On the day before the biggest moment in the history of the UConn football program, facing No. 7 Oklahoma in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, head coach Randy Edsall was asked during a news conference how long it would take for the Huskies to shed the underdog label when facing teams with a longer history and tradition.
“This year we opened up with Michigan and we’re finishing with Oklahoma,” Edsall said. “It is a lot different than opening up with Maine and ending with Rhode Island. I think that kind of spells out exactly where we’ve come from, what we’ve been able to do, and what we have been able to accomplish.”
The recognition of that accomplishment – the journey from the days of the Yankee Conference to becoming one of the 10 teams to play in the Bowl Championship Series games this year – is what UConn fans stood and cheered about on New Year’s Day at the University of Phoenix stadium, as the No. 25 Huskies walked off the field following a 48-20 loss to the Sooners in their first BCS bowl game before a crowd of 67,232.
“It’s disappointing when you play the game and don’t come out on top,” Edsall said following the game. “Our kids battled the whole time. As I told them in the locker room, it’s a game of inches and we couldn’t make enough of those inches today against an outstanding team. When you play a team like Oklahoma you have to play perfectly and we didn’t. That’s a credit to Oklahoma and how good they are.”
The high-powered Oklahoma offense was led by quarterback Landry Jones, who threw for 429 passing yards – a Sooners bowl game record – and three touchdowns, and earned recognition as the game’s Outstanding Offensive Player. Ryan Broyles caught 13 passes for 170 yards.
Cameron Kenney caught seven passes from Jones for 154 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown that extended Oklahoma’s lead to 27-10 early in the third quarter. Soon afterward, a Connecticut drive was cut short when Zach Frazer’s pass off Michael Smith’s hands and into the arms of OU’s Jamell Fleming, who ran 55 yards for a touchdown, pushing the Sooners ahead by 34-10.
“The kids did a heck of a job,” said Sooners head coach Bob Stoops, who snapped a 0-5 BCS bowl record with the win. “The kids deserve the credit. UConn had some big plays with the interception and the kickoff return against us, but we were able to hold them off.”
Edsall said playing in the Fiesta Bowl was a wonderful experience for his team. “Our kids had a great experience. They know it’s something they can try for each and every year. They know what it takes. I’m proud of how they handled themselves and put themselves in that position. That’s the hardest part. Give credit to Oklahoma, because they are a very fine football team and they are extremely well coached. I thought our kids battled. We just couldn’t make enough plays in the end.”
Senior co-captain Scott Lutrus, who again battled injuries during the season, said the Huskies continued to work hard against Oklahoma through the game, despite the score.
“We fought to the end,” Lutrus said. “We gave up some big plays. Things didn’t go our way, but we didn’t give up. That’s our mentality every game.”
Junior running back Jordan Todman, who struggled early in the game against a defense determined to stop him, finished the game with 121 hard-fought yards.
“Our motto is play every play like it’s our last, and I felt like we did,” said Todman. “I felt like we kept our heads up. I’m proud of my teammates and my brothers and everybody out there competing and trying their best to win this game.”
Asked if he would return for his final year of eligibility at UConn, Todman said that after recently discussing it with his family, he has decided to enter the National Football League draft.
“I sat down with my family and friends and did a lot of thinking,” he said. “I think the best decision is for me to declare into the NFL draft this year.”
Edsall said he supported Todman’s decision.
“I’m 100 percent behind him,” Edsall said. “We’ve talked and we’ve done research and given him the information. I think he’ll do very, very well. He has made a difference in this program, just like Scott [Lutrus]. It’s good to be able to see those guys go on and go further.
Red shirt junior wide receiver Kashif Moore, who caught four passes for 62 yards, wore a No. 6 jersey for the Fiesta Bowl game in honor of Jasper Howard, who died last year. He was asked to wear the jersey by Edsall.
“I went running one day when we were back on campus during the bowl preparation and just got a thought in my mind about how we honor him and know that Jazz would want to play in this game,” Edsall said. “I just felt in my heart that we needed to do something. When I came back from running … I went up to Kashif while he was stretching and I just asked him, and he said, ‘absolutely.’”
Moore said, “It is good to honor a fallen teammate and brother of ours in Jasper Howard. This would have been his last game, and I am sure he would have shined.”
Oklahoma jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, when on its first possession Jones threw to four different receivers on a nine play, 70-yard drive that culminated in an 8-yard pass from Jones to James Hanna. It was followed by an 81-yard drive, highlighted by a 39-yard Jones pass to Ryan Broyles that set up a 3-yard run by Demarco Murray with 24 seconds to go in the first period. The Sooners never trailed in the game.
After the Huskies next drive stalled, Oklahoma started on its own 36. On the third play of the drive, UConn cornerback Dwayne Gratz picked off a Jones pass intended for Kenny Stills, and ran 46 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown to make it a 14-7 game.
But the Sooners came right back on a 56-yard drive, before the Husky defense stopped their momentum at the Connecticut 24-yard line. Jimmy Stevens kicked a 41-yard field goal.
UConn could only manage 11 yards on the ensuing possession, and Oklahoma moved the ball down the field on runs by Murray and passes to Kenny Stills and Kenney, before the Huskies held on their own 8-yard line. Stevens kicked a 24-yard field goal with the Sooners leading 20 -7 with just over two minutes left in the half.
Sophomore wide receiver Nick Williams then returned the kickoff 34 yards to the UConn 44. A 19-yard run by Todman and a 12-yard pass from Frazer to redshirt junior receiver Isiah Moore highlighted a drive to the Oklahoma 20, where the drive stalled. Dave Teggart split the uprights with a 37-yard field goal to end the half with the Huskies trailing 20-10.
After exchanging punts in the opening of the second half, Jones hit Broyles for a 20-yard pass, and then Kenney caught a 59-yard pass and outran the Huskies defense to put the Sooners up 27-10.
On the next drive, Frazer hit Moore for a 28 pass to the Sooners’ 48-yard line. After Todman was stopped on the next play, Frazer’s pass bounced off junior receiver Michael Smith’s hands and into the arms of Jamell Fleming, who returned it 55 yards for a touchdown with 9:44 left, putting Oklahoma ahead 34-10.
On the ensuing kick-off, redshirt junior running back Robbie Frey took the ball on the UConn 6 and ran it back 95 yards for a touchdown, making the score 34-17.
Following a seven play, 49-yard drive highlighted by a 12-yard Jordan run and a 19-yard pass to senior running back Anthony Sherman, Teggart kicked a 38-yard field goal, bringing the score to 34-20.
Broyles made a diving catch in the end zone with just under eight minutes remaining, as part of an 88-yard drive to double the Sooners’ lead to 41-20.
OU defensive back Tony Jefferson intercepted a Frazer pass bobbled by sophomore receiver Dwayne Difton on the UConn 22 and ran it into the end zone to push the score to 48-20.
On the final series, the Huskies moved 66 yards, but Todman was stopped two yards short of the end zone.
