Adrian Bushell returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, and freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater ran for two scores as Louisville grabbed a 34-20 victory over host Connecticut.

The Cardinals (6-5, 4-2 Big East) earned bowl eligibility for the second time in two seasons under coach Charlie Strong, and coupled with Rutgers' win over Cincinnati, Louisville now shares first place with the Scarlet Knights.

Kashif Moore caught a touchdown pass and ran for a score for the Huskies (4-6, 2-3 Big East), who are on the verge of missing a bowl after earning a BCS berth last season.

Louisville had won three in a row until dropping a 21-14 home game against Pitt last week, but came out with a bang as Bushell returned the opening kick 100 yards.

Bridgewater's 5-yard dash capped a key 95-yard drive, extended by a running-into-the-punter penalty, to forge a 21-10 lead late in the third. He added a 1-yard score that made it 28-10 with 9:52 remaining in the fourth.

After falling behind 14-0, a late interception helped the Huskies pull within 14-10 by halftime. Moore's 5-yard scoring run with 53 seconds left came three plays after Dwayne Gratz made a pick deep in Louisville territory.

But eight dropped passes, as well as a dropped sure-fire interception by the defense, doomed the Huskies against a Louisville defense that had been yielding just 18.6 points.

Dexter Heyman's pick with just under six minutes remaining effectively ended UConn's comeback hopes, as the Cardinals improved to 5-0 when scoring 20 or more points.