EAST HARTFORD, Conn. -- Bryant Shirreffs came off the bench to engineer three second-half scoring drives as UConn closed the game with 20 unanswered points to take a 27-20 win against Holy Cross Thursday night at Pratt & Whitney Stadium.



Shirreffs, who came on in the third quarter in relief of David Pindell, completed 9 of 13 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. The UConn defense, meanwhile, which allowed 20 points to the Crusaders in the first half, closed the door in the final 30 minutes to help the Huskies put an end to the six-game losing streak it inherited from the end of last season.

The comeback gave Randy Edsall his first win in his second stint as UConn's head coach. Edsall, who coached the Huskies from 1999-2010, picked up his 75th career victory at UConn, the most in program history.

Freshman running back Nate Hopkins rushed for three touchdowns and 130 yards on 20 carries in his collegiate debut, while Hergy Mayala had nine receptions for 106 yards and a TD for the Huskies.

The loss spoiled an outstanding performance by Holy Cross quarterback Peter Pujals, who was 33-for-56 for 358 yards and a touchdown.