONN – Nate Carter – 10 rushes, 65 yards, TD Top receivers WYO – Ayden Eberhardt – 3 receptions, 40 yards UCONN – Aaron Turner – 6 receptions, 49 yards

Statistics	WYO	UConn
First downs	22	19
Total yards	353	281
Rushing yards	204	110
Passing yards	149	171
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	35:29	24:31

At Vanderbilt

See also: 2021 Vanderbilt Commodores football team

UConn Huskies at Vanderbilt Commodores  – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	6	10	0	12	28
Commodores	3	14	0	13	30

at Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, Tennessee

• Date: October 2
• Game time: 7:30 p.m.
• Game weather: Sunny
• Game attendance: 21,218
• Referee: James Carter
• TV announcers (ESPNU): Brian Custer (play-by-play) & Kelly Stouffer (analyst)
• Box score

Game information

First quarter CONN – Joe McFadden 38-yard field goal, 10:51. Huskies 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 50 yards, 4:03. CONN – Joe McFadden 44-yard field goal, 7:28. Huskies 6–0. Drive: 9 plays, 30 yards, 2:22. VAN – Joseph Bulovas 39-yard field goal, 3:12. Huskies 6–3. Drive: 9 plays, 54 yards, 4:16. Second quarter VAN – Will Sheppard 26-yard pass from Ken Seals (Joseph Bulovas kick), 14:12. Commodores 10–6. Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 2:36. CONN – Joe McFadden 31-yard field goal, 10:28. Commodores 10–9. Drive: 8 plays, 44 yards, 2:37. VAN – Rocko Griffin 1-yard run (Joseph Bulovas kick), 4:00. Commodores 17–9. Drive: 13 plays, 77 yards, 6:21. CONN – Keelan Marion 40-yard pass from Steven Krajewski (Joe McFadden kick), 1:34. Commodores 17–16. Drive: 9 plays, 87 yards, 2:18. Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter VAN – Joseph Bulovas 27-yard field goal, 11:16. Commodores 20–16. Drive: 4 plays, 76 yards, 6:03. VAN – Will Sheppard 38-yard pass from Ken Seals (Joseph Bulovas kick), 8:19. Commodores 27–16. Drive: 4 plays, 67 yards, 1:24. CONN – Kevens Clercius 8-yard pass from Steven Krajewski (pass failed), 5:21. Commodores 27–22. Drive: 9 plays, 79 yards, 2:53. CONN – Steven Krajewski 17-yard run (pass failed), 1:07. Huskies 28–27. Drive: 8 plays, 78 yards, 1:54. VAN – Joseph Bulovas 31-yard field goal, 0:00. Commodores 30–28. Drive: 7 plays, 47 yards, 1:07. Top passers CONN – Steven Krajewski – 18/34, 264 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT VAN – Ken Seals – 27/40, 333 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers CONN – Nate Carter – 24 rushes, 123 yards VAN – Rocko Griffin – 19 rushes, 77 yards, TD Top receivers CONN – Keelan Marion – 4 receptions, 102 yards, TD VAN – Will Sheppard – 8 receptions, 119 yards, 2 TD

Statistics	UConn	VAN
First downs	26	23
Total yards	515	439
Rushing yards	184	106
Passing yards	331	333
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	28:10	31:50

At UMass

See also: 2021 UMass Minutemen football team and UConn–UMass football rivalry

UConn Huskies at UMass Minutemen  – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	10	0	0	3	13
Minutemen	7	0	3	17	27

at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium • Hadley, Massachusetts

• Date: October 9
• Game time: 3:30 p.m.
• Game weather: Temperature: 64 °F (18 °C) • Weather: Overcast • Wind: E 8 MPH
• Game attendance: 12,765
• Referee: Hank Johns
• TV announcers (NESN): Jay Burnham (play-by-play), Andy Gresh (analyst) and Matt Goldstein (sideline)
• Box score

