UConn’s Cam Edwards (0) ran for a game-high 102 yards and two touchdowns in UConn’s victory over UMass Saturday in Amherst.
AMHERST, Mass., Nov. 25, 2023 – After winning six games a year ago and playing in a bowl game under first-year coach Jim Mora, the expectations of the UConn football were higher than they had been in recent years.
Losing nine of their first 10 games left a sour taste in the mouth of the Huskies. But Connecticut ended their season with a smile Saturday at McGuirk Alumni Stadium with a smile after beating long-time rival UMass, 31-18.
With a 31-3 win over Sacred Heart two weeks ago at Rentschler Field, UConn won their final two games of the season.
Facing UMass for the 77th time, the Huskies forced four fumbles and recovered two of them with defensive back Mumu Bin-Wahad returning an interception 45 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.
Norwalk High graduate Cam Edwards rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries to lead the Huskies while Bristol Central graduate Victor Rosa ran for 71 hard-earned yards on 15 carries.
“We knew we could pound the rock on them and we executed on all levels,” Rosa said. “We found our groove as went on and got the win.”
UConn coach Jim Mora complimented the toughness of the two backs who were hard to bring down.
UConn’s Victor Rosa (22) breaks through the line in Saturday’s season finale against UMass.
“You’ve got two kids from Connecticut who were high school players of the year (in Connecticut) and they decided to come to UConn,” Mora said. “They’ve pretty carried the load (rushing) this season. When Vic went down (with injuries), Cam carried the load. We love when the best players in Connecticut come to UConn and to have them perform the way they did was awesome.”
The Huskies (3-9) led from the start but UMass inspired some hope in their fans when Kay’Ron Lynch Adams scored from the one-yard line with 11:58 remaining in the game to cut the UConn lead to 13 points, 25-12.
On the back of Edwards and Rosa, the Huskies responded immediately on their next drive.
Edwards began with a 20-yard run from the Connecticut 24-yard line and then gained five yards on the next play. QB Ta’Quan Roberson kept the drive alive with a six-yard completion to Justin Joly but then it was back to the ground game.
Edwards gained three and eight yards, respectively, on the next two plays. Two players later, it was Rosa with gains of seven and three yards to the UMass 24-yard line.
Edwards scampered 17 yards to the UMass one-yard-line and scored from the one on the next play to give the Huskies a 31-12 lead.
“We just like to compete,” Edwards said.
UMass’ Anthony Simpson (Bloomfield) is tripped up in Saturday’s loss to Connecticut in Amherst.
Bin-Wahad stepped out in front of the pass of UMass QB Taisun Phommachanh, an Avon Old Farms graduate, and raced into the end zone to give UConn the early 6-0 lead. The Huskies picked up a pair of field goals from Joe McFadden (31, 30 yards) in the second quarter along with a 17-yard touchdown run from Rosa to take a 19-0 lead at the half.
UMass (3-9) tried to convert on a fourth down and two at their own 45-yard line early in the second quarter. But Jelani Stafford and Pryce Yates stopped Adams’ run up the middle to force a turnover on downs. McFadden hit a field goal from 31 yards a few plays later.
Phommachanh completed 17-of-29 passes for 212 yards for the Minutemen. He completed some long passes to Bloomfield High graduate Anthony Simpson, who led UMass with six receptions for 107 yards.
UConn’s Cam Edwards and Yakiri Walker (51) celebrate after Edwards’ scored his second TD of the game Saturday.
UConn 31, UMass 18
At Amherst, Mass.
UConn (3-9) 6 13 6 6 — 31
UMass (3-9) 0 0 6 12 — 18
First quarter
C: Mumu Bin-Wahad 45 interception return (kick failed), 10:04
Second quarter
C: Joe McFadden 31 FG, 13:42
C: McFadden 30 FG, 8:46
C: Victor Rosa 17 run (McFadden kick), 6:02
Third quarter
M: Gino Campiotti 10 pass from Taisun Phommachanh (pass fails), 11:58
C: Cam Edwards 4 run (pass fails), 1:08
Fourth quarter
M: Kay’Ron Lynch Adams 1 run (pass failed), 11:58
C: Edwards 8 run (pass failed), 3:34
M: Adams 1 run (pass failed), 2:03
Individual statistics
PASSING: UConn – Roberson 16-28-0, 174; UMass – Phommachanh 17-29-1 212
RUSHING: UConn – Edwards 19-102, Rosa 15-71, Roberson 6-36, Clark 3-34, Domino 1-2, Stafford 1-0, Mitchell 1-minus 5; UMass – Adams 18-51, Desrosiers 3-10, Phommachanh 5-minus 2
RECEIVING: UConn – Joly 6-36, Ross 3-52, Porter 3-30, Buckman 2-35, Hansen 1-15, Edwards 1-6; UMass – Simpson 6-107, Pope 3-29, Adams 2-28, Johnson 2-12, Desrosiers 2-12, Falayi 1-14, Campiotti 1-10
Attendance: 12,291
