List of Connecticut Huskies bowl games

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Bowl game banners at Rentschler Field, home of Connecticut Huskies football, as of September 2015

The Connecticut Huskies (UConn) football team has represented the University of Connecticut in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football since the team's founding in 1896. The Huskies have played in six post-season bowl games, all following UConn football's transition from NCAA Division I-AA to Division I-A in 2000,[Note 1] and Connecticut's entry into the Big East Conference[Note 2] for football in 2004. UConn's longest bowl invitation streak is four seasons, from 2007 to 2010.

Under former head coach Randy Edsall, the Connecticut Huskies football program enjoyed success. Prior to his hiring, UConn only appeared in two post-season football contests, during the 1998 NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. During his tenure as head coach (1999–2011), the Huskies played in five bowl games including one Bowl Championship Series (BCS) bowl game. The team also shared two Big East conference championships and were ranked at various times in the Associated Press (AP), Coaches', and Harris polls, as well as the BCS standings.[3] Following Edsall's departure UConn has played in one bowl game, under current head coach Bob Diaco in 2015.

Multiple future National Football League (NFL) draft picks have had superior performances for Connecticut in bowl games, including the first UConn player ever to be picked in the first round of the draft: running back Donald Brown.[4] Brown made appearances in the 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl, where he led all Connecticut rushers with 72 yards—tied for fifth-best in UConn bowl game history—and the 2009 International Bowl, where he rushed for 261 yards and a touchdown and was named the game's most valuable player (MVP)—the best rushing performance in Connecticut bowl game history. Dan Orlovsky earned MVP honors for his UConn-bowl game-best passing performance in 2004; he was drafted in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. Wide receiver Marcus Easley was drafted in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.

The Huskies' first post-season bowl game was in 2004, when they participated in the 2004 Motor City Bowl in Detroit, Michigan on December 27 against the Toledo Rockets. The most recent UConn bowl game occurred on December 26, 2015, when the Huskies faced the Marshall Thundering Herd in the 2015 St. Petersburg Bowl. A loss in that game brought Connecticut to an overall bowl record of three wins and three losses, a .500 winning percentage.

Appearances per Bowl
Bowl Game Appearances
Motor City Bowl* 1
Meineke Car Care Bowl* 1
International Bowl 1
PapaJohns.com Bowl* 1
Fiesta Bowl 1
St. Petersburg Bowl 1
*This bowl game's name has changed one or more
times since UConn's last appearance. See the linked
articles for the name change history.

Summary table

Key
# Number of bowl games
† Attendance record
‡ Former attendance record
W Win
L Loss
Attendance records are correct as of the end of the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season.[5][6]
# Season Bowl game Result Opponent Stadium Location Attendance
1 2004 2004 Motor City Bowl W 39–10 Toledo Rockets Ford Field Detroit, MI 52,552‡
2 2007 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl L 24–10 Wake Forest Demon Deacons Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC 53,126
3 2008 2009 International Bowl W 38–20 Buffalo Bulls Rogers Centre Toronto, ON 40,184†
4 2009 2010 PapaJohns.com Bowl W 20–7 South Carolina Gamecocks Legion Field Birmingham, AL 45,254‡
5 2010 2011 Fiesta Bowl L 48–20 Oklahoma Sooners University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, AZ 67,232
6 2015 2015 St. Petersburg Bowl L 16–10 Marshall Thundering Herd Tropicana Field St. Petersburg, FL 14,652


Game capsules

2004 Motor City Bowl

2004 Motor City Bowl
Quarter
1 2 3 4 Total
Connecticut 17 13 3 6 39
Toledo 0 7 3 0 10
Date December 27, 2004
Stadium Ford Field
Location Detroit, MI

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Main article: 2004 Motor City Bowl

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See also: 2004 Connecticut Huskies football team and 2004 Toledo Rockets football team

