Game-winning drive comes up short as UConn falls at Miami, Ohio, 24-21

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UConn’s attempt at a game-winning drive came up just short.

Marching down the field looking to answer a late field goal, the Huskies had to go for it on 4th-and-10 from the Miami, Ohio, 38-yard line and failed to convert on a deep ball down the field, putting the final nail in a disappointing 24-21 loss.

UConn allowed 21 unanswered points after taking an early 14-0 lead through the first quarter.

Miami QB David McComb, who finished the game on the bench injured, took advantage of the Huskies’ young secondary and completed 19 of 29 passes for 312 yards and a pair of touchdowns. While he isn’t a natural runner, he led the RedHawks in rushing with 33 yards and a touchdown on three carries.

Kalieb Osborne put on a show early before the Miami defense started to figure him out. He finished with 215 yards and a TD on 17 of 32 passing, also leading the Huskies on the ground with 68 yards and a TD on 13 attempts.

His connection with receiver Javon Brown was evident early as the duo connected twice for 27 yards and the opening touchdown, which made the team a perfect 10-for-10 in red zone opportunities this season. And he didn’t need to get that close for the second score of the game. With Candle deciding to go for it on 4th-and-1 on the 38-yard line, the dual-threat QB faked a handoff and got to the outside, catching the defense off guard as he ran past it and got into the end zone for his fifth rushing score of the season.

Miami tried its own luck on 4th-and-1 on the very next series but didn’t have the same success as UConn star linebacker K’Von Sherman sprinted in and stopped the runner for a loss.

But the RedHawks had another chance in the second quarter and converted with a pass to the sideline, setting up their first score as McComb kept the ball on an option play and dove for the pylon from 10 yards out. They tied the game later in the quarter as McComb connected with tight end Brendan Loftus down the field for a one-handed grab and a 57-yard touchdown.

Trading missed field goals from 40-plus yards, UConn’s secondary continued to be taken advantage of as McComb directed Miami’s offense down the field with ease, finding Scoop Smith in the corner of the end zone from 11 yards out to take the lead after an 83-yard drive.

The Huskies had a counter punch, however, after laying dormant for about a quarter and a half. Shamar Porter was on the receiving end of a 53-yard deep ball from Osborne, who shook a few tacklers as he ran the ball down to the 1-yard line and handed off to Bowers to knot the score.

Hayden Pegg, the walk-on linebacker who’s earned a starting role, provided some much-needed defensive highlights in coverage early in the fourth quarter as he wiped a touchdown off the board and held the RedHawks to a 40-yard field goal attempt, which missed short.

The sloppiness continued in crunch time.

A holding penalty wiped an explosive Kenji Christian run off the board for the Huskies, who had to punt. Then McComb went down with a noncontact injury along his own sideline and Miami’s offense stalled out before Osborne gave the ball back with an errant throw across his body, his second interception of the season.

Taking advantage of the short field and converting on 4th-and-1, backup QB Caleb Heavner was poised behind center and helped set up a 33-yard go-ahead field goal for freshman backup kicker Brady Stidham with three minutes to play.

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