MARSHALL THUNDERING HERD NOTES:
All-time Bowl Game Record: 12-6
The Last (and only) Meeting
St. Petersburg, Fla. – Marshall secured its fifth consecutive bowl victory with a 16-10 win over the UConn Huskies at the St. Petersburg Bowl on Dec. 26, 2015. The Herd was first to strike with a two-play drive that was set up by a Deandre Reaves punt return. After bobbing and weaving his way through several potential tacklers, Reaves found a crease and returned the punt for 26 yards to the Huskies’ 20-yard line. The drive started with a 4-yard run by senior Devon Johnson, who made his first appearance since Oct. 17 at Florida Atlantic. On the next play, quarterback Chase Litton ran a play action pass as the UConn defense committed to the run and hit an open Ryan Yurachek for a 16-yard touchdown pass. The lead did not last long for the Herd, as UConn had a 13-play drive for 75 yards on the ensuing possession that resulted in an 8-yard rushing touchdown for Ron Johnson. The first drive of the second quarter for Marshall resulted in points, as the Herd put together its own 13-play drive that set up a chip-shot field goal for Nick Smith, a 21-yard try with 8:04 remaining in the half to put Marshall ahead, 10-7. Marshall went on to close the second quarter the same way it started the period, with a double-digit play drive. This time the Herd went 15 plays for 85 yards to set up another Smith field goal. After UConn attempted to freeze Smith with two straight timeouts, he converted a 29-yard field goal to give the Herd a 13-7 lead at halftime. Marshall was held scoreless despite out-gaining the Huskies, 79-41 in the third quarter. UConn’s Bobby Puyol connected on a 52-yard field goal late in the period. With a three-point lead in hand, Marshall took over at its own five yard line with 8:19 remaining in the fourth quarter, and turned to the fresh legs of Keion Davis, who ran for a combined 12 yards on his first two attempts to give the Herd breathing room. On the next play, Davis found an opening and ran for 41 yards, the longest rush of the game. Marshall continued to run down the clock and run the ball with Davis until it was stopped at the UConn 15 yard line with 1:49 remaining. Marshall’s kicker, Smith, lined up and made his third field goal of the game from 32 yards to give the Herd a 16-10 lead. UConn got the ball back with 1:44 on the clock in the fourth quarter, but was unable to get into Marshall territory and ultimately turned the ball over on downs.
Marshall would take the ball with 21 seconds left and kneel down to seal its fourth bowl win under head coach Doc Holliday. Leading the way on offense for the Herd was Litton with 218 passing yards and one touchdown on 23 completions. Davis led Marshall on the ground with 73 yards rushing, while Reaves, who was named the game’s MVP, had 88 yards receiving on nine receptions. On defense, Kendall Gant was tied for a team-high nine tackles with Devontre’a Tyler. Gary Thompson and Ryan Bee each had one sack. With the victory, the Herd clinched its third straight season of 10 or more wins. Marshall went 10-3 this season, while going 13-1 in 2014 and 10-4 in 2013.
CONNECTICUT HUSKIES NOTES:
Last Meeting vs. Marshall
Dec. 26, 2015 – Marshall 16 – UConn 10 – Tropicana Field Marshall quarterback Chase Litton completed 23 for 34 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown as the Thundering Herd defeated the UConn Huskies 16-10 score in the 2015 St. Petersburg Bowl at Tropicana Field. The Huskies, who were back in bowl play for the first time since the 2010 season, finish the year at 6-7 while Marshall was 10-3. UConn redshirt quarterback Bryant Shirreffs completed 10 of 17 passes for 86 yards and gained 75 yards on 19 carries for the Huskies. The Huskies got within 13-10 on a 52-yard field goal by r-junior Bobby Puyol with two seconds left in the third. The 52-yarder was tied as the sixth-longest in school history and tied as the third-longest in UConn’s FBS history. It was also a career-long for Puyol and the longest in UConn bowl and St. Petersburg Bowl history. Puyol was named UConn’s Game MVP by the bowl. Marshall’s Nick Smith had three FGs for the Thundering Herd, including a 32-yarder with 1:44 to play for a 16-10 lead, capping off a 13-play, 80-yard march that lasted 6:35 to put the game-away. UConn sophomore cornerback Jamar Summers got his eighth interception of the season, including six in the last five games. Summers’ eight interceptions tied for second in UConn single-season history and first in the Husky FBS era. Husky sophomore tailback Arkeel Newsome had five receptions for 33 yards for the Huskies. Senior safety Andrew Adams led the UConn defense with 14 tackles.
