EAST HARTFORD, Conn. - Dave Teggart hit a 27-yard field goal in overtime and Connecticut beat West Virginia 16-13, giving the Huskies their first win over the Mountaineers.
The winning score was set up when UConn linebacker Lawrence Wilson recovered the seventh fumble of the night for West Virginia (5-3, 1-2 Big East), which lost its second consecutive conference game.
Jordan Todman tied a career high with 33 carries, running for 113 yards and a touchdown that helped the Huskies (4-4, 1-2) come back from an early 10-0 deficit.
Connecticut quarterback Zach Frazer, forced to start after a head injury sidelined redshirt freshman Mike Box,threw for 166 yards without an interception.
Geno Smith threw for 160 yards and ran for 64 for the Mountaineers, who opted to punt from the UConn 33 with less than 2 minutes left in regulation.
With the game tied at 13 with less than 2 minutes left in regulation, West Virginia coach Bill Stewart opted to punt on a 4th and 9 from UConn’s 33 yard line, rather than attempt a field goal into the wind or go for it. UConn got the ball on the 1-yard line, and was able to run out the clock.
West Virginia got the ball first in overtime and seemed headed for a score when Ryan Clarke fumbled a handoff at the 1-yard line and Wilson picked it up.
West Virginia had 414 yards of offense, but lost four of its seven fumbles, and scored just three points after the first quarter.
Sports, Pages 23 on 10/30/2010