EAST HARTFORD, Conn. – Connecticut and South Florida will continue to ride the quarterback carousel when the two teams square off Saturday looking for their first American Athletic Conference wins following blowout losses a week ago. The Huskies will look to beat South Florida for the first time since 2011 in their final showdown as conference opponents.
TV: Noon p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network (tape delay, 7 p.m.). LINE: USF -10.5.
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UConn redshirt freshman quarterback Steven Krajewski underwent surgery on his non-throwing shoulder, an injury sustained in the loss to Central Florida. The Huskies will now turn back to graduate student Mike Beaudry, who has not played since he wsa injured in the team's season-opening win against Wagner. As for the Bulls' quarterback situation, head coach Charlie Strong said redshirt freshman signal-caller Jordan McCloud will play after missing the second half against SMU with a right wrist injury. "It's on his throwing hand, but he's tough enough. He wants to go do it, so he'll be able to go get it done," Strong said.
ABOUT SOUTH FLORIDA (1-3, 0-1 AAC)
The Bulls offense has struggled, ranking in the bottom 10 in the nation, without a running back reaching 100 total yards in game on the season. However, a bright spot has been senior tight end Mitch Wilcox, who has caught three touchdown passes in his last two games and is on his way to becoming the 11th Bull to record 100 catches in his career. As for the defense, graduate-transfer linebacker Patrick Machon ranks third in the AAC in tackles and tackles per loss per game.
ABOUT CONNECTICUT (1-3, 0-1 AAC)
The last time Beaudry was under center, he tossed for 158 yards with one interception in the team's lone win against FCS Wagner. As for Beaudry's targets, freshman wideout Cameron Ross leads the team in receiving yards and is one of three Huskies to catch a touchdown on the season. But the team is likely to continue to lean on senior running back Kevin Mensah, who had 123 yards on the ground on a healthy 23 carries against UCF.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. USF has lost nine-straight games to FBS opponents, with its last win coming against UConn.
2. The Huskies have given up more than 30 points in all three losses this season.
3. The start time was moved from 7 p.m. to noon due to concerns for the EEE virus.
PREDICTION: South Florida 30, Connecticut 17