Scouting the Thundering Herd…
The Marshall Thundering Herd will play in a postseason bowl game for the six-straight season after an 8-4 season. The Thundering Herd are led by second year head coach Charles Huff who guided the team into the Sun Belt Conference this season. Marshall finished 5-3 in the East Division in year one and head to Myrtle Beach having won four-straight and five of their last six. The Thundering Herd’s signature win came back in early September when they traveled to Notre Dame and knocked-off the No. 8 nationally ranked Fighting Irish, 26-21. Marshall owns one the top defensive units in the country, ranking 10th in the nation in total defense (292.8 ypg), sixth in rushing defense (88.8 ypg) and seventh in scoring defense (16.2 ppg). The Thundering Herd are the best team in the nation on third down defensively at .234 percent. Junior linebacker Eli Neal leads the team with 88 tackles while r-junior defensive lineman Owen Porter has 54 tackles, 14 for a loss including a team-leading 9.5 sacks, ranking 11th in the country. In the defensive backfield, r-junior Micah Abraham had five interceptions, eighth in the nation, and eight pass break-ups. On the offensive side of the ball, sixth-year student running back Khalan Laborn has 1,423 yards rushing, 12th in the NCAA, and posts 127.5 all-purpose yards per game. The Thundering Herd average 205.6 yards per game on the ground, ranking 21st in the nation. Marshall is looking to snap a three-game bowl losing streak, falling in the New Orleans Bowl last season to Louisiana, 36-21.
2022 OFFENSIVE NOTES
The UConn rushing attack heads into the postseason ranked 32nd in the NCAA averaging a shade under 200 yards per game at 194.9 ypg. The Huskies have gone over 200-plus yards rushing yards as a team in six games including three-straight games to end the season. The Huskies high mark for the season was a 295 effort on 46 carries in a win at FIU. Freshman Victor Rosa has seen his workload steadily increase over the season and has a team-high 124 carries for 561 yards and nine touchdowns. Rosa’s nine TD runs touchdowns rank 55th in the country for rushing touchdowns. Rosa closed out the season with his best performance of the year, recording his first career 100-yard game with 111 yards on 12 carries at Army. Rosa’s 100-yard game at Army marked the fourth UConn running back this season hitting the century mark on the ground. He followed up 100-yard efforts from fullback Robert Burns and backs Devontae Houston and Nate Carter.
