But somehow, D.J. Hernandez didn't fall down. Somehow, D.J. Hernandez stayed on his feet. Somehow, D.J. Hernandez found the end zone.
And maybe found himself in the process.
The Huskies live. Their slim bowl hopes continue to survive for at least another week after an incredible 46-45 double overtime win over Pitt, a victory that not only pushed UConn (4-5) closer to the bowl-eligible six-win category but also allowed a sophomore quarterback to enjoy some vindication and let out a little emotion in the process.
Make that a lot of emotion.
As he raced into the end zone to complete the two-point conversion that gave the Huskies the win, Hernandez celebrated by throwing the football over the stands at the west end of the field and onto the concourse.
"That might have been the longest throw of my life," Hernandez said.
It just might have been the game of his life.
He rushed for 130 yards, the second most yards ever by a Connecticut quarterback, and he passed for 164 more, completing 20 throws. This was after he had just 46 yards passing heading into the fourth quarter. He was poised. He was confident. He was determined.
It was a different D.J. Hernandez.
Totally different.
"D.J. played a great game," head coach Randy Edsall said. "He executed the game plan very well. He made a difference with his feet. He made a difference with his decision
And when the Huskies needed Hernandez to stand up and be a leader, he stood tall. Down 31-17 with 12:10 to play, Hernandez led the offense on a 98-yard touchdown drive to make it 31-24. Then he directed a 77-yard drive that culminated with a 1-yard TD pass to tight end Dan Murray with just three seconds to play that forced overtime at 31-31.
"It seemed like he knew where everything was in the second half. He had poise. He had confidence," Edsall said. "He was making things happen."
That hadn't been the case. Hernandez, a sophomore, had earned the starting job from Edsall after preseason camp, but after three games when the offense constantly struggled to score and Hernandez struggled with his own mistakes, Edsall replaced him with senior Matt Bonislawski.
It had to hurt Hernandez. Deeply.
"He's an emotional guy," Murray said. "When people are always being negative toward you, you want to get back out there and show that you're better than that, and I think that was his motivation."
But when Bonislawski also struggled, Edsall went back to Hernandez. This was his second chance. He was not about to blow it. Again.
"He made a tremendous statement," Edsall said. "His decision making and knowing where to go with the ball at the right time is why we scored 46 points," Edsall said. "
In those final two drives, Hernandez was nearly perfect. He completed 10-of-11 passes for 88 yards and also rushed four times for 53 yards, including a 38-yard scamper that helped set up the Huskies' first fourth-quarter touchdown.
"D.J. Hernandez ... I don't know how many third downs that we had him in (the pocket) and had guys covered and we just couldn't get him on the ground," Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. "We blitzed him and he scrambled. Give him credit because he did an unbelievable job."
He scrambled on the game's final play. Edsall had decided to go for two points and go for the win. He called a pass play to Terence Jeffers, but Pitt blitzed. Hernandez rolled to his right and nearly fell as he tried to keep his footing. But he righted himself and sprinted into the end zone.
"I was just so focused on getting into the end zone and winning this game," Hernandez said. "I can't even put into words how I feel. It's the greatest moment I've ever been involved in. I knew we had it in us."
Now we know that D.J. Hernandez has it in him, too. Contact Chris Elsberry at celsberry@ctpost.com
Font Resize
