In the third quarter, with UConn leading 21–13, Louisville running back Bilal Powell ran off left tackle near the end zone. He was caught by cornerback Jasper Howard, who forced a fumble. Connecticut kicked a field goal on the ensuing drive and won the game 38–25, giving the Huskies a 4–2 overall record, 1–1 within the Big East conference. Later that night, Howard and several other UConn football players were at a dance at the Student Union Center on the Connecticut campus. At 12:26 am a fire alarm sounded, forcing the evacuation of the building. As the students exited, an altercation broke out between a group of UConn football players and a group of non-students. The attackers brandished knives and stabbed Howard before fleeing. Howard was taken by ambulance to Windham Community Memorial Hospital, and then evacuated by helicopter to St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, where he was pronounced dead. Coach Randy Edsall was summoned to identify the body. Howard's murder was the first homicide on UConn's campus in more than thirty years. Connecticut's next game, one week after Howard's death, was at West Virginia. In a close-run game, Connecticut lost 28–24 after West Virginia responded to the Huskies' late go-ahead score with one of its own. Two days after the game, the entire UConn team traveled to Howard's hometown of Miami, Florida, for his funeral. The next game, the first at Rentschler Field since Howard's death, was against Rutgers. Connecticut came back in the fourth quarter to take a 24–21 lead with 38 seconds remaining; Rutgers completed an 81-yard touchdown pass one play later to win 28–24. UConn also lost the following game, 47–45, at undefeated No. 5 Cincinnati. After three straight losses, the Huskies' record dropped to 4–5 overall; 1–4 in the Big East. The losses to this point were by a combined total of 15 points. Connecticut's next game was a nationally televised appearance at the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Irish scored two touchdowns early but the Huskies responded with a touchdown and a field goal. Notre Dame expanded its lead to 17–10 in the third quarter, but Todman ran back the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for a game-tying touchdown. In the fourth quarter, Notre Dame once again took the lead on a 23-yard field goal; after two touchdown-scoring running plays were negated by holding penalties, Connecticut tied the score on a 29-yard field goal with 1:10 left, sending the game into overtime.