Tulsa @ Connecticut preview

Connecticut won a road game for the first time in nearly two years when it traveled to Philadelphia and upset Temple in an American Athletic Conference game last week. The Huskies will try to make it two wins in a row Saturday when they host Tulsa, which pulled off a stunner of its own last week against Houston.

Bryant Shirreffs threw for three touchdowns as Connecticut held off Temple 28-24 to end an eight-game skid in conference play. A week after being manhandled by Tulane, the Golden Hurricane -- a two-touchdown underdog -- shocked Houston 45-17. Tulsa trailed the Cougars 10-0 before getting two touchdowns from Chad President on the way to its first AAC victory. The Huskies and Golden Hurricane rank among the nation's worst defenses, allowing a combined 80.4 points per game.
TV: Noon ET, ESPNU. LINE: Tulsa -6


ABOUT TULSA (2-5, 1-2 AAC): The Hurricane rushed for 288 yards against Houston led by D'Angelo Brewer, who racked up 140 yards and a touchdown. “You don’t take anything for granted, especially not with what we’ve been through earlier this season,” Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery told reporters, referring to his team's pair of last-second setbacks earlier in the campaign. The Hurricane enter the contest with the worst rushing defense in the nation, allowing an average of 319 yards a game.
ABOUT UCONN (2-4, 1-3): Still hampered by an ankle injury, wide receiver Hergy Mayala gave the Huskies a boost with his return to the lineup by grabbing four passes for 28 yards and a score against Temple. Despite the three touchdown passes, Shirreffs had a season-low 105 passing yards and the Huskies continue to be torched through the air. Temple quarterback Logan Marchi threw for 356 yards on 54 attempts against UConn, which ranks last in the NCAA by allowing 392.5 passing yards per game.

EXTRA POINTS
1. UConn hasn't won two straight since netting a three-game winning streak in 2015.
2. In 33 games under Montgomery, Tulsa has scored more than 40 points 20 times and has posted a 16-4 record when doing so.
3. Tulsa is 0-3 on the road this season, getting outscored 175-103.

PREDICTION: UConn 37, Tulsa 34