Clayton Tune threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns Saturday as No. 19 Houston tuned up for next week’s American Athletic Conference championship game with a 45-17 win over UConn.
Nathaniel Dell caught two touchdowns and Jake Herslow and Jeremy Singleton each topped 100 receiving yards to go with a TD apiece for Houston (11-1, 8-0 American), which plays at No. 4 Cincinnati for the AAC title next Saturday.
Freshman Alton McCaskill had a 31-yard touchdown run, his 16th of the year for the Cougars, but left the game in the second quarter holding his right shoulder. He finished with 54 yards on the ground.
The Cougars led 21-10 at halftime and scored on their first four possessions of the second half to put the game away. Tune completed 20 of his 31 passes in three quarters of work.
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UConn’s Steven Krajewski had a 34-yard touchdown pass to Kevens Clercius before leaving the game in the second quarter with an injury. He was replaced by Micah Leon, who completed 10 of 13 passes for 62 yards for the Huskies (1-11).
Leon left with a leg injury with two minutes left and was replaced by Jacob Drenn, a freshman walk-on and the fifth UConn quarterback to see action this season.
UConn has lost 14 consecutive games against FBS opponents.
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THE TAKEAWAY
UConn: The Huskies introduced new coach Jim Mora at a news conference before the game. The former NFL and UCLA coach takes over the program on Monday.
“I like to go uphill,” Mora said. “I like things that are hard. Hard things motivate me. So, this is just another chance to walk up a hill.”
Houston: The Cougars won all six of their away games this season, the fifth time in program history the team has been undefeated on the road, joining the 2011, 1988, 1979, and 1952 teams.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Houston wasn’t overly impressive, but a four-touchdown win solidified it as a Top-20 program going into a game with much bigger stakes.
UP NEXT
Houston: The Cougars travel to No. 4 Cincinnati to take on the undefeated Bearcats in the AAC championship game next Saturday.
UConn: The Huskies’ season is over.