Game information

First quarter MASS – Ellis Merriweather 9-yard run (Cameron Carson kick), 8:11. Minutemen 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 73 yards, 5:32. CONN – Keelan Marion 34-yard pass from Steven Krajewski (Joe McFadden kick), 7:15. Tied 7–7. Drive: 3 plays, 74 yards, 0:56. CONN – Joe McFadden 38-yard field goal, 1:56. Huskies 10–7. Drive: 9 plays, 50 yards, 3:02. Second quarter No scoring plays Third quarter MASS – Cameron Carson 21-yard field goal, 9:27. Tied 10–10. Drive: 10 plays, 72 yards, 5:33. Fourth quarter MASS – Cameron Carson 28-yard field goal, 14:56. Minutemen 13–10. Drive: 6 plays, 55 yards, 2:07. MASS – Ellis Merriweather 1-yard run (Cameron Carson kick), 12:46. Minutemen 20–10. Drive: 3 plays, 6 yards, 1:26. CONN – Joe McFadden 20-yard field goal, 10:07. Minutemen 20–13. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 2:39. MASS – Zamar Wise 1-yard run (Cameron Carson kick), 4:54. Minutemen 27–13. Drive: 8 plays, 78 yards, 5:13. Top passers CONN – Steven Krajewski – 13/24, 128 yards, TD, 2 INT MASS – Brady Olson – 10/22, 166 yards Top rushers CONN – Nathan Carter – 20 rushes, 136 yards MASS – Ellis Merriweather – 39 rushes, 171 yards, 2 TD Top receivers CONN – Keelan Marion – 4 receptions, 80 yards, TD MASS – Eric Collins – 3 receptions, 66 yards

Statistics	UConn	UMass
First downs	14	21
Total yards	291	407
Rushing yards	163	247
Passing yards	128	160
Turnovers	3	0
Time of possession	20:49	39:11

The day before the game, interim head coach Lou Spanos, offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Frank Giufre, and tight ends coach Corey Edsall, along with offensive linemen Ryan Van Demark and Will Meyer, tested positive for COVID-19. Defensive line coach Dennis Dottin-Carter served as the Huskies' head coach for the game. ^[8]

Yale

See also: 2021 Yale Bulldogs football team

Yale Bulldogs at UConn Huskies  – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	0	9	6	15
Huskies	0	14	7	0	21

at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field • East Hartford, Connecticut

• Date: October 16
• Game time: 12:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 75 degrees Sunny
• Game attendance: 18,596
• Referee: Hans Wittelsberger
• TV announcers (CBSSN): Jason Knapp (play-by-play) & Ross Tucker (color)
• Box score

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter CONN – Keelan Marion 63-yard pass from Steven Krajewski (Joe McFadden kick), 5:22. Huskies 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 73 yards, 1:17.' CONN – Kevens Clercius 14-yard pass from Steven Krajewski (Joe McFadden kick), 0:20. Huskies 14–0. Drive: 3 plays, 51 yards, 0:50. Third quarter CONN – Steven Krajewski 20-yard run (Joe McFadden kick), 11:15. Huskies 21–0. Drive: 6 plays, 63 yards, 2:39. YALE – Jack Bosman 45-yard field goal, 8:40. Huskies 21–3. Drive: 7 plays, 22 yards, 2:35. YALE – Zane Dudek 3-yard run (kick failed), 0:48. Huskies 21–9. Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 3:38. Fourth quarter YALE – Chase Nenad 60-yard pass from Nolan Grooms (kick failed), 4:30. Huskies 21–15. Drive: 3 plays, 62 yards, 0:52. Top passers YALE – Nolan Grooms – 8/31, 132 yards, TD, INT CONN – Steven Krajewski – 21/32, 199 yards, 2 TD Top rushers YALE – Nolan Grooms – 12 rushes, 67 yards CONN – Kevin Mensah – 12 rushes, 58 yards Top receivers YALE – Chase Nenand – 1 reception, 60 yards, TD CONN – Keelan Marion – 2 receptions, 64 yards, TD

Statistics	YALE	UConn
First downs	16	15
Total yards	299	318
Rushing yards	108	119
Passing yards	191	199
Turnovers	4	0
Time of possession	31:35	28:25

Middle Tennessee

See also: 2021 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at UConn Huskies  – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Blue Raiders	3	21	10	10	44
Huskies	0	13	0	0	13

at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field • East Hartford, Connecticut

