UConn Holds Off Villanova 20-15 in Season Opener

 University of Connecticut redshirt sophomore Bryant Shirreffs(Jefferson, Ga.) threw for 202 yards and two touchdowns in his first collegiate start and first game for the Huskies as the UConn football team defeated Villanova by a 20-15 score on Thursday night. The game was the season opener for both team and was played before a Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field crowd of 26,113.

The Huskies opened the scoring with a 14-yard TD reception by redshirt sophomore Tommy Myers(Coventry, Conn.) from Shirreffs that completed a 13 play, 79 yard drive that made it 6-0 Huskies with 6:55 to go in the first quarter.

The Wildcats led 9-6 at the half, but the Shirreffs to Myers duo was back at work on the second play from scrimmage of the second half for a 69-yard completion that put the ball at the Wildcat one-yard line. Two plays later, sophomore running back Ron Johnson (Naples, Fla.) ran the ball in for the score and give UConn the lead for good at 13-9.

The Huskies made it 20-9 on a 27-yard reception by sophomore Arkeel Newsome (Ansonia, Conn.) with 4:53 to go in the game. Villanova quarterback John Robertson scored on a three-yard run with 1:45 to go.

UConn had a key defensive stop early in the fourth quarter as Villanova had moved the ball to the Husky 36, but stopped the Wildcats on fourth and one.

Johnson was UConn's leading rusher with 69 yards while junior Noel Thomas (Norwalk, Conn.) and Newsome each had three receptions.

Redshirt sophomore Junior Joseph (Sinking Springs, Pa.) led the Huskies with nine tackles while sophomore linebacker Luke Carrezola (Langhorne, Pa.) had six tackles with a sack and redshirt sophomore Folorunso Fatukasi (Far Rockaway, N.Y.) had six tackles with two sacks.

Robertson passed for 153 yards and one TD while rushing 66 yards for the Wildcats, who are ranked fourth preseason in the NCAA FCS.

Pawed By The Panthers

 UCF held a 14-3 lead at halftime over FIU Thursday night at Bright House Networks Stadium. But a pair of FIU touchdowns and a blocked field goal in the final minute lifted the Panthers over the Knights 15-14.

Trailing 3-0, UCF took the lead on a Justin Holman-to-Jordan Akins 9-yard scoring strike. The touchdown was set up by a turnover, when Chequan Burkett forced a Panther fumble at the FIU 26-yard line.

On its next possession, UCF marched 70 yards in seven plays. A 20-yard Holman-to-Akins completion put the ball in FIU territory. Three plays later, Akins was wide open in the seam for a 33-yard score. But that was the last time UCF would get on the board.

"You don't block or tackle or the things you're supposed to do fundamentally ... that's usually the end result," UCF head coach George O'Leary said. "We didn't make enough plays in any phase."

FIU held UCF to just 46 yards rushing in the contest and just four yards in the second half. 
"I didn't think we made any movement up front, at all," O'Leary said.

The Panthers put together two touchdown drives of 80 or more yards -- one midway through the third quarter and one early in the fourth -- to take a 15-14 lead. Two-point conversion attempts after both scores failed.

The Knights had one last chance to take the victory late in the contest. The defense forced a three-and-out, holding on 3rd-and-1. UCF drove inside the FIU 25-yard line. 

"We are on the 25-yard line, you just maintain your distance and that kid makes field goals blindfolded from there," O'Leary said.

But a penalty pushed the Knights back to the 30.Matthew Wright's 47-yard field goal attempt with 30 seconds left was blocked.

Aim for Akins; Toss it to Tre'Quan
• Akins, a sophomore from McDonough, Ga. Scored his first two career touchdowns.
• Akins finished with nine receptions for 104 yards, both career-best marks. 
• Tre'Quan Smith, a redshirt freshman from Delray Beach, Fla., matched Akins' nine receptions and 104 yards in his first collegiate contest.
• The last time UCF had two 100-yard receivers in the same game was Nov. 16, 2013 at Temple (J.J. Worton-179; Rannell Hall-159).

