UConn Improves to 2-0 With 48-21 Victory at Army
 WEST PONT, N.Y. -- University of Connecticut
junior quarterback Dan Orlovsky set a school record with five
touchdown passes as the Huskies dominated Army by a 48-21 score on
Saturday before a crowd of 30,523 at Michie Stadium.
UConn is 2-0 for the first time since 1998 while
the game was the opener for the Cadets. The Huskies have now won
six-straight games dating back to last season – its longest winning
streak since a seven-gamer in 1994-95.
Orlovsky connected on four of his TD passes in
the first half as he finished the day 26 for 36 in the air for 317
yards. Orlovsky’s TD performance breaks the record of four TD passes
that was accomplished 10 previous times – the latest being Ryan Tracey
against Northeastern in 2000.
UConn led 34-0 at halftime behind five touchdowns
as Orlovsky opened the scoring with a 29-yard pass to senior wide
receiver O’Neil Wilson to cap a six-play, 77-yard drive for the only
scoring of the first half.
The Huskies scored four touchdowns in the second
quarter as Orlovsky threw a two-yard scoring strike to sophomore
fullback Deon Anderson, a six-yard throw to Wilson and a eight-yarder
to redshirt freshman Dan Murray – the first of his career. Sophomore
running back Terry Caulley scored on a four-yard scamper with 1:11
left to complete the first half scoring.
 The UConn defense also excelled in the first half
as it limited the Black Knights to 57 total yards and four first
downs.
Caulley, who entered the season as the country’s
third-leading rusher, led the Huskies on the ground with102 yards on
18 carries with a pair of touchdowns while Wilson was the top
receiver with six catches for 55 yards. Shaun Feldeisen also gained 98
receiving yards to aid the Husky cause. On a 10-yard fourth quarter TD
run inwhich he flipped head-over-heals into the end zone, Caulley
extended his streak to six consecutive games of 100 yards of rushing
or more, topping the previous school record of five set by Vin Clemens
in 1968.
Army scored the only 14 points of the third
quarter but Orlovsky came back with a five-yard pass to senior wide
receiver Shaun Feldeisen early in the fourth quarter. The Army scores
came on a three-yard pass from Zac Dahman to Christian Montagliani
with 11:23 left and the Black Knights recovered an onside kick to set
up a 11 play-52 yard drive that cumulated with a 14 yard TD pass from
Dahman to Aaron Alexander with 6:35 left in the quarter.
Connecticut tacked on 14 points in the fourth
quarter on a Feldeisen TD grab from Orlovsky and Caulley’s 10-yard
scamper up the middle. Army capped the scoring with a 63 yard punt
return touchdown by Ray Stith, the first against the Huskies since the
2000 Boston College game.
The Huskies return to action next Saturday when
the play host to Boston College at 12 p.m. at Rentschler Field. The
game will be televised in the Hartford area on WFSB-Channel 3 and in
Boston on WLVI-Channel 56.
 TEAM NOTES
* The Huskies are
now 2-0 for the first time since opening the 1998 season at 3-0.
* UConn’s six game
winning streak is the program’s longest since winning seven in a row
between the 1994 and 1995 seasons. The Huskies entered the game
seventh in the nation with their then-five game winning streak.
* With a combined
82 points scored in its first two games (34 vs. Indiana and 48 today),
it is UConn’s highest ever scoring run opening to the season. The
previous high came when UConn put 80 points on the scoreboard in 1998
with season-opening wins over Colgate (45-35) and Maine (35-27).
* UConn has now
gone eight games without allowing and offensive touchdown in the first
quarter. The last offensive player to score a first quarter TD against
UConn was Miami’s Willis McGahee on Oct. 5, 2002 at the Orange Bowl on
a 15-yard rush. Overall, UConn has not allowed a first quarter
touchdown over its last seven games, dating since back to when
Temple’s Zamir Cobb recovered a muffed punt in the UConn end zone on
Oct. 19, 2002 at Memorial Stadium in Storrs.
* The UConn defense forced Army to go
three-and-out on each of its first five possessions and six times
total during the game.
* By missing the
opening PAT of the game, UConn snapped a streak of 51 successful PAT
tries that extended back to the Aug. 30, 2002 game at Boston College.
* It is UConn’s
first ever win over Army (previously 0-1) and UConn’s first ever win
over a current Conference USA member school (previously 0-5). The
Huskies have now defeated a service academy in each of the last two
seasons after beating Navy 38-0 last Nov. 16 in Annapolis.
* Ray Smith’s
63-yard punt return for a touchdown was the first return of a
non-blocked punt for a touchdown against the Huskies since Boston
College’s Dedrick Dewalt ran one back 76 yards on October 7, 2000.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Dan Orlovsky:
Orlovsky set a
school record with his five career TD passes. The feat had previously
been accomplished 10 times at UConn, most recently by Ryan Tracey
against Northeastern on Sept. 23, 2000. Orlovsky’s previous career
high was three TDs, done on five other occasions, including last
week’s game against Indiana…Orlovsky broke the 300-yard plateau for
the third time in his career and for the second consecutive week after
throwing for 307 last week against Indiana…With his passing yardage
today, Orlovsky passes Peter Lane (1985-86) for fourth place on the
UConn career passing yardage chart. Lane had 4,179 yards…With his
first quarter touchdown pass to O’Neil Wilson, Orlovsky has now thrown
a TD in 14 consecutive games, moving him out of a tie with Matt
DeGennaro (1987-88) and into second place all-time behind Shane
Stafford’s streak of 21 set from 1996 to 1998…The TD pass also moved
Orlovsky into fourth place on the career TD pass chart, breaking a tie
at 31 with Rick Robustelli (1968-70)…Orlovsky has thrown multiple
touchdowns in each of the last six games…Orlovsky’s 317 passing yards
ranks as the 18th best single-game performance in UConn
history.
Terry Caulley:
Caulley now has a
touchdown in each of his last eight games, tying Taber Small’s school
record streak set in 1999…Caulley went over the 100-yard plateau for
the sixth straight game, also setting a school record. Caulley shared
that record with Vin Clements who broke the century mark in five
straight games during the 1968 season….Caulley has now gone over 100
yards rushing in nine of his 12 career games played.
* Deon Anderson’s
second quarter touchdown catch was his first career receiving
touchdown.
 * O’Neil Wilson
(left) now has two TD catches in each of UConn’s two games this year. He
entered the season with just two career touchdown catches.
* Matt Cutaia’s
57-yard reception in the second quarter was a career long.
* During the
fourth quarter, Terrance Smith made UConn’s first interception of the
season. Last year, UConn intercepted 20 passes.
* Dan Murray made
his first career start today in place of the injured Terry McClowry at
tight end. He also caught his first career touchdown pass in the game,
coming on his first career reception.
* Taurien Sowell
made his first career start today in place of the injured Maurice
Lloyd at weakside linebacker.
* Offensive tackle
Craig Berry was used as a tight end due to the injury to McClowry and
wore both number 94 and 72 depending on whether or not he was a pass
eligible receiver on the play.
* Allan Barnes,
Ziggy Goryn and Jon Wholley all made their collegiate debuts today.
* Chris Bellamy
made his debut at wide receiver after spending the rest of his career
to date as a running back.
|