The first bowl game in Connecticut history came at the conclusion of the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season, the first year UConn was a full member of the Big East Conference for football.[7] The season before, UConn finished with a 9–3 overall record, but did not receive a bowl invitation due to the lack of conference affiliation.[8] Even as a full member of the Big East, UConn was shut out of the conference-affiliated bowl picture. Pittsburgh, Boston College (in its last year in the Big East before leaving to join the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)), West Virginia, and Syracuse all finished ahead of the Huskies in a four-way tie for first place; they filled four of the five conference bowl slots. The remaining slot was filled by Notre Dame, who was not a member of the Big East Conference for football but had a contract allowing them to be selected in place of a Big East team.[9] Fortunately for UConn, the Big Ten did not have enough bowl-eligible teams to fill all of its contracted bowl slots, allowing the Motor City Bowl to pick the Huskies.[10] UConn's opponent would be the Toledo Rockets of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), who earned their berth by winning the 2004 MAC Championship Game.[11]

The 2004 Motor City Bowl was played on December 27, 2004 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The game was anticipated to be a high-scoring affair,[12] with both teams' quarterbacks among the top seven nationally in passing that year.[13] However, Toledo quarterback Bruce Gradkowski had broken his throwing hand during the MAC Championship Game and was largely ineffective; he was only able to complete six of twelve passes for 43 yards and did not play in the second half.[14] Connecticut scored what was then a Motor City Bowl-record 17 points in the first quarter, from a field goal, a 32-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dan Orlovsky to wide receiver Jason Williams on a 4th-down-and-6 play, and a 68-yard punt return for a touchdown by Larry Taylor.[15] In the second quarter, after Toledo finally scored on a one-yard rushing touchdown by Gradkowski, UConn added 13 more points to the scoreboard. The Rockets would not come back in the second half; the Huskies won the game 39–10.[16] Orlovsky was named the game's most valuable player (MVP); he completed 20 of 41 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns.[15]

2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl

2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl
Quarter
1 2 3 4 Total
Connecticut 7 3 0 0 10
Wake Forest 0 0 14 10 24
Date December 29, 2007
Stadium Bank of America Stadium
Location Charlotte, NC

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Main article: 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl

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See also: 2007 Connecticut Huskies football team and 2007 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team

Following two seasons where they struggled to replace graduated quarterback Dan Orlovsky and lost more games than they won,[17] Connecticut returned to bowl eligibility in 2007, finishing the regular season with a record of 9–3 and claiming a share of the Big East Conference championship. Fellow conference co-champion West Virginia, who beat the Huskies 66–21 that year, earned the Big East's automatic BCS bowl bid; UConn had to settle for the Meineke Car Care Bowl.[18] Their opponent was Wake Forest, the previous season's Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) champion.[19]

In the first half, Connecticut took a 10–0 lead off of a 68-yard punt return for a touchdown by Larry Taylor and a field goal. Wake Forest dominated the second half, taking the lead late in the third quarter off of 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Riley Skinner to tight end John Tereshinski. The Demon Deacons added ten more points in the fourth quarter off of a field goal and a nine-yard touchdown run by running back Micah Andrews. The final score was 24–10 in favor of Wake Forest. UConn earned only nine first downs and failed to score an offensive touchdown.[20]

2009 International Bowl

2009 International Bowl
Quarter
1 2 3 4 Total
Buffalo 3 17 0 0 20
Connecticut 7 10 7 14 38
Date January 3, 2009
Stadium Rogers Centre
Location Toronto, ON, Canada

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Main article: 2009 International Bowl

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See also: 2008 Connecticut Huskies football team and 2008 Buffalo Bulls football team
The UConn marching band performs prior to kickoff.

Connecticut was selected as a participant in the 2009 International Bowl following a 7–5 regular season where they won their first five games, only to lose five of their last seven contests.[21] Facing the Huskies were the Buffalo Bulls with a regular season record of 8–5, highlighted by an upset win over then-No. 12[Note 3] and undefeated Ball State in the 2008 MAC Championship Game.[22] This was the second time, after the 2004 Motor City Bowl, that the Huskies faced the MAC champions in a bowl game.

