The West Virginia defense stood tall against the Connecticut offense in the half, holding the Huskies to 116 total yards. However, it did bend a bit, surrendering a field goal to UCONN right before the half to cut the Mountaineer lead to 10-3.
West Virginia has out-gained Connecticut 231 to 115. Quarterback Geno Smith has been accurate, but hasn't moved the ball much through the passing game, going 10-for-15 for only 82 yards. The Mountaineers have done their damage on the ground. Brad Starks, on the strength of a 53-yard run for a touchdown in the first half, leads WVU in rushing. Geno Smith has 47 yards on seven carries and running back Noel Devine has racked up 40 yards on eight carries. Overall, the Mountaineers have outrushed the Huskies 149 to 32.
All in all, a decent half of football for a West Virginia team reeling a little bit following its loss to Syracuse last week. No doubt, however, coach Bill Stewart would probably like to see a little more from his team against the last-place squad in the Big East. The Mountaineers will have to start by limiting turnovers (they lost two in the first half) and cutting down on penalties (three for 25 yards in the first half).