UConn faces Marshall in Myrtle Beach Bowl: How to watch, and what you need to know about the matchup

UConn’s players and coaches strode from their practice fields with a jaunt this week, their last practices of 2022. The game they’ve been thinking about all season, for some several seasons, is at hand.

The Huskies (6-6) face Marshall (8-4) in the Myrtle Beach Bowl Monday at 2:30 p.m. at Brooks Stadium, on the campus of Coastal Carolina University.

“This week has been pretty great, me and my team,” running back Devontae Houston said. “It feels good to get rewarded for our success. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy this season, but every game we just fought hard. Now we’re just getting ready to play a good Marshall football team.”

It wasn’t easy for the Huskies to make it to a bowl game for the first time since 2015, and following a 1-11 season. It included a stretch of three games against top-25 caliber teams, Syracuse, Michigan and NC State, in which they were outscored 148-27. But they came out of that stretch emotionally intact, if battered, and as 23-point underdogs they beat Fresno State on Oct. 1 to start a 5-2 run to finish the season.

Now the Huskies, who last won a bowl game following the 2009 season, stand at .500, and on the edge of a first winning season since 2010.

“We either have a winning season or a losing season,” quarterback Zion Turner said. “There is no in-between in this game. This is the exclamation point on our season. We want to finish. We don’t do anything to do it halfway.”

Houston, 5-feet-10 and 163 pounds, was one of several offensive backs to get hurt during the early season, but he gained 538 yards on 79 carries, a 6.8 average. He made big runs, a 17-yarder for the winning TD against Fresno State, a 28-yard run for a score against Syracuse and a 75-yard run against UMass, but the injury limited his work load. Now his ankle injury appears healthy.

The Huskies will need breakaway speed against Marshall, making its sixth consecutive bowl appearance. The Thundering Herd, who won at Notre Dame during the season, were 10th in FBS in total defense, and especially effective against the run, allowing only 88.8 yards per game. They often use five defensive backs to defend both the run and pass — a faster, more athletic look than most teams.

“We’ve been mentally preparing for this for a long time,” Turner said. “Now the time is here and we’ve just got to go out and execute.”

UConn’s defense will be challenged by Marshall’s strong running game, with Khalan Laborn, who gained 1,423 yards, and versatile quarterback Cam Fancher, who totaled nearly 2,000 as a runner and passer.

“If you’re around these guys, around the program, I just think we want it more than a lot of people,” UConn linebacker Jackson Mitchell said. “We really want this one bad. To be in this position, to get to 7-6 and win a bowl game, we haven’t won one in a while, it’s really important to use and I think we just want it more than a lot of people.”

Marshall is a 10-point favorite, but whatever its advantages on paper, Houston made his case for the Huskies.

“Heart,” Houston said. “Heart and will. Because no matter what, this football team will not be denied. Whether we’re up 30 or down 30, we’re not going to start fighting and we’re never going to quit.”

Here’s what you need to know about the matchup:

Myrtle Beach Bowl: UConn vs. Marshall

Site: Brooks Stadium, Conway, S.C.

Line: Marshall by 10.

Time: 2:30 p.m.

Weather: Sunny, 40 degrees

TV/Streaming: ESPN/ESPN App — Mike Morgan, Eric Man Lain, Tera Talmadge

Radio/Online: UConn Sports Network from Learfield, ESPN 97.9/ The Varsity Network App — Mike Crispino, Wayne Norman, Adam Giardino

Current record (2021 result): UConn: 6-6 (1-11), Marshall: 8-4 (7-6, lost New Orleans Bowl)

Series: Marshall, 1-0

Last matchup: Dec. 25, 2015 - Marshall 16-10 (St. Petersburg Bowl)

Keys to a UConn win

1. Stretch the defense: Marshall is very tough against the run, which is the mainstay of UConn’s offense. With several explosive offensive players returning, Houston, Brian Brewton, Cam Ross and Keelan Marion, the Huskies will have the chance to open their offense more than at any time this season. This would be the perfect day to take some chances early.

2. Avoid penalties: UConn hurt itself with 12 penalties in its last game against Army, and false starts have been the one issue for an otherwise stellar offensive line. The Huskies can’t sabotage their drives and have a chance to win this one, and it will be a challenge because Marshall’s multiple looks can be confusing to a freshman quarterback like UConn’s Zion Turner.

“We’ve got to do a really good job of eliminating human error that puts us behind the sticks, behind the chains,” coach Jim Mora said. “We’ve got to protect the football.”

3. Spy, contain: Marshall quarterback Fancher is a dual threat. The Huskies linebackers will have to “spy” on him, keeping him in lanes, making him throw it when he’d rather take off and run, especially on third down. UConn does have linebackers in Jackson Mitchell and Ian Swenson capable of containing Fancher.

“We’ve got to find a way to get them into passing situations,” Mora said. “Shut down their run game to the of our ability. Their going to get some yards running because they’re a good run team.”

Dom Amore can be reached at damore@courant.com