With a 46-22 upset win over James Madison, UConn moves to one win away from bowl eligibility.

By Savannah Cote. Photos by Savannah Cote and Scott Sulkazi

A crowd of 25,530 watched as the UConn Huskies pulled off a major upset against the James Madison University Dukes on Saturday afternoon, earning a convincing 46-22 victory despite entering the matchup as 4.5-point underdogs. The win puts UConn just one victory away from bowl eligibility, with two games remaining in the regular season.

UConn opened the scoring with a 28-yard field goal at 9:21 in the first quarter. James Madison responded with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by JC Evans, but failed to convert the two-point attempt, taking a 6-3 lead. The Huskies answered immediately when Ky “Flash” Wilson returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to put UConn ahead 10-6.

Scoring slowed in the second quarter until Evans connected with Braeden Wisloski for a 16-yard touchdown reception, giving JMU a 13-10 lead after Morgan Suarez’s extra point. UConn quickly regained the advantage when Shamar Porter hauled in a 67-yard touchdown pass. Mike Baker added a 21-yard field goal later in the quarter, sending the Huskies into halftime with a 20-13 lead.

Neither team scored again until 55 seconds remained in the third quarter, when Cynir Bowers found the end zone on a 9-yard rushing touchdown to extend UConn’s lead to 26-13.

James Madison added a 36-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, but UConn responded with another scoring drive. JD Willoughby caught a 36-yard touchdown pass before Bowers added his second rushing touchdown of the afternoon on a 2-yard run. Evans scored another rushing touchdown for the Dukes, but Bowers put the game out of reach with his third touchdown, a 17-yard run with 2:39 remaining.

Bowers’ three rushing touchdowns helped power an offense that consistently delivered in important situations. Kalieb Osbourne picked up several key first downs on the ground, while Cam Abshire made a crucial reception to convert a third-and-19. Porter also came through with a third-and-1 conversion, and UConn successfully converted a fourth-and-1 earlier in the game.

The Huskies’ defense was equally important, producing several momentum-changing plays. Ty McKinstry recorded consecutive tackles for loss and added a pass breakup. Hayden Pegg recorded an interception and a sack, while Zakaih Saez and Saxton Suchanic also brought down the quarterback. Jayden Price contributed a key third-down tackle, and Joshua Mickens forced a fumble before Esean Carter followed with a tackle for loss after JMU recovered.

With contributions from its offense, defense and special teams, UConn controlled much of the matchup and delivered one of its biggest performances of the season. The 46-22 upset moves the Huskies within one victory of bowl eligibility as they head into the final two games of the regular season.

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