UCF took home the second installment of The Civil Conflict on Saturday, knocking off conference rival UConn 24-16.
It was a slow start on a soggy afternoon in East Hartford for the Knights as they fought their way back from an early 13-point deficit to take their second conference victory – failing to put points on the board until the second quarter, but outscoring the Huskies 10-0 in the second half.
The Huskies had jumped out to a significant lead early on, sinking two field goals and adding their only touchdown of the game before the UCFast offense took over.
McKenzie Milton found Dredrick Snelson on a 22-yard connection for his first of the day’s three passing touchdowns, following up with his second score with just one second left in the half; a beautiful touch pass to tight end Jordan Akins from 19 yards away.
Milton ended the day 29-of-45 for 317 yards and three touchdowns, all while adding 25 rushing yards to the grand total. His third score got the constant home-run threat of Adrian Killins involved, though the freshman only had his number called once in the ground attack.
UCF’s defense stood tall upon the shoulders of a lead in the second half, drawing a line in the sand at the one-yard line and refusing to let the Huskies close the gap. UConn did manage to total 413 yards on the day and actually outgained UCF in first downs, 24-22 – but they failed to convert on 12-of-17 third down attempts and only converted one of their three attempts on fourth down.
Coupled with a timely blocked kick and a few major penalties, the show slipped steadily out of the home team’s hands as time wore on. The Huskies did keep UCF on the edge of their seat – especially those still dealing with the shell-shock of last week’s loss – when they regained possession with enough time for a game-tying drive.
UConn had bull-rushed the Knights back ten yards on an offensive possession meant to kill the clock and lock in a victory, forcing the punt and setting up potential redemption with 2:23 left. Quarterback Bryant Shirreffs completed a quick 31-yard gain, but then through four consecutive incompletions to close things out.
Photo Credit: Aileen Perilla