Surpassing 2 Million At Bright House
• With an announced attendance of 39,184, Bright House Networks Stadium saw its 2 millionth fan come through the gates. 
• Bright House Networks Stadium has seen 2,021,448 fans attend UCF games since the venue opened in 2007.

Temple Owls Season Preview

STORYLINES
Temple improved by four wins in Matt Rhule’s second season with the Owls, going from 2-10 to 6-6. Temple has 19 returning starters from last season — the most of any American Athletic Conference team. The Owls will play home games against Penn State and Notre Dame during the nonconference portion of its schedule.
OFFENSE
QB P.J. Walker enters his third year as the Owls’ starting signal-caller. Walker threw for 2,317 yards last season, good for second on Temple’s single-season chart. RB Jahad Thomas rushed for a team-high 384 yards on 80 carries and had 364 yards on 14 receptions after making the transition from the defensive backfield. RB Zaire Williams, who rushed for 517 yards in 2013, returns after redshirting last season. C Kyle Friend, who has made 33 consecutive starts, anchors an offensive line which returns four starters from last year. The Owls are relatively inexperience at wide receiver. WR John Christopher, who had 24 receptions for 194 yards last season, is the top returning player.
DEFENSE
Temple returns 10 starters from a defense that ranked fourth nationally in scoring last season (17.5 ppg). LB Tyler Matakevich enters his senior year with 355 career tackles and is the only active Division I player with at least 300 career stops. Matakevich could become the seventh FBS player to register four seasons with at least 100 tackles. CB Tavon Young led the American Athletic Conference with 153 yards on interception returns last season. Young had four interceptions, which ranked sixth in the conference. The Owls held seven of their 12 opponents to 16 points or fewer in 2014.
SPECIAL TEAMS
K Austin Jones hit 13 of 22 field goal attempts (59.1 percent) and was perfect on PATs as a freshman. P Alex Starzyk averaged 38.4 yards per punt. The Owls blocked five kicks in 2014, leading The American. Temple led the American Athletic Conference in punt return average (12.3 ypr).

South Florida Bulls Season Preview

STORYLINES
USF doubled its wins total from 2013 in Willie Taggart’s second year as the Bulls’ head coach. Since 2007, USF has registered nonconference wins against Auburn, UCF, Clemson, Florida State, Miami (Fla.), North Carolina, Northern Illinois and Notre Dame, among others. The Bulls will have new coordinators on both offense and defense in 2015. Co-offensive coordinator Danny Hope was formerly the head coach at Purdue.
OFFENSE
RB Marlon Mack was named the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year in 2014 after he led the conference in rushing (86.8 ypg). Mack had four 100-yard games and five touchdown runs of at least 54 yards in his freshman season. QB Steven Bench and QB Quinton Flowers will battle for the starting spot in the summer. Bench has made three career starts, while Flowers made one start as a freshman last year. Returning starters OG Brynjar Gudmundsson and OG Thor Jozwiak provide a solid foundation on the interior line. The top returning receiver is WR Rodney Adams, who had 23 catches for 323 yards and two touchdowns in 2014
DEFENSE
Defensive coordinator Tom Allen joins the staff after he spent the last three seasons as the linebackers coach at Mississippi. LB Nigel Harris led the nation with six forced fumbles in 2014. He is part of a USF defense that returns its top five tacklers from last season. Harris joins LB Auggie Sanchez as returning starters at linebacker. S Jamie Byrd also returns as a starter at the husky position. The secondary returns three starters — CB Johnny Ward, S Nate Godwin and S Devin Abraham. S Tajee Fullwood saw starting duty as well.
SPECIAL TEAMS
P Mattias Ciabatti is among the top punters in the nation. He led The American and was 10th nationally with an average punt of 44.4 yards on his way to all-conference first-team honors. The Bulls will have to replace the production of Marvin Kloss, a former Groza Award finalist who was one of the nation’s top kickers.

