Game Day Guide: UConn faces Marshall in Myrtle Beach Bowl
The Huskies are looking to cap off their magical 2022 season with their first bowl game win since 2010.
UConn football is hoping to cap off a program turnaround of historic proportions when the (6-6) Huskies take on (8-4, 5-3 SB) Marshall University in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
UConn and Marshall have met just once before, in the 2015 St. Petersburg Bowl where the Thundering Herd beat the Huskies 16-10 at Tropicana Field.
The Huskies have defied all odds this season by earning bowl eligibility for the first time since 2015. This is also their first season at .500 or above since 2010. Their win total of six is more than the combined win total from their past three seasons.
UConn finished the season winning five of their last seven and finishing the season 5-1 at home in Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. The Huskies became bowl eligible with their upset win at home over No. 19 nationally ranked Liberty, 36-33.
However, UConn's regular season ended on a bit of a sour note as they fell to Army 34-17 at West Point. Now, they look to end on a high note.
Much of UConn's success this season can be attributed to the addition of first-year Head Coach Jim Mora, who's installed a culture that has revamped the football program.
But Mora was dealt a bad hand throughout the entire season as injuries riddled the Huskies' roster. Star wide receiver Cam Ross was lost during fall-preseason camp, then their projected starting quarterback Ta'Quon Roberson and another wide receiver Keelan Marion all went down to injuries in their first game of the season against Utah State. Later their breakout star running back Nathan Carter who'd rushed for 405 yards in their first four games suffered a shoulder injury against Michigan and was lost for the season.
Mora was able to adjust to this adversity and then went on that 5-1 streak beating the likes of Fresno State, FIU, Boston College, UMass and Liberty.
Now their focus is on this last matchup of the season and Mora said it's a privilege after what the program has been through to be playing in it.
"We're very excited about this opportunity and grateful to the Myrtle Beach Bowl for selecting us to go to a great bowl like the Myrtle Beach Bowl," said Mora. "To play a great team like Marshall, to play together one more time as a football team, and have that opportunity to get that seventh win which would make it a winning season is something that I know I'm personally excited about and I can promise our players are excited about."
Marshall won't be an easy matchup. The Thundering Herd is led by second-year head coach Charles Huff, and come into the match up winning four straight games and five of their last six to finish 8-4 on the season. Marshall made their debut in the Sun Belt Conference in 2022 and finished 5-3, good for third place in the East Division. The Thundering Herd’s signature win this season came on the road with a 26-21 upset over No. 8 nationally ranked Notre Dame.
Underneath is all the information needed ahead of the matchup including start time, broadcast, FOX61's coverage, betting odds and more.
Game Information
The Huskies (6-6) are taking on Mashall University's Thundering Herd (8-4, 5-3 SB).
- Monday, December 19
- Brooks Stadium - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
- Capacity: 20,000
- Kickoff: 2:30 p.m., EST
- Channel: ESPN
- Weather: High of 49, low of 33 degrees
Players to Watch
Victor Rosa and UConn’s effective running attack against Marshall’s solid defense. Rosa led the Huskies with 561 yards and nine of their 18 rushing touchdowns. In all, six of UConn’s top seven rushers averaged 4.5 yards per carry or more this season.
But the Thundering Herd were among the Sun Belt Conference’s top defenses. They led the league with 16.2 points a game and were second in overall defense to James Madison. Linebacker Eli Neal led the team with 88 tackles, more than 20 ahead of his teammates.
Here are some key players to watch:
UConn: QB Zion Turner, a freshman, played almost every snap in the Huskies turnaround season. He completed more than 60% of his throws for 1,241 yards, nine touchdowns and nine interceptions. Turner also rushed for 237 yards and a score.
Marshall: DL Owen Porter was a disruptive force for the Thundering Herd this season. He finished with 9.5 sacks and 14 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, both team highs. Porter added nine quarterback hurries plus an interception and a fumble recovery.
How to watch
Fans can catch the match-up on TV, radio and streaming as well.
TV
The Myrtle Beach Bowl will be nationally televised on Monday at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN. ESPN is available on the following channels:
- Frontier: 602 / 1602 HD
- Comcast: 29 / 1205 HD
- COX: 28
- DIRECTV: 206
Radio
The Myrtle Beach Bowl will be broadcasted on ESPN radio at 97.9 FM.
Streaming
The Myrtle Beach Bowl can be streamed using ESPN+ or on the WatchESPN app, available in Apple, Android and Amazon app stores. The service is only available to subscribers of participating cable and satellite television providers (including Cable One, Dish Network, and DirecTV).
FOX61 Coverage
FOX61 will have live coverage from Myrtle Beach the day before and at the game from Brooks Stadium. FOX61 Sports Director Jonah Karp will be joining our broadcast on Sunday during our 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. broadcast with fans and will also be live in our evening 5-7 p.m. broadcast on Monday which will be right when the game is wrapping up. He'll also be providing a full recap later in the day on our nighty broadcast at 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. with highlights and coach/player sound.
FOX61 will also have coverage on FOX61.COM with a full story. You can watch our broadcast online as well as streaming on FOX61+ and on the FOX61 Mobile App.
Highlights and sound from the game will also be posted after our broadcast on the FOX61 YouTube page.
Odds and Predictions
These are the predictions of who will win the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
- Spread: -10.5 Marshall / +10.5 UConn
- ML: -410 Marshall / +315 UConn
- O/U: 40.5
- Spread: -10 Marshall / +10 UConn
- ML: -435 Marshall / +330
- O/U: 41
*Betting odds are subject to change*
Facts and Figures
This is the second matchup between the two teams. Here are some other facts and figures to keep in mind.
- UConn made its first bowl game since 2015 when it lost the St. Petersburg Bowl to Marshall, 16-10.
- Marshall pulled off one of college football's biggest surprises this season with a 26-21 win at Notre Dame in September. The Herd lost four of their next six games before finishing with four consecutive wins.
- UConn had only won four games combined the previous three seasons before going 6-6 in coach Jim Mora Jr.'s debut season.
- The Huskies have played in six previous bowls, their last postseason victory coming over South Carolina and coach Steve Spurrier in the 2009 Papa John's Bowl.
- Marshall is looking to snap a three-game bowl losing streak since its defeating South Florida 38-20 in the 2018 Gasparilla Bowl.
- The Huskies haven't forgotten their ranked men's and women's basketball teams while at the bowl. They'll have fan watch parties near the Grand Strand when the third-ranked men play Butler on Saturday and when the ninth-ranked women take on Florida State on Sunday.
Daniel Dashefsky is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at ddashefsky@fox61.com.
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