University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies Lose Heartbreaker to NC State
10/11/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina State University linebacker Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay returned an interception 56 yards for a touchdown with five seconds to play to lead the Wolfpack to a 31-24 college football victory over the University of Connecticut on Saturday afternoon before a crowd of 50,119 at Carter-Finley Stadium.
The loss drops UConn's record to 4-3 on the season while the Wolfpack are an identical 4-3.
UConn running back Chris Bellamy rushed for a career-high 166 yards for the Huskies on 29 carries while Orlovsky was 21 of 39 in the air for 299 yards with three touchdowns and a costly interception. Bellamy's effort was the best rushing game by a Husky other than Terry Caulley since Taber Small ran for 175 against Villanova on Oct. 16, 1999.
The Husky defense, meanwhile, held Heisman Trophy candidate Philip Rivers to a season-low 234 yards passing and forced the Wolfpack to punt a season-high nine times.
The game was deadlocked at 10-10 at halftime as the teams exchanged one touchdown and a field goal each.
North Carolina State broke the halftime tie in the third quarter as Wolfpack linebacker Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay hit Husky quarterback Dan Orlovsky and forced a fumble that he returned 48 yards for a touchdown.
The Wolfpack took a 24-10 lead with 20 seconds left in the third quarter as Rivers found T.J. Williams in the end zone on a 25-yard pass. The drive took six plays and 45 yards.
UConn kept the pressure on the Wolfpack, mounting an 84-yard drive for a touchdown to close their gap to 24-17 with 5:57 to play. With the drive extended by a pass interference penalty on third and long, Orlovsky hit Wilson with a bullet 31-yard touchdown pass on the following play. The Huskies drove the field late in the contest with a long drive keyed by a 24-yard scamper by Bellamy that also had a face mask penalty at the end.
The Huskies faced a fourth-and-six at the NC State 11 with 1:34 to play when Orlovsky hit Shaun Feldeisen (left) on a crossing route for a game-tying touchdown. UConn's defense held NC State to a three-and-out to get the ball back but with the Huskies driving late, Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay ran back an Orlovsky interception 56 yards for the game winning score with five seconds to play.
After a scoreless first quarter, North Carolina State opened the game's scoring with a spectacular three-yard touchdown reception by Cotra Jackson, who was lying on his back in the end zone as the ball bounced of both his hands and feet before he made the grab. The play ended a 12-play 68-yard drive.
The Huskies struck back quickly as Orlovsky hit wide receiver Shaun Feldeisen with a four-yard TD pass that concluded a five play-67 yard drive. A 43-yard pass to Keron Henry - the longest of Henry's career -- from Orlovsky helped setup the score. Orlovsky has now thrown a touchdown in 19-consecutive games.
UConn then took a 10-7 lead with 2:28 left in the half as Matt Nuzie hit a 21-yard field goal. The field goal was the end of a 13-play 65-yard drive that featured two completions from Orlovsky to O'Neill Wilson - one for 12 yards and another for 16.
The Wolfpack quickly tied the game at 10-10 for halftime as Adam Kiker hit a 34-yard field goal with 17 second to go after NC State moved the ball 55 yards on 10 plays.
The Huskies return to action next week when they travel to Kent State for a 2 p.m. game against the Golden Flashes. That contest will be seen live in the Connecticut area on WFSB-Channel 3.
CONNECTICUT FOOTBALL POSTGAME NOTES
AT NC STATE * OCT. 11, 2003 * CARTER-FINLEY STADIUM
TEAM NOTES
* The Huskies held Philip Rivers to by far his worst passing percentage day of the year as he hit on 54.8 percent of his passes (23-for-42). The previous low was a 67.4% mark at Georgia Tech (31-for-46).
* UConn had a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver in the same game for the first time since Oct. 16, 1999 when Taber Small ran for 175 yards and John Fitzsimmons caught 107 yards worth of passes in a three-OT game against Villanova.
* UConn held NC State without a first quarter score, the ninth time in its last 12 games that UConn has shutout an opponent in the opening quarter. UConn and Ohio State are the only teams to shutout NC State in the first quarter this year.
* A UConn player has rushed for over 100 yards in four of the team's seven games.
* The UConn defense forced NC State to punt a season-high nine times. UConn opponents have now had to punt 59 times in seven games (8.4 per game).
* The Husky offense has mounted a drive of at least 80 yards eight times in the past five games, including an 84-yard TD drive today.
* UConn is now 0-4 all-time against ACC foes, dropping one game each to NC State (today), Georgia Tech (2002), North Carolina (1990) and Maryland (1942).
* UConn is now 0-4 against schools from North Carolina, losing today, at North Carolina (1990) and to Davidson in 1967 and 1968.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
* TB Chris Bellamy had his first career 100-yard rushing game. He is the first Husky to rush for over 100 yards since Chandler Poole gained 100 yards even at Middle Tennessee on Nov. 17, 2001. It is the best rushing effort by a Husky other than Terry Caulley since Taber Small ran for 175 against Villanova on Oct. 16, 1999.
* QB Dan Orlovsky has now thrown a TD pass in 19 consecutive games, two game shy of tying Shane Stafford's school record string of 21 set between 1996-98.
* WR O'Neil Wilson had his first career 100-yard receiving game today.
* TE Tim Lassen made his season debut after missing the first six games with a shoulder injury. He started along with Terry McClowry as UConn opened with a two-tight end package for the first time this year.
* CB Justin Perkins' first quarter interception was his third of the year after making two last week against Lehigh.
* WR Keron Henry's 43-yard grab in the second quarter was a career long.
* CB Allan Barnes made his debut appearance as UConn's kickoff returner.
* LB James Hargrave's sack of Phillip Rivers just before halftime was UConn's first sack this season by a non-defensive lineman.