The Huskies, led by running back Donald Brown's 208 yards rushing, dominated the first half statistically,[23] but found themselves down 20–10 midway through the second quarter due to giving up six fumbles, five of which were recovered by Buffalo. UConn would close the gap to 20–17 by halftime, and take the lead for good late in the third quarter off of a 4-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tyler Lorenzen to tight end Steve Brouse. The Connecticut victory was sealed when, late in the fourth quarter, Buffalo quarterback Drew Willy threw a pass that was intercepted by UConn safety Dahna Deleston and returned 100 yards for a touchdown, making the final score 38–20 in favor of the Huskies.[24]

Brown was named player of the game.[25] He finished with 261 rushing yards and one touchdown; his 2,083 rushing yards for the 2008 season was best in the NCAA.[24] Following the game, Brown declared his eligibility for the 2009 NFL Draft; he would become the first Connecticut player ever drafted in the first round. Three other UConn players were drafted in the second round.[4]

2010 PapaJohns.com Bowl

2010 PapaJohns.com Bowl
Quarter
1 2 3 4 Total
South Carolina 0 0 0 7 7
Connecticut 10 3 0 7 20
Date January 3, 2009
Stadium Legion Field
Location Birmingham, AL

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Main article: 2010 PapaJohns.com Bowl

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See also: 2009 Connecticut Huskies football team and 2009 South Carolina Gamecocks football team
Jersey of Jasper Howard held aloft

Connecticut was selected as a participant in the 2010 PapaJohns.com Bowl following a tumultuous 7–5 regular season, marked by the loss of five games by a total of fifteen points between them, a double-overtime victory at Notre Dame, and the murder of cornerback Jasper Howard.[26][27] Facing the Huskies were the South Carolina Gamecocks with the same regular season record of 7–5, highlighted by wins over then-No. 4[Note 3] Mississippi and then-No. 15[Note 3] Clemson.[26] This game would be the first time UConn would face a Southeastern Conference opponent in a bowl game.[27]

Connecticut took control of the contest in the first quarter, scoring on a one-handed 37-yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Kashif Moore and then, after South Carolina failed to convert a fourth down play at their own 32-yard line, kicking a 33-yard field goal to take a 10–0 lead. Running back Andre Dixon scored on a 10-yard rush early in the fourth quarter to put the game away for UConn; the only Gamecock touchdown, on a two-yard run by Brian Maddox, came after the game had effectively been decided. The final score was 20–7 in favor of the Huskies.[28]

Dixon was named player of the game, finishing with 126 rushing yards and one touchdown.[28] Connecticut wide receiver Marcus Easley and South Carolina linebacker Eric Norwood were among four players from the two teams to be selected in the 2010 NFL Draft.[29][30]

2011 Fiesta Bowl

2011 Fiesta Bowl
Quarter
1 2 3 4 Total
Connecticut 0 10 10 0 20
Oklahoma 14 6 14 14 48
Date January 1, 2011
Stadium University of Phoenix Stadium
Location Glendale, AZ

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Main article: 2011 Fiesta Bowl

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See also: 2010 Connecticut Huskies football team and 2010 Oklahoma Sooners football team

Connecticut was selected to play in the 2011 Fiesta Bowl, their first Bowl Championship Series (BCS) game, following an 8–4 regular season where they split the Big East conference championship with Pittsburgh and West Virginia. The Huskies earned the BCS berth by beating both West Virginia and Pittsburgh in consecutive weeks during the regular season. They faced the Oklahoma Sooners, who beat Nebraska to win the 2010 Big 12 Championship Game. The game marked the first matchup between the Huskies and a Big 12 team in a bowl game, and the first meeting ever in football between Connecticut and Oklahoma.