• Date: October 22
• Game time: 6:02 p.m.
• Game weather: Sunny
• Game attendance: 10,698
• Referee: Mike Roche
• TV announcers (CBSSN): John Sadak (play-by-play) & Randy Cross (color analyst)
• Box score

Game information

First quarter MTS – Zeke Rankin 20-yard field goal, 2:46. Blue Raiders 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 30 yards, TOP 04:06. Second quarter MTS – Jimmy Marshall 14-yard pass from Chase Cunningham (Zeke Rankin kick), 14:56. Blue Raiders 10–0. Drive: 4 plays, 51 yards, TOP 01:01. CONN – Brandon Niemenski 8-yard pass from Steven Krajewski (Joe McFadden kick), 10:43. Blue Raiders 10–7. Drive: 12 plays, 85 yards, TOP 04:12. CONN – Joe McFadden 47-yard field goal, 6:18. Tied 10–10. Drive: 7 plays, 47 yards, TOP 01:59. MTS – Izaiah Gathings 25-yard pass from Chase Cunningham (Zeke Rankin kick), 4:02. Blue Raiders 17–10. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:16. MTS – Jimmy Marshall 18-yard pass from Chase Cunningham (Zeke Rankin kick), 1:15. Blue Raiders 24–10. Drive: 6 plays, 64 yards, TOP 01:50. CONN – Joe McFadden 21-yard field goal, 0:00. Blue Raiders 24–13. Drive: 7 plays, 77 yards, TOP 01:11. Third quarter MTS – Zeke Rankin 32-yard field goal, 7:32. Blue Raiders 27–13. Drive: 16 plays, 58 yards, TOP 07:24. MTS – Martell Pettaway 1-yard run (Zeke Rankin kick), 3:02. Blue Raiders 34–13. Drive: 12 plays, 71 yards, TOP 03:09. Fourth quarter MTS – Jarrin Pierce 24-yard pass from Chase Cunningham (Zeke Rankin kick), 12:31. Blue Raiders 41–13. Drive: 8 plays, 56 yards, TOP 03:49. MTS – Zeke Rankin 22-yard field goal, 7:16. Blue Raiders 44–13. Drive: 8 plays, 21 yards, TOP 04:36. Top passers MTS – Chase Cunningham – 25/36, 297 yards, 4 TDs CONN – Steven Krajewski – 21/37, 237 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs Top rushers MTS – Martell Pettaway – 12 rushes, 63 yards, 1 TD CONN – Nate Carter – 8 rushes, 30 yards Top receivers MTS – Yusuf Ali – 5 receptions, 80 yards CONN – Keelan Marion – 4 receptions, 74 yards

Statistics	Middle Tennessee	UConn
First downs	30	16
Total yards	473	304
Rushing yards	155	67
Passing yards	318	237
Turnovers	0	3
Time of possession	37:22	22:38

At Clemson

See also: 2021 Clemson Tigers football team

UConn Huskies at Clemson Tigers  – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	7	0	0	0	7
Tigers	10	20	7	7	44

