EAST HARTFORD, Conn. – The only person who can say for sure whether interim head coach T.J. Weist is a legitimate candidate for the UConn head coaching job is athletic director Warde Manuel. And Manuel isn’t talking about the names on his wish list.
One thing for sure is that Weist and the Huskies gave Manuel more to think about with their 45-10 victory over Memphis in the season finale Saturday. Manuel is ready to ramp up his search but when his head hit the pillow Saturday night, his mind had to be processing some amazing numbers from UConn’s victory.
The Huskies finished with 538 total yards. Quarterback Casey Cochran, along with receivers Geremy Davis, Deshon Foxx and Brian Lemelle, combined to give UConn an offensive explosion the likes of which haven’t been seen around here for a long time.
Weist said the Huskies just took what Memphis gave them. But there have been many times the past two seasons that UConn seemed incapable of taking anything from an opponent.
Weist didn’t care much for a suggestion that the Huskies name their offense “Air Weist.” He said he would prefer “Air UConn.” Whatever the nickname, the Huskies are hoping the momentum from a 3-0 finish will carry over to next season.
Courtesy of UConn athletics, here’s a breakdown of the entire record-breaking day for the Huskies:
UConn’s 45 points marked its highest offensive output of the season. After not eclipsing 21 points in its first nine games, the Huskies scored 28 or more in each of their last three. The 45 points are the most for UConn in a game since Sept. 25, 2010 against Buffalo, when UConn also scored 45.
The 35-point margin of victory is the most in a conference game since UConn began FBS conference play in 2004. The previous high was 25, set three times.
Casey Cochran set the UConn single-game record with 461 passing yards, completing 36-of-54 attempts. He also finished with the second-most completions and tied for the third-most attempts in a game in program history. Cochran tossed four touchdowns without an interception, marking his second straight game without a pick.
Geremy Davis finished the game with a program-record 15 catches for a career-high 207 yards, fifth-most in program history.
Davis completed 2013 with at least 50 yards in 11-of-12 games, at least 75 in six games and 100 or more in four contests.
Davis finishes 2013 with 71 catches and 1,085 yards. He is the first 1,000-yard receiver for UConn since Carl Bond in 1998 and the first in the FBS era. His 1,085 yards rank sixth highest in a season in UConn history, while his 71 receptions are fifth.
Cochran was the first UConn quarterback to pass for three touchdowns in a game since Chandler Whitmer had three against Western Michigan on Sept. 22, 2012, and the first to have four in a game since Johnny McEntee, also against WMU, on Oct. 1, 2011. It was the 17th time in program history a quarterback has passed for four or more scores.
Cochran eclipsed 300 yards passing for the second straight game. It is the first time UConn has had back-to-back 300 yard passing games since Oct. 24 and 31, 2009 against West Virginia and Rutgers. Cody Endres had 378 yards vs. WVU and Zach Frazer had 333 against Rutgers. The last time one quarterback had 300 in consecutive games was Dan Orlovsky in the first two games of 2003. Orlovsky had 307 yards against Indiana on Aug. 30 and 317 at Army Sept. 6.
Deshon Foxx followed a career-best performance last week by setting new career-highs with 11 catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns. His 18-yard touchdown catch in his second quarter was the first score of the junior’s career. He then scored again in the third quarter.
Davis and Foxx join Cornell Brockington (2004), Shaun Feldeisen (2003) and Shakim Phillips (2013) as players to have at least 10 catches in a game in the FBS era.
Davis and Foxx were both over 100 yards receiving, marking the first time UConn has had two 100-yard receivers in the same game since Oct. 17, 1998 when Carl Bond and John Fitzsimmons did it against Massachusetts. This is the first time it has occurred since UConn joined the FBS. They were also the first receivers to both have 10 or more catches in a game since Alex Davis and Mark Didio against Rhode Island in 1991.
The first flag of the game on either side came on the opening kickoff of the second half
Lyle McCombs had a receiving touchdown in the second quarter and a rushing touchdown in the third quarter. He is the first UConn player to have one of each in a game since Andre Dixon against Akron on Sept. 29, 2007.
UConn held Memphis to 72 yards on 29 rushes. It marks the fourth time this season and third straight game the Huskies have held an opponent under 100 yards on the ground (UCF, Temple, Rutgers).
Yawin Smallwood had seven tackles and two sacks in the game. He finished 2013 with 118 tackles, four sacks and 9.5 TFLs. Following the game, the redshirt-junior told his teammates he will declare for the NFL Draft.
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