Can UConn break .500 in the St. Petersburg Bowl?

St. Petersburg Bowl
Connecticut (6-6) vs. Marshall (9-3)
St. Petersburg, Florida
Dec. 26, 2015

With a win in Saturday's St. Petersburg Bowl, UConn can have its first season above .500 since Randy Edsall was coach.

Yes, the same Randy Edsall who was recently fired from Maryland.

After Edsall left UConn for Maryland following the 2010 season, things haven't gone well for the Huskies. Paul Pasqualoni led the team to two-straight 5-7 seasons and parted ways with the team midway through his third season as UConn finished 3-9 in 2013.

Enter Bob Diaco, the former Notre Dame assistant who was hired before the 2014 season. UConn was 2-10 last year and this year they haven't been the most entertaining of teams. But at 6-6 – thanks to a huge win over Houston to derail the Cougars' undefeated season – UConn finds itself in the St. Petersburg Bowl. It's the team's first bowl appearance since a 48-20 loss to Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl to officially end the Edsall tenure.

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Marshall, which flirted with finishing the regular season undefeated in 2014, enters at 9-3. Last season, Marshall was third in scoring offense. This year, the offense is still scoring over 30 points per game but is 30th in the country. The defense is giving up just over 18 points per game, an improvement from 2014.

This game is probably going to be a low-scoring affair. UConn's offense scored less than 18 points per game. Quarterback Bryant Shirreffs has completed 60 percent of his passes and threw for nine touchdowns and seven interceptions. Running back Arkeel Newsome has run for 756 yards and six scores.

Meanwhile, Marshall quarterback Chase Litton has tossed for 2,390 yards and 22 touchdowns. The team's leading running back is Devon Johnson, who has just 84 carries for 555 yards thanks to a back injury this season.

PICKS

Graham: This game could actually be a surprisingly good defensive battle since both teams are ranked in the top 17 in scoring defense. That said, Marshall is the only one of these two teams with the offense to match its defense. Marshall 28, UConn 10.

Nick: If the Huskies can keep Marshall under 20 points, 7-6 is in sight. If Marshall gets three or more touchdowns, it's going to be tough. I like the second sentence to happen. Marshall 27, UConn 16.

Sam

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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