at Memorial Stadium • Clemson, South Carolina

• Date: November 13
• Game time: 12:03 p.m.
• Game weather: Temperature: 59 °F (15 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: W 9 MPH
• Game attendance: 77,522
• Referee: Riley Johnson
• TV announcers (ACCN): Wes Durham (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (color analyst), and Taylor Davis (sideline)
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter CONN – Brian Brewton 99-yard kickoff return (Joe McFadden kick), 14:45. Huskies 7–0. Drive: 0 plays, 99 yards, TOP 00:00. CLEM – BT Potter 49-yard field goal, 9:13. Huskies 7–3. Drive: 15 plays, 34 yards, TOP 05:34. CLEM – Will Swinney 6-yard run (BT Potter kick), 3:03. Tigers 10–7. Drive: 11 plays, 78 yards, TOP 03:46. Second quarter CLEM – Taisun Phommachanh 3-yard run (BT Potter kick), 14:31. Tigers 17–7. Drive: 6 plays, 66 yards, TOP 01:51. CLEM – BT Potter 49-yard field goal, 8:01. Tigers 20–7. Drive: 8 plays, 36 yards, TOP 03:05. CLEM – BT Potter 30-yard field goal, 6:30. Tigers 23–7. Drive: 4 plays, 5 yards, TOP 00:53. CLEM – Beaux Collins 32-yard pass from DJ Uiagalelei (BT Potter kick), 00:15. Tigers 30–7. Drive: 6 plays, 88 yards, TOP 00:34. Third quarter CLEM – Phil Mafah 2-yard run (BT Potter kick), 10:20. Tigers 37–7. Drive: 11 plays, 46 yards, TOP 04:39. Fourth quarter CLEM – Jake Briningstool 25-yard pass from Billy Wiles (Jonathan Weitz kick), 03:36. Tigers 44–7. Drive: 2 plays, 30 yards, TOP 00:40. Top passers CONN – Jack Zergiotis – 9/21, 90 yards, 2 INT CLEM – DJ Uiagalelei – 21/44, 241 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT Top rushers CONN – Nathan Carter – 5 rushes, 19 yards Clem – Phil Mafah – 17 rushes, 49 yards, 1 TD Top receivers CONN – Aaron Turner – 5 receptions, 59 yards Clem – Dacari Collins – 6 receptions, 97 yards

Statistics	UConn	Clemson
First downs	6	26
Total yards	99	476
Rushing yards	-17	129
Passing yards	116	347
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	23:16	36:44

At UCF

See also: 2021 UCF Knights football team

UConn Huskies at UCF Knights  – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	0	14	0	3	17
Knights	21	14	0	14	49

at Bounce House • Orlando, Florida

• Date: November 20
• Game time: 4:05 p.m.
• Game weather: Temperature: 73 °F (23 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: SW 14 MPH
• Game attendance: 37,454
• Referee: Tim Rich
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Conner Onion (play-by-play) & Leger Douzable (color analyst)
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter UCF – Johnny Richardson 9-yard run (Daniel Obarski kick), 10:58. Knights 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 45 yards, TOP 02:50. UCF – Mikey Keene 30-yard run (Daniel Obarski kick), 9:37. Knights 14–0. Drive: 3 plays, 47 yards, TOP 01:04. UCF – Mark-Antony Richards 8-yard run (Daniel Obarski kick), 5:50. Knights 21–0. Drive: 6 plays, 55 yards, TOP 02:31. Second quarter UCF – Johnny Richardson 17-yard pass from Mikey Keene (Daniel Obarski kick), 13:15. Knights 28–0. Drive: 11 plays, 98 yards, TOP 02:55. CONN – Nate Carter 1-yard run (Joe McFadden kick), 9:56. Knights 28–7. Drive: 8 plays, 74 yards, TOP 03:13. UCF – Brandon Johnson 49-yard pass from Ryan O'Keefe (Daniel Obarski kick), 7:36. Knights 35–7. Drive: 1 plays, 49 yards, TOP 00:09. CONN – Steven Krajewski 1-yard run (Joe McFadden kick), 4:40. Knights 35–14. Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, TOP 02:49. Third quarterNo Scoring PlaysFourth quarter UCF – Parker Navarro 5-yard run (Daniel Obarski kick), 14:54. Knights 42–14. Drive: 6 plays, 59 yards, TOP 01:44. UCF – Amari Johnson 3-yard pass from Mikey Keene (Daniel Obarski kick), 10:43. Knights 49–14. Drive: 7 plays, 50 yards, TOP 03:10. CONN – Joe McFadden 42-yard field goal, 7:30. Knights 49–17. Drive: 8 plays, 44 yards, TOP 03:13. Top passers CONN – Steven Krajewski – 18/42, 174 yards, 3 INTs UCF – Mikey Keene – 23/29, 208 yards, 2 TDs Top rushers CONN – Nathan Carter – 13 rushes, 77 yards, 1 TD UCF – Johnny Richardson – 14 rushes, 147 yards, 1 TD Top receivers CONN – Jay Rose – 10 receptions, 89 yards UCF – Brandon Johnson – 7 receptions, 125 yards, 1 TD

