UConn rallied from a 20-point second-half deficit before losing 42-41 to Syracuse in overtime Saturday, Oct. 3, at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.
Syracuse ended the game with a two-point conversion run by Amari Odom after a fourth-down touchdown pass to Umari Hatcher. UConn had scored on its opening overtime possession, a 25-yard pass from Kalieb Osborne to Trey Cornist, to take a 41-34 lead.
The Huskies trailed 34-14 in the third quarter but scored 20 consecutive points to force overtime. Cyncir Bowers began the comeback with a 10-yard touchdown run with 3:46 left in the third. The extra point missed, leaving UConn down 34-20.
A 7-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Watson early in the fourth cut the margin to seven. Bowers then ran 71 yards for a touchdown with 11:52 remaining, and the extra point tied the score at 34-34.
Neither team scored again in regulation. Jayden Price intercepted a Syracuse pass at the UConn 1 in the fourth quarter, while Syracuse's Shay Barker missed a 44-yard field goal at the end of regulation.
Bowers finished with 163 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, an average of more than 10 yards per attempt. He also caught two passes for 16 yards. Osborne completed 19 of 39 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.
UConn gained 499 total yards, only 10 fewer than Syracuse. The Orange held the ball for 35 minutes, 27 seconds, compared with UConn's 24:33. The Huskies finished with 318 passing yards when Tucker McDonald's 4-yard completion is included.
K'Von Sherman led the UConn defense with 12 tackles, a sack and two forced fumbles. The Huskies' comeback followed a first half in which Syracuse built a 27-7 lead before UConn cut it to 27-14 at the break.
The final Syracuse touchdown came on fourth-and-17 after Sherman's sack had pushed the Orange back. Odom found Hatcher for a 17-yard score, then ran in the two-point conversion instead of tying the game with an extra-point kick.
The loss dropped UConn to 2-3 overall. Syracuse improved to 2-2. The Huskies travel to Temple on Saturday, Oct. 10, for a 3:45 p.m. kickoff.
Sources:
https://uconnhuskies.com/sports/football/stats/2026/syracuse/boxscore/25423