Houston's undefeated season disappears with loss to UConn
Houston is undefeated no more.
The Cougars are now 10-1 after losing 20-17 to UConn on Saturday. The Huskies never trailed and held on thanks to an interception with 55 seconds to go.
The pick came courtesy of Houston quarterback Greg Ward, who didn't start the game because of an ankle injury. But Ward was pressed into duty for a few plays late in the game thanks to injuries to backup quarterback Kyle Postma, who started against UConn.
Postma first had to leave the game for two plays after he was hit in the shoulder and then left the field grabbing his right knee on Houston's final drive. Ward stepped in and was looking deep down the sideline when he threw an interception to Jamar Summers.
The interception was Houston's fourth turnover of the game. Postma threw a pick as well and the Cougars turned the ball over four times. Houston came into the game averaging over 500 yards of total offense. The UConn defense held the Cougars to 318 total yards.
The Huskies took a 20-10 lead in the fourth quarter thanks to a 44-yard wide receiver pass from Garrett Anderson to Noel Thomas for a touchdown. But the lead lasted mere seconds after Houston returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown.
UConn was also without the services of its starting quarterback for most of the game. Bryant Sherriffs was knocked out of the game early and was replaced by Tim Boyle, who finished the game 12-of-22 passing for 110 yards. Running back Arkeel Newsome had 114 yards on 32 carries.
While Houston falls from the ranks of the undefeated – and means the AAC definitely doesn't have a shot at the College Football Playoff – the loss doesn't hurt the Cougars too much in the conference. Houston is now 6-1 in conference and plays Navy in a de-facto AAC East title game next Saturday. The winner of the game will likely face Temple in the AAC title game.
The AAC championship will also probably serve as a play-in game for a New Year's Six bowl berth. With two more wins, Houston is still in the same circumstances it would have been in had it gone undefeated. But being unblemished would have been a little more fun.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