Statistics	UConn	UCF
First downs	17	23
Total yards	311	537
Rushing yards	137	280
Passing yards	174	257
Turnovers	3	1
Time of possession	32:30	27:30

No. 24 Houston

See also: 2021 Houston Cougars football team

Houston Cougars at UConn Huskies  – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	7	14	17	7	45
Huskies	0	10	0	7	17

at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field • East Hartford, Connecticut

• Date: November 27
• Game time: 12:08 p.m.
• Game weather: 39 degrees Sunny
• Game attendance: 12,685
• Referee: Tom Omara
• TV announcers (CBSSN): Jason Knapp (play-by-play), Ross Tucker (color analyst), and Tina Cervasio (sideline)
• Box score

Game information

First quarter HOU – Alton McCaskill 31-yard run (Dalton Witherspoon kick), 10:21. Cougars 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 55 yards, TOP 03:02. Second quarter HOU – Jake Herslow 49-yard pass from Clayton Tune (Dalton Witherspoon kick), 11:44. Cougars 14–0. Drive: 3 plays, 52 yards, TOP 00:50. CONN – Kevens Clercius 34-yard pass from Steven Krajewski (Joe McFadden kick), 6:31. Cougars 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 25 yards, TOP 01:09. HOU – Nathaniel Dell 6-yard pass from Clayton Tune (Dalton Witherspoon kick), 1:15. Cougars 21–7. Drive: 9 plays, 58 yards, TOP 05:09. CONN – Joe McFadden 25-yard field goal, 0:01. Cougars 21–10. Drive: 7 plays, 52 yards, TOP 01:11. Third quarter HOU – Nathaniel Dell 13-yard pass from Clayton Tune (Dalton Witherspoon kick), 11:08. Cougars 28–10. Drive: 9 plays, 47 yards, TOP 03:45. HOU – Dalton Witherspoon 23-yard field goal, 6:02. Cougars 31–10. Drive: 7 plays, 61 yards, TOP 03:36. HOU – Jeremy Singleton 34-yard pass from Clayton Tune (Dalton Witherspoon kick), 1:26. Cougars 38–10. Drive: 3 plays, 55 yards, TOP 01:18. Fourth quarter CONN – Malik Dixon 37-yard interception return (Joe McFadden kick), 11:30. Cougars 38–17. HOU – Chandler Smith 1-yard run (Dalton Witherspoon kick), 3:03. Cougars 45–17. Drive: 4 plays, 27 yards, TOP 01:50. Top passers HOU – Clayton Tune – 21/30, 301 yards, 4 TDs CONN – Steven Krajewski – 9/19, 79 yards, 1 TD Top rushers HOU – Alton McCaskill – 9 rushes, 54 yards, 1 TD CONN – Steven Krajewski – 8 rushes, 53 yards Top receivers HOU – Jake Herslow – 5 receptions, 111 yards, 1 TD CONN – Kevens Clercius – 2 receptions, 64 yards, 1 TD

Statistics	Houston	UConn
First downs	21	16
Total yards	472	238
Rushing yards	149	82
Passing yards	323	156
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	31:16	28:44

References

1. Scarborough, Alex (September 5, 2021). "UConn football coach Randy Edsall announces retirement, effective at season's end, after loss to FCS Holy Cross". ESPN . Retrieved September 6, 2021.
2. Kidwai, Aman (September 5, 2021). "Randy Edsall out as UConn head coach". The UConn Blog. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
3. Bonjour, Doug (September 7, 2021). "Day after Randy Edsall's departure, Uconn shifts focus to Purdue: 'Bit of a roller coaster'". CT Insider. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
4. Rittenberg, Adam (November 11, 2021). "UConn hires former UCLA coach Jim Mora to lead football program". ESPB. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
5. Putterman, Alex (August 28, 2020). "A program in transition: As Huskies kick off season, independent future slowly snaps into focus". Hartford Courant . Retrieved October 2, 2021.
6. "Big-tome football not going over big for UConn". The Day . September 7, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
7. "2021 UConn Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
8. Wilson, Dave (October 9, 2021). "UConn Huskies interim football coach Lou Spanos tests positive for COVID-19, won't coach Saturday". ESPN . Retrieved October 10, 2021.