2022 UConn 100-yard Games:
Victor Rosa at Army – 12 att., 111 yards, TD
Robert Burns vs. Liberty – 11 att., 111 yards, TD
Devontae Houston at FIU – 12 att., 125 yards
Devontae Houston vs. Fresno State – 23 att., 105 yards, TD
Nate Carter vs. CCSU – 23 att., 123 yards, TD
Nate Carter at Utah State – 20 att., 190 yards
Grad student Robert Burns saw his carries increase over the season as well and had double digit carries in four of the final five games. He finished the year with 371 yards on 71 touches, an average of 5.2 yards per carry. His previous high for a season was in 2019 when he was at Miami and he carried it 29 times for 116 yards. Burns had a career-high 104 yards rushing on 11 carries including a career-long 58-yard run to help lead the Huskies to a upset at home over No. 19 Liberty. Sophomore Devontae Houston is second on the team in rushing with 538 yards on 79 carries, a team-best 6.8 yards per rush. After missing a pair of games with injury, Houston returned for the UMass game and ripped off a 75-yard touchdown run on his first carry back. It was a career-long run for Houston and the longest play from scrimmage this season for UConn as well as the longest scoring play. In eight games he has run for a team-high 455 yards on 69 carriers, a 6.6 per carry average, with three scores. Sophomore Nate Carter piled up 405 yards through four games before seeing his season end due to injury and has entered the transfer portal. R-Sophomore Ta’Quan Roberson won the starting quarterback battle out of summer camp but saw his season cut short in the first quarter of the opening game at Utah State suffering a season-ending knee injury. True freshman Zion Turner stepped in and started the remaining 11 games on the slate leading the Huskies. Turner finished the season throwing for 1,241 yards and nine touchdowns. He completed 60.6 percent of his passes (140-231) on the year. Turner’s main target on the season was sophomore wide receiver Aaron Tuner who caught a career-high 52 passes for 462 yards and three scores. Turner hauled in a career-high 10 passes for 66 yards in the upset win over Liberty. Turner caught a pass in every game this season and over his two seasons in Storrs has hauled in 85 balls for 695 yards in 24 games. Classmate Kevens Clercius had a career-best season, catching 24 passes for 288 yards. Clercius only TD on the year came when he hauled in a 30-yard hook-up from Zion Turner in the fourth quarter for the go- head score against Liberty. True freshman tight end Justin Joly came on midway through the season and finished third on the team with 17 catches for 238 yards and two touchdowns. A pair of UConn receivers were lost to injury early this season but have worked their way back to the field in the last weeks of the season. Sophomore Keelan Marion caught a 13-yard touchdown in the season-opener at Utah State but suffered an injury on the play that kept him out until the Boston College game. He has been limited in his return but has caught a two-point conversion in the Liberty win and had a seven-yard reception at Army. R-sophomore Cam Ross suffered a foot injury in summer camp after missing all but the first two games of 2021 with an injury. In 2019, he led the Huskies as a freshman with 60 catches for 723 yards and four scores. He has seen limited action in the last three games, returning a punt at Army. The Husky offensive line of center Jake Guidone, guards Christian Haynes and Noel Ofori-Nyadu and tackles Valentin Senn and Chase Lundt have started all 12 games this season. Not only helping fuel the UConn rushing attack, the unit ranks 30th nationally in sacks allowed, giving up 17 on the year (1.42 pg). UConn ranks 36th in the country in converting in the red zone at .875 percent. The Huskies have scored on 28 of 32 trips into the redzone including 19 touchdowns.
2022 DEFENSIVE NOTES
Junior linebacker Jackson Mitchell is the Huskies top-tackler and is fourth in the country in total tackles with career-best 133 stops this season. He is ranked fourth in tackles per game at 11.1 pg. He collected 16 tackles at Army, the third time this season he matched-his career-high of 16 tackles in a game. Mitchell had six games this season where he posted double digit stops. He has 8.0 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries on the season as well. Over his three seasons and 34 games played, Mitchell has posted 318 tackles, 16.5 for a loss. Mitchell was named one of 15 semifinalists for the 2022 Butkus Award and was also named to the 2022 All-New England team by the New England Football Writers. He was the winner of the New England Gold Helmet Award after leading UConn to at win over Boston College with a dominant defensive performance. Mitchell finished the game with 12 tackles, a sack and an interception while also forcing a fumble and recovering a fumble to lead a UConn defense that held BC to just three points and 76 yards rushing. The Huskies took a 10-3 lead into the fourth quarter where Mitchell did the most damage of the night. Starting with BC’s drive with 9:53 to go, the junior linebacker had a hand in forcing three-straight Eagle turnovers to help UConn seal the win. The Husky defense is ranked 33rd in the nation in turnovers gained with 20 on the year and are 55th with a +2 turnover margin. Linebacker Jackson Mitchell has five fumble recoveries, the most for any player in the country this season, and recorded his first career touchdown after a scoop and score against Liberty. As a team, the Huskies have 12 interceptions this season, ranking 29th in the NCAA. Senior cornerback Tre Wortham joined Mitchell by earning a spot on the All-New England team this season. Wortham finished with four interceptions this season and ranks 17th in the NCAA in interceptions. He Wortham with a career-high 38 tackles on the season and a team-best nine passes defended. Over the past two seasons, Wortham has played in all 24 games and has 74 tackles and six picks. Junior defensive end Eric Watts had a break-out season for the Huskies and has 44 tackles, 9.5 tackles for a loss, 7.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and two blocked kicks, all career-best numbers. Watts is currently ranked 51st in the NCAA in sacks. The rest of the Huskies defensive line has been a force as well. R-Freshman Pryce Yates registered 41 tackles, 8.0 for a loss with 3.5 sacks.
