Scores & Statistics

Final Score: Connecticut 28, Syracuse 21

East Hartford, CT (Sports Network) - Scott McCummings scored the tying and go- ahead touchdowns in the fourth quarter, as Connecticut rallied for a 28-21 win over the Syracuse Orange in a Big East tilt at Rentschler Field.

Lyle McCombs ran for 152 yards and a score to help keep the Huskies' (4-5, 2-2 Big East) bowl hopes alive. UConn has now beaten Syracuse five straight times in the head-to-head series.

The Orange (5-4, 1-3), coming off their first Big East road loss since 2009, came up short for the second straight week in their quest to become bowl eligible. Ryan Nassib threw for 275 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the loss.

UConn's Nick Williams returned the opening kickoff 61 yards to the Syracuse 33-yard line, setting up a 10-yard touchdown pass from Johnny McEntee to John Delahunt on the game's third play from scrimmage.

Neither team scored again until the 1:48 mark of the second quarter, when Nassib found Alec Lemon for a 20-yard scoring strike to even the score at 7-7.

The Orange got the ball back near midfield with 1:24 to play in the half, thanks to a sack and forced fumble by Chandler Jones. However, Syracuse went three-and-out and punted the ball back to UConn. The Huskies would not have the ball long, as McEntee was intercepted by Phillip Thomas, who set the Orange offense up with the ball at midfield once again. Still, they failed to capitalize as Ross Krautman missed a 34-yard field goal attempt just before halftime.

Syracuse opened the second half with a 10-play, 75-yard drive, capped by Nassib's six-yard touchdown pass to Nick Provo.

UConn responded with a nine-play, 60-yard drive, as McCombs found pay dirt on a three-yard run to make it a 14-14 game.

Syracuse answered right back with a seven-yard touchdown run from Dorian Graham. However, the fourth quarter belonged to McCummings and the Huskies.

McCummings tied the score at 21-21 on a 10-yard touchdown run with 14:17 remaining in regulation. He later scored the deciding touchdown on a seven- yard run with just under five minutes to play, capping an eight-play, 62-yard drive.

It was a victory to savor for Huskies' first-year head coach Paul Pasqualoni, who was the head coach at Syracuse from 1991-2004 and guided the Orange to four conference titles and nine bowl games in that span.