Advertisement

QB Greg Ward Jr. sparks Heisman talk after Houston's 42-14 win

Houston didn’t want to call Thursday night’s game against Connecticut a revenge game, but the joy of the 42-14 win was palpable.

The Huskies were the only team to defeat Houston during coach Tom Herman’s two seasons on campus and the No. 6 Cougars, who are eyeing a spot in the College Football Playoff, weren’t going to let it happen again.

Quarterback Greg Ward Jr. put on a show in the win, completing 84.2 percent of his passes for 389 yards and three touchdowns, and rushing for 65 yards and two scores in just three quarters of work.

And actually, most of those stats came in the second and third quarters.

The first quarter was a bit of a dud for the Cougars as they came out flat and struggled to get the offense going against what seems like an inspired UConn defensive front. Part of the issue was the fact that the Cougars traditional running backs were missing thanks to injury. Duke Catalon was recovering from a concussion and Mulbah Car was out after suffering a knee injury during last week’s game against Texas State.

But in the second quarter, Ward took over, leading his team to 28 points and completing nearly all of his passes. Linell Bonner was on the end of several of those attempts as he finished with a career-high 12 catches for 159 yards and a score.

HOUSTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 29: Greg Ward Jr. #1 of the Houston Cougars runs out of bounds as Junior Joseph #11 of the Connecticut Huskies dives for a tackle. (Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 29: Greg Ward Jr. #1 of the Houston Cougars runs out of bounds as Junior Joseph #11 of the Connecticut Huskies dives for a tackle. (Getty Images)

UConn tried to make things interesting before half with a 62-yard touchdown reception by Noel Thomas, but that was really all the offense the Huskies could muster before the fourth quarter when the Houston starters had excited the game.

Ward, who’s still nursing a bad shoulder he suffered against Oklahoma at the beginning of the season, hasn’t gotten a lot of Heisman attention, but should definitely pique some interest after this week’s performance, which keeps the Cougars undefeated.

More college sports on Yahoo Sports:

For more Houston news, visit CougarsDen.com.

For more Connecticut news, visit UConnReport.com.

– – – – – – –

Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!