Finally.

For the first time this season, UConn has a number in the win column that is not zero.

The Huskies went on the road Saturday and earned a 38-31 victory over Rice in a game where they fell behind early. But UConn fought back, took the lead, and held on to it.

With the win, UConn improves to 1-5, while Rice drops to 3-3.

“Obviously, it’s great to get a win against a good team,” UConn coach Jim Mora said. “Lot of credit to Rice. They were 3-2 coming into this thing. I think they’re a team that’s on the rise. They’re physical. They’re tough. They never backed away from the challenges that were presented tonight. They’ve got a really good quarterback in JT Daniels. . . . But for us, just to be able to fight through the adversity that we faced the last five weeks, stay together, stay focused, keep working hard, keep a good attitude. Absorb some losses to our team. Guys that decided this wasn’t for them, and just really never give up. Then, in tonight’s game, they kept pressing us to have to make plays, and our offense made plays when we had to make plays.”

Rice jumped out to to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, but UConn, as it had all day, answered. The Huskies went on a 28-0 run that spanned all the second quarter and into the third.

Jelani Staffard started it with a 1-yard touchdown run with 10:49 left in the half. The defense then struck when Jackson Mitchell had a 50-yard fumble return for a score. Quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson then hit Cameron Ross for a 41-yard touchdown that gave the Huskies a 20-14 lead at the break.

Stafford then ran another 1-yard score in the third quarter, and UConn held a 28-14 lead.

“This team hasn’t folded in a single game yet,” Mora said. “Maybe the score doesn’t reflect that, but we’re not going to fold. That’s not something we’re not capable of even thinking about. Momentum’s all about making plays when the opportunity presents itself. We were able to make some plays.”

Rice cut the deficit to 28-21, but UConn pushed the lead to 31-21 in the fourth quarter on Joe McFadden’s 47-yard field goal.

Again Rice scored to make it 31-28, but Roberson hit Justin Joly for a 59-yard touchdown pass to effectively seal it. Rice added a field goal with less than a minute left, but it wasn’t enough.

Running back Victor Rosa had 89 yards on 18 carries, while Roberson completed 15 of 19 passes for 215 yards. Joly led all UConn receivers with seven receptions for 96 yards.

“This is a whole group of guys right here that not a lot of people wanted,” Mora said. “You’ve got a bunch of no-stars, one-stars, and two-stars. And they know it, and we talk about it. They’re survivors, man, and they’re going to keep pushing. They’re going to achieve because they’re built that way.”

Mora was happy to just get that first win.

“For us, we needed a win. To go on the road and get a win, I think, is a pretty big accomplishment considering where we’ve been these last five weeks,” Mora said. “I’m happy for the players, I’m happy for the coaches. We get a week now to recover a little bit, heal up, and then we get back at it. Just happy to get a win.”