EAST HARTFORD, Conn. – UConn’s scouting report for BYU made it clear that quarterback Taysom Hill could pass. And run. And pass. And run. And score.
Unfortunately for the Huskies defense – and first-year coach Bob Diaco – UConn couldn’t figure out how to stop Hill Friday night at Rentschler Field. Hill, who may emerge as a Heisman Trophy darkhorse by the end of the season, led unranked BYU to four first-half touchdowns and then the Cougars cruised to a 35-10 victory before a crowd of 35,150 that spoiled the start of the Diaco Era.
It was a sloppy season debut for the Huskies, who were bothered by penalties, turnovers and lack of execution. BYU jumped out to a 28-7 lead and seemed content to hold on. And in the second half, UConn appeared to be preparing for the future, taking a look at a lot of players and failing to mount much of a threat. A 35-yard field goal by Bobby Puyol was UConn’s only second half score.
Hill completed 28 of 36 passes for 308 yards and three touchdowns and rushed 12 times for 97 more yards and two touchdowns. Hill split up his tosses to nine receivers, led by Mitch Mathews with 5 catches for 62 yards.
Casey Cochran started at quarterback for UConn. As planned, Chandler Whitmer also played and led UConn to its first score – a 1-yard TD run by freshman Josh Marriner. Diaco also used all four tailbacks with Max DeLorenzo picking up 38 yards on nine carries. But DeLorenzo also fumbled on UConn’s first offensive snap, a play that set a bad tone for the night.
UConn receiver Geremy Davis caught only three passes for 20 yards in the first half. He had six catches for 57 yards when he walked into the Huskies locker room under his own power early in the fourth quarter. Davis later returned to the game and finished with seven catches for 96.
In the end, it was really hard to tell what UConn could take from this game. BYU has a good – not great – team. The Huskies, starting over after a 3-9 season and a coaching change, just never seemed to have a chance against a better opponent.
BYU dominated the first half with Hill passing for 195 yards and rushing for 54. The Cougars rolled up 17 first downs and 329 yards before halftime, compared to 10 first downs and 158 yards for the Huskies.
Hill had run for a touchdown and thrown a touchdown pass before six minutes were played. Despite 11 first-half penalties that cost the Cougars 95 yards, BYU jumped out to a 21-0 lead on UConn. The Cougars took the opening kick, marched 75 yards on 15 plays and scored when Hill ran seven yards untouched into the end zone with 9:56 left in the first quarter.
The Huskies handed the ball right back to BYU on their first play from scrimmage. Tailback Max DeLorenzo took a handoff up the middle but couldn’t hold on to the ball when he was hit by Jherremya Leuta-Douyere. Bronson Kaufusi recovered for BYU at the UConn 26.
Hill connected with Mitch Matthews for a 26-yard TD on first down. It took all of 15 seconds for the Cougars to extend their lead to 14-0.
In addition to that lost fumble, the Huskies were called for five penalties totaling 65 yards. Casey Cochran, who started at quarterback and played the entire first quarter, complete 6 of 11 passes for 50 yards but was intercepted by Craig Bills when he overthrew Deshon Foxx at the BYU 9.
Chandler Whitmer, slated to play part of the game by Diaco, replaced Cochran on the first drive of the second quarter. He was 4-for-6 for 45 yards passing but directed the only scoring drive of the first half. Freshman tailback Josh Marriner, who had six carries for 25 yards, dashed one yard into the end zone to complete a 52-yard drive on six plays to cut BYU’s lead to 21-7.
Marriner looked powerful on the drive and Whitmer directed the offense to a nice rhythm. The offensive line got the job done blocking and protecting and the Huskies briefly looked like an efficient offensive unit.
Unfortunately, BYU turned around with a 5-play, 69-yard drive in 90 seconds. Hill threw 35 yards to wide receiver Terenn Houk for the final score of the half. Houk caught four passes for 58 yards in the first half. Adam Hine, who rushed for 9 yards, also caught a 7-yard TD pass from Hill.
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