East Carolina Pirates Season Preview

STORYLINES 

East Carolina has made eight bowl appearances in the last nine years. The Pirates registered two wins against top-25 opponents last year, defeating No. 17 Virginia Tech and No. 25 North Carolina in nonconference play. East Carolina, which fell to Florida in the Birmingam Bowl last season, has a rematch with the Gators in the second game of the 2015 season. 

OFFENSE 

East Carolina will have to replace the potent tandem of QB Shane Carden, who was the American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, and WR Justin Hardy, the NCAA career receptions leader. QB Kurt Benkert, who saw action in three games in 2014, is expected to take over as the starter. WR Isaiah Jones was the team’s second-leading receiver last year with 81 receptions for 830 yards and five touchdowns. RB Chris Hairston was second on the team in rushing last season (528 yards, two TDs) and is primed to take over as the starter. OT Ike Harris, OG J.T. Boyd and TE Bryce Williams all earned second-team all-conference honors last year. 

DEFENSE 

The Pirates return fiver starters from last year’s defense. LB Zeek Bigger led the American Athletic Conference in tackles in 2014 (140) and was a second team all-conference selection. LB Montese Overton had 68 tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss. DE Johnathon White is the lone returning starter from last year on the defensive line, but the Pirates should receive a boost from the return of DE Terrell Stanley. Stanley was a starter in 2013 who missed all of last season while recovering from injuries suffered in a car accident. CB Josh Hawkins had five interceptions, which ranked third in The American, and was second in the conference with 11 pass breakups. 

SPECIAL TEAMS 

The Pirates will have to find a new man at placekicker following the departure of Warren Harvey. K Davis Plowman saw limited action last season. P Worth Gregory, a transfer from Alabama, averaged 43.6 yards per punt, which would have put him among atop the conference leaders had he enough punts to qualify. Isaiah Jones served as the primary kickoff return specialist last year. The Pirates will need to fill the void left by Justin Hardy, who doubled as the main punt returner.

UCONN Huskies Season Preview

STORYLINES
UConn heads into its second season under head coach Bob Diaco with 13 returning starters, including seven on defense. The Huskies had reeled off four straight winning seasons between 2007 and 2010 — a stretch that included two conference titles and a Fiesta Bowl appearance — but look to end a string of four straight seasons without a bowl bid. UConn will face five of its 12 opponents for the first time in the 2014 season.
OFFENSE
QB Tim Boyle is the only returning player on the roster who saw time behind center last season. QB Bryant Shirreffs, a transfer from North Carolina State and a former Northeast Georgia high school player of the year, figures to battle for the starting spot in 2015. RB Ron Johnson emerged as the Huskies’ leading rusher as a freshman last season. Johnson rushed for 429 yards and three touchdowns, while RB Arkeel Newsome and RB Joshua Marriner made contributions as freshmen as well. WR Noel Thomas had a team-high four touchdown receptions last year and is the Huskies’ top returning receiver. UConn returns three starters on the offensive line — OT Richard Levy, OT Andreas Knappe and OG Tyler Samara. C Ryan Crozier was named to the Rimington Trophy preseason watch list.
DEFENSE
UConn could boast one of the more improved defenses in the nation thanks to the return of key players at every spot. DE Kenton Adeyemi and NG Julian Campenni anchor a veteran defensive line which returns its top four tacklers from last year. LB Marquis Vann (eighth), S Andrew Adams (10th) and LB Graham Stewart (12th) were all among the American Athletic Conference leaders in tackles. Vann finished the season with 105 tackles and seven tackles for loss. Stewart registered 94 stops with 10.5 TFL, two sacks and two forced fumbles. Adams proved to be an impact player in the secondary after he made 95 tackles with four interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
SPECIAL TEAMS
UConn will return both kicking specialists from last year. K Bobby Puyol was the regular placekicker and made 19 of 22 field goal attempts. P Justin Wain averaged 38.8 yards on an American Athletic Conference-leading 74 punts last season. Wain’s average was fourth in The American.