The two have helped anchor a defensive front that has recorded 18 of the Huskies 25 sacks on the year. Sophomore Colin McCarthy has chipped in 3.0 sacks, sophomore Jelani Stafford has 2.0, r-sophomore Dal’mont Gourdine has 1.5 and r-junior Sokoya McDuffie has 1.0. Senior linebacker Ian Swenson is wrapping up his Husky career in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. Swenson has been a cog on the UConn defense since the 2018 season and over his career he has posted 254 total tackles, 14 for a loss, four sacks and an interception. This season, he has 84 tackles, 3.0 for a loss, and a pick. The Huskies brought in grad transfer linebacker Brandon Bouyer-Randle this season and he finished third on the team with 88 tackles. Bouyer-Randle also had 8.0 tackles for a loss, two interceptions and a forced fumble on the season. He also had stops at Michigan State and Texas Tech. Sophomore safeties Malik Dixon-Williams and Durante Jones were mainstays in the defensive backfield all season and among the team’s top-tacklers. Jones was second to just Mitchell in tackles, making 89 stops in 11 games. He added an interception and forced fumble. Dixon-Williams was fourth on the team in tackles, making 85 stops, 47 solo, with six pass break-ups and an interception.
2022 SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
Sophomore kicker Noe Ruelas was thrust into the starting role during summer camp when returning starter Joe McFadden suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason. McFadden was the Huskies leading point producer in 2021, hitting on 12 of 17 field goals and all 19 of his extra point attempts. Ruelas saw his first action in 2022 and held down the place kicking duties all season, making 12 of 15 field goals. Ruelas is the Huskies leading point producer with 62 points through 12 games. He kicked the first field goals of his career, hitting a pair in the 4th quarter (47yd, 54yd) in the loss at Utah State. Ruelas’s 54 yarder was the first 50-plus yard field goal at UConn since Michael Tarbutt hit from 50-yards at Tulsa in 2018. Ruelas now owns the second longest field goal in UConn school history, with his 54-yarder coming in behind school record holder Jim McManus who hit a 56-yard field goal against New Hampshire in 1998. It is the longest field goal in UConn’s FBS history (2002-present). R-Sophomore George Caratan transferred to UConn from Arkansas this season and took over the punting duties. McFadden was also the Huskies punter a year ago, punting 61 times on the season and averaged 39.8 yards per kick and put 14 punts inside the opponent 20-yard line. Caratan punted 62 times in 12 games this season, averaging 40.4 yards per punt with a long of 55 yards. He only had one touchback on the season and put 18 punts inside the opponents 20-yard line on the year. Freshman running back Victor Rosa has handled the majority of return duties this season, leading the team in both kickoff and punt returns. Rosa brought back 14 kickoffs this season for 259 yards, averaging 18.5 yards per return to rank 52nd in the country. He had a long of 28 yards on the season. Sophomore Devontae Houston has seven kick returns for 143 yards, an average of 20.4 yards. Rosa has nine punt returns for 53 yards with a long of 25 yards. The Huskies blocked four kicks this season, a pair of field goals, a punt and an extra point. Defensive lineman Eric Watts blocked a field goal in the win over Central Connecticut and blocked an extra point attempt in the season finale at Army. Defensive back Malcolm Bell had a blocked field goal in the loss at Ball State and linebacker blocked a punt in the CCSU win.
