(stats)

STORRS, CT -- Junior quarterback Ryan Tracey passed for 327 yards and two touchdowns while junior tailback Taber Small scored three times on the ground as Connecticut posted a 37-7 win over Colgate.

The game, UConn's first home contest as an NCAA Division I-A program, was played under the lights at Memorial Stadium before an all-time school record sellout crowd of 16,632. The former single-game attendance record at UConn was 16,464 set in 1970 against Rhode Island.

Tracey, a junior college transfer in his first season at Connecticut, completed 25 of 35 passes in the game as he hooked up with eight different receivers, including throwing TD passes of 18 yards to senior wide receiver John Fitzsimmons and of four yards to sophomore fullback Tommy Collins.

Small, Connecticut's workhorse tailback, carried the ball 24 times for 82 yards and scored on runs of one, two and eight yards.

Colgate, making its 2000 season debut, took an early 7-0 lead when the Red Raiders tallied their only points of the game as quarterback Tom McCune completed an 11-play, 70-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run less than six minutes after the opening kickoff.

UConn, now 1-1 on the season, tied the game at 7-7 late in the first quarter when Small scored his first touchdown on a two-yard run while ending a 64-yard march.

Connecticut went on top to stay in the second quarter when Tracey found Fitzsimmons with an 18-yard touchdown pass.

The Huskies put the game out of reach when they scored three touchdowns in an eight-minute span during the third quarter. Small scored on back-to-back series, dashing in from one and eight yards, to give Connecticut a 28-7 lead and Tracey made it 34-7 when he found Collins in the flat for a four-yard TD hookup.

Geoff Heyl kicked a 26-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to end the scoring.

UConn held a slim 410-406 edge in total offense but the Huskies sported a lop-sided advantage in the air, throwing for 327 yards while Colgate managed 184 yards passing. The Red Raiders got 136 rushing yards from sophomore tailback Nate Thomas en route to 222 rushing yards while the Huskies managed 83 yards on the ground.

RED RAIDER NOTEBOOK – The Red Raiders challenged the Division I-A Huskies without its starting backfield of senior tailback Randall Joseph (sprained ankle) and junior fullback Tim Lavoie (hamstring pull) ... Colgate's seven points was the lowest total the Red Raiders have posted against UConn in seven outings ... UConn's 83 rushing yards was the lowest total in the series against Colgate ... McCune completed 11-of-26 passes for 156 yards and had two intercepted in his first collegiate start. He also ran 12 times for 19 yards ... senior linebacker Mark Herman led the defensive effort with 13 tackles (10 solo) and one TFL.

.