Oklahoma converted their first two possessions into touchdowns to take a 14–0 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Huskies struck back as cornerback Dwayne Gratz intercepted a pass from Sooner quarterback Landry Jones and returned it for a touchdown; after multiple field goals, the score was 20–10 in Oklahoma's favor at halftime. In the second half, Oklahoma added two more touchdowns on a 59-yard pass and an interception return for a touchdown to extend their lead to 34–10; Connecticut responded by returning the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. Although the Huskies would kick another field goal to reduce their deficit to 34–20, the Sooners would put the game away in the fourth quarter, scoring two more touchdowns to make the final score 48–20. Connecticut failed to score a single offensive touchdown in the game.[31]

Following the game, Randy Edsall left UConn to become head coach of the Maryland Terrapins football team.[32] He was replaced by Paul Pasqualoni.[33]

2015 St. Petersburg Bowl

2015 St. Petersburg Bowl
Quarter
1 2 3 4 Total
Connecticut 7 0 3 0 10
Marshall 7 6 0 3 16
Date December 26, 2015
Stadium Tropicana Field
Location St. Petersburg, FL

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Main article: 2015 St. Petersburg Bowl

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See also: 2015 Connecticut Huskies football team and 2015 Marshall Thundering Herd football team

UConn would fail to become bowl-eligible during Pasqualoni's three-year tenure as head coach. His replacement, Bob Diaco, following a 2–10 season in 2014, would return the Huskies to bowl eligibility in his second year with the team. The Huskies finished the regular season with a 6–6 record in 2015, highlighted by a 20–17 victory over the otherwise-undefeated Houston Cougars.[34] Connecticut accepted a bid to play in the 2015 St. Petersburg Bowl against the Marshall Thundering Herd, who were looking to finish with at least ten wins for the third consecutive season.[35]

Individual statistics

The below tables list the top five (including ties) performers by yardage in the indicated statistic.[36][37][38][39]

Key
Pos. Position
QB Quarterback
RB Running back
FB Fullback
WR Wide receiver
TE Tight end
Avg. Average yards per run/pass/reception
(Yards divided by carries/completed passes/receptions)
Long Longest single run or reception
TD Touchdowns
Comp. Completed passes
Att. Attempted passes
Pct. Pass completion percentage
(Completed passes divided by attempted passes)
Int. Interceptions
Rec. Receptions

Rushing

Player Pos. Game Carries Yards Avg. TD Long
Donald Brown RB 2009 International Bowl 29 261 9.0 1 75
Andre Dixon RB 2010 PapaJohns.com Bowl 33 126 3.8 1 15
Jordan Todman RB 2011 Fiesta Bowl 32 121 3.8 0 19
Bryant Shirreffs QB 2015 St. Petersburg Bowl 19 75 3.9 0 15
Donald Brown RB 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl 13 72 5.5 0 58
Cornell Brockington RB 2004 Motor City Bowl 15 72 4.8 0 15

Passing

Player Pos. Game Comp. Att. Pct. Yards Avg. TD Int.
Dan Orlovsky QB 2004 Motor City Bowl 20 41 48.8% 239 5.8 2 1
Zach Frazer QB 2011 Fiesta Bowl 19 39 48.7% 223 5.7 0 2
Zach Frazer QB 2010 PapaJohns.com Bowl 9 21 42.9% 107 11.9 1 0
Tyler Lorenzen QB 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl 13 26 50.0% 98 7.5 0 1
Bryant Shirreffs QB 2015 St. Petersburg Bowl 10 17 59.0% 86 8.6 0 1

Receiving

Player Pos. Game Rec. Yards Avg. TD Long
Keron Henry WR 2004 Motor City Bowl 9 109 12.1 0 44
Anthony Sherman FB 2011 Fiesta Bowl 3 63 21.0 0 41
Kashif Moore WR 2011 Fiesta Bowl 4 62 15.5 0 28
Ryan Griffin TE 2011 Fiesta Bowl 4 48 12.0 0 15
Matt Cutaia WR 2004 Motor City Bowl 2 47 23.5 0 41

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ In August 2006 the NCAA changed the name of Division I-A to Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Division I-AA to Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).[1] In this article the old names are used to refer to events that occurred prior to August 2006.
  2. ↑ The American Athletic Conference operated as the Big East Conference from 1979 through 2013.[2] See 2010–13 Big East Conference realignment for more information. This article uses the name "Big East" to refer to the conference for the years 2013 and earlier.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 All rankings are based on the Associated Press (AP) Poll unless otherwise noted.

References

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  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.


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