UConn Turns a Pick-six into a 48-20 Rout
Nine seconds of game clock. UConn scored on a 1-yard pass at 7:26 of the third quarter, Southern Miss threw an interception, and Anas Luqman took it back 24 yards for a touchdown at 7:17. A 34-6 game was a 41-6 game, and the Golden Eagles never got back into it.
UConn scored first and never trailed. Kalieb Osborne found Shamar Porter for 38 yards to make it 7-0, then ran in from 5 yards for 14-0. Creighton Wilbanks got Southern Miss on the board with a 47-yard field goal, and Cyncir Bowers broke a 42-yard run to push it to 24-3. The Huskies took a 27-6 lead into the half on Jack O'Connor's 29-yard field goal on the last play of the second quarter. Nobody ever tied them or led them, and Southern Miss trailed by as many as 35.
Steven Robinson ran in from a yard out to make it 41-13, Osborne ran 11 yards for 48-13 midway through the fourth, and Landry Lyddy threw a 10-yard touchdown to Jaylen Himes with 23 seconds left to make the final 48-20. Take away the pick-six and UConn still wins 41-20.
The ground game was the other half of it. UConn ran for 213 yards against 102 for Southern Miss, which passed for 299 and threw two interceptions. UConn finished with 436 yards to 401. Southern Miss had three sacks to UConn's one.
UConn is 2-1 and Southern Miss is 1-2. Osborne was the fantasy story at 35.8, with two touchdowns passing and two rushing.