This is the Depth Dossier: the UConn Huskies, Week 9.

It only took Air Force about eighteen minutes with the ball to beat UConn, and that tells you everything about how this one went down. The final was 35 to 26, and the Huskies actually scored 26 points with zero turnovers, but they still lost by nine because Air Force ran 74 rushing plays and controlled the ball for almost 42 minutes.

UConn fell behind 14 to nothing before its defense ever got a chance to settle in against that option attack. Quarterback Kalieb Osborne had a strong day, throwing for 263 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers. Two big fourth quarter plays, from running back Kenji Christian and wide receiver Alex Godavitarne, cut the deficit to just two points at one stretch. But a missed extra point, a failed two point try, and a fake punt that worked against them all tipped the game the other way. Air Force then marched 19 plays and ran off almost twelve minutes for a touchdown that sealed it. UConn drops to 4 and 4.

Let's start with that time of possession number, because it explains the whole game. Air Force had the ball for nearly 42 minutes to UConn's 18. In the entire second half, UConn's offense had the ball for three minutes and 35 seconds total. Air Force ran 74 running plays and threw the ball just three times, completing none of them. That's the second time this season the Falcons have won a game without completing a single pass. You can't really scheme against an offense that never throws. You just try to survive it, and UConn's front seven reportedly needed oxygen and fluids between series because of the altitude in Colorado Springs.

UConn tried to fight back with quick strikes instead of long drives, scoring on possessions that lasted 30 and 54 seconds in the second half. That can work against a team that just needs one more score than you, but it also means your defense barely gets a breather. Air Force answered with two scoring drives of 16 and 19 plays that each ate up almost ten minutes. That kind of trade is exactly what sinks an underdog.

Special teams and situational football decided the margin just as much as anything else. Kicker Jack O'Connor missed an extra point in the third quarter, a one point swing in a nine point game. Air Force converted a direct snap fake punt on fourth and six for 19 yards, extending a drive UConn badly needed to stop. And after Christian's 46-yard touchdown pulled UConn within two, Osborne was sacked on the two point try that would have tied the game. Three different plays, three different ways to lose a close game, and all three broke Air Force's way.

No major injuries came out of this one, though the altitude wore down the defensive rotation more than any single player. Osborne took that sack on the two point try but didn't miss a snap afterward, so there's no change at quarterback.

The more interesting story is who stepped up in a losing effort. Godavitarne caught his first pass since week three and turned it into a 55-yard touchdown, which should bump up his snaps in the passing game alongside wide receiver Louis Hansen. Tight end Ryder Treadway scored his first career touchdown on a diving catch in the red zone, and he keeps earning more work down there. And Christian's long touchdown made him UConn's leading rusher again, though the backfield still looks like a three man committee with Trey Cornist and Cam Edwards.

The kicking job is now genuinely up for grabs. After that missed extra point, the program is reportedly keeping an eye on Chris Freeman as a possible replacement for O'Connor. And up front, giving up 366 rushing yards puts real pressure on the offensive line rotation of Pryce Yates, Dal'Mont Gourdine, and Jelani Stafford to tighten things up. UConn needs two more wins in its final four games to reach bowl eligibility, and that stretch starts at home next week against North Carolina.

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