Cincinnati Bearcats Season Preview

STORYLINES 

Cincinnati has won at least nine games seven times in the last eight years. The Bearcats won their last seven regularseason games to close the 2014 season before falling to Virginia Tech in the Military Bowl. The Bearcats return to Nippert Stadium in 2015 after the venerable stadium underwent an $86 million renovation. Cincinnati played its 2014 home games at Paul Brown Stadium. 

OFFENSE 

QB Gunner Kiel battled through injuries to start all 13 games last year. Kiel led the American Athletic Conference with 31 touchdown passes and a 149.4 efficiency rating. The Bearcats return their top seven receivers from last season — players who caught a combined 33 touchdown passes in 2014. WR Chris Moore averaged a conference-leading 22.4 yards per catch and had eight TDs last season. Cincinnati saw a number of running backs go down with injuries last season before RB Mike Boone picked up the slack as a true freshman. Boone led the team with 650 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. OG Parker Ehinger earned all-conference firstteam honors last season and is the anchor of the Bearcats’ veteran offensive line. That unit has 76 career starts to its credit. 

DEFENSE 

Cincinnati has five starters back from a defense that made marked improvement in the second half of last season. The Bearcats ranked ninth in The American in total defense last year. The Bearcats lose two players who registered 100 tackles last season (LB Jeff Luc, LB Nick Temple). The top returning tackler from last year is S Zach Edwards, who made 121 stops with two interceptions and six pass breakups. CB Adrian Witty was granted a sixth year of eligibility and returns to his starting spot in the secondary. 

SPECIAL TEAMS 

K Andrew Gantz earned all-conference second team honors as a freshman after he ranked second in The American in kicker scoring. Gantz hit 16 of 20 field goal attempts in 2014. P Sam Geraci averaged 39.4 yards per punt and ranked seventh in The American. WR Johnny Holton averaged 20.6 yards on kickoff returns, which ranked third among American Athletic Conference players.

Central Florida Knights Season Preview

STORYLINES
UCF has gone 15-1 in American Athletic Conference games in the league’s first two years. The Knights won the outright league title in 2013 and shared the crown in 2014. UCF went 6-0 at Bright House Network Stadium last season and is 22-3 in its last 25 home games. The Knights have won 10 straight at home. Since 2012, UCF ranks eighth nationally with 31 wins.
 OFFENSE
The only returning starters at the skill positions from last year are QB Justin Holman and RB William Stanback Stanback is a two-time all-conference selection who rushed for 697 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Stanback was sixth in The American in rushing. Holman started the final 12 games of the season after coming on in relief in the season-opener. He threw for 2,952 yards and 23 touchdowns with 14 interceptions last year. C Joey Grant is a third-year starter who anchors the offensive line, but looks to remain in the lineup after an injury-shortened 2014 season. OG Tarik Cook and OG Chavis Dickey return from last year’s starting unit. WR Jordan Akins (12 receptions, 135 yards) is the top returning receiver.
 DEFENSE
The Knights return only four starters from last year’s defense, which allowed just 298.5 yards per game to lead The American. Among the losses are three all-conference selections in the secondary, including CB Jacoby Glenn, who shared the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year award. DE Thomas Niles earned second-team allconference honors last year after he registered 13 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. Niles leads a defensive line that returns seven of its top eight players from last year’s depth chart. LB Chequan Burkett is the lone returning starter at linebacker. Burkett made 40 tackles in 12 games last season.
 SPECIAL TEAMS
P Caleb Houston averaged 38.9 yards per punt last season and ranked eighth in the American Athletic Conference. The Knights will need to find a new placekicker with the loss of the reliable Shawn Moffitt. K Matthew Wright enjoyed a promising spring and could take over as the regular.