East Hartford, Conn. —Durell Robinson powered UConn to a 17-10 victory over Rice on Saturday, rushing for 132 yards, including a crucial 68-yard touchdown.
The Huskies (5-3) struggled offensively early but finally broke through in the third quarter with Robinson’s long touchdown run, marking their first points of the game. They added to their lead in the fourth quarter with Cam Edwards’ 4-yard touchdown run, set up by a 34-yard pass from Nick Evers to Skyler Bell at the Rice 9-yard line.
Chris Freeman extended UConn’s lead to 17-3 with a 30-yard field goal with just 3:40 left in the game. However, Rice (3-5) responded immediately with a spark from Quinton Jackson, who returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown — the longest in school history and the first kickoff return score for the Owls since 2012.
Despite the momentum shift, Rice’s comeback hopes fell short. The Owls regained possession with just 22 seconds remaining but failed to advance the ball meaningfully.
Rice held a slim 3-0 lead at halftime, but their offense sputtered throughout the game, managing only 178 total yards. Both teams struggled on third down, converting just 5 of 32 combined attempts.
Robinson’s 132 yards came on 15 carries, leading all rushers. UConn quarterback Nick Evers finished 9-of-24 for 128 yards with one interception. On the other side, Rice quarterback Drew Devillier completed 14 of 39 passes for 88 yards.
With the win, UConn improved to 5-3, while Rice dropped to 3-5 on the season.
