UConn football sets rushing records, rolls past Florida Atlantic at Rentschler Field, 48-14

EAST HARTFORD – It was all UConn under the lights at Rentschler Field on Saturday as the Huskies rolled over Florida Atlantic, 48-14, to claim their second win of the year.With a sizeable lead and a physicality advantage established before halftime, UConn used a punishing ground attack to continue momentum in the second half. With two 100-yard rushers for the first time since 2019 in Durell Robinson (157) and Mel Brown (156), the Huskies finished the game with a new program FBS record 422 total rushing yards.The previous rushing mark was set on Aug. 31, 2006, in a 52-7 win over Rhode Island.Quarterback Nick Evers opened the game getting chunk plays with his legs and ran for 78 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also completed nine of his 14 pass attempts for 88 yards and a touchdown to Brown, and only needed to pass three times in the second half.UConn dominated on both sides of the ball from the start.The Huskies held FAU to just 90 total yards in the opening half as the Owls – passing only seven times for 10 yards – ended all five of their drives with a punt. FAU had nine penalties in the first half costing 60 yards, four of which were false start penalties that stunted the offense.UConn running back Mel Brown (7) runs with the ball as Florida Atlantic safety CJ Heard (1) defends during an NCAA college football game at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Jessica Hill/Special to the Courant)Evers and the UConn offense had the opposite result. The Huskies put points on the board to end three of their first four drives before the half, the only mistake being a fumble on a designed run for Evers after moving into Owls’ territory on the third drive of the game. The drive before, placekicker Chris Freeman, who came into the game 0-for-3 on the season, missing all of his field goal attempts from 40 yards or more, lined up and made a 34-yard kick to start the scoring.After the UConn men’s basketball team was recognized between quarters, receiver Skyler Bell made a 43-yard reception to set up a 5-yard rushing touchdown for Brown, his first of the year.UConn continued to go to the ground with its rotation of three running backs, finishing the opening half with 169 rushing yards. Brown and Robinson alternated carries as the Huskies slowly moved 91 yards down the field in 12 plays. Robinson capped the six-minute drive with an eight-yard touchdown run to put the Huskies up 17-0 before halftime.Cam Edwards, who carried the ball 21 times at Duke last week, saw a relatively light workload with seven carries for 30 yards. Bristol native Victor Rosa missed his second game in a row as he recovers from surgery on a broken finger.The Huskies continued their ground and pound game, opening the second half with a 14-play drive that featured 13 rushing plays. Evers capped the nearly seven-minute drive with the first rushing touchdown of his career from three yards out to put UConn up 24-0.The defense continued to dominate as linebacker Jayden McDonald intercepted quarterback Cam Fancher – who started at QB for Marshall in the 2022 Myrtle Beach Bowl – on the Owls’ second play of the half. Freeman made his second field goal of the night from 35 yards to extend the lead.FAU denied the shutout with a 72-yard touchdown drive in response, but Brown broke free for a 46-yard run to get UConn to the two-yard line on the first play of the fourth quarter and Evers punched it in to make the score 34-7.Robinson tacked on another touchdown, his second of the day, after UConn’s defense forced a turnover on downs. Campbell added another score for FAU on a 38-yard run, but the Huskies answered with backup quarterback Joe Fagnano finding Shamar Porter with a 33-yard touchdown pass to complete the scoring.UConn (2-2) will look to carry over momentum as it approaches the second game of a six-game homestand against Buffalo at Noon on Saturday (CBS Sports Network).

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