UConn football appeared to be in control midway through Saturday’s game against Ball State, but the Cardinals rallied to score an unanswered 15 second-half points and hand UConn a 25-21 loss at Muncie, Indiana.
The Huskies had a 21-10 lead going into the half, the offense rolling and the defense as miserly as they had been all year. Zion Turner was 12-12 with 121 of 129 passing yards in the first half, and Nick Charlton’s offense looked more complete than it had been all year.
UConn scored on three of its five possessions in the first half, taking the ball 69 yards downfield for a touchdown on the game’s first practice that was punctuated by a 19-yard touchdown screen to Aaron Turner. Justin Joly continued his hot streak with a 39-yard touchdown reception for UConn’s second score of the game, and the Huskies looked to be in control as Zion Turner executed a perfect two-minute drill to add a third touched at the end. of the second trimester.
The Huskies defense mostly held Ball State in check in the first half, allowing the Cardinals just 4.6 yards per play and just 10 points, preventing the Cardinals from building any kind of momentum before the break.
The second half was a different story, as Ball State decided to temporarily stop aerating it and ground the ball to gain an advantage. Running back Carson Steele was able to wear down the UConn defense, finishing the day with 179 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the day, including the go-ahead rush to make it 25-21 with two minutes left.
After a solid first half, UConn’s attack was completely blocked in the second. The Huskies were slowed to a crawl in the third quarter with just 43 yards, then completely stopped in the fourth, gaining just 10 yards from the line of scrimmage.
The Huskies drop to 3-5 on the year and end their two-game winning streak with the loss. UConn will have a lot to think about during its week off before hosting Boston College for Homecoming (and Halloween) weekend at noon on Oct. 29.
