The UConn football program knew it had something going when it responded from a blowout loss at Maryland with a record-breaking blowout win over Merrimack in its home opener last fall.
Now looking to build off of their most successful season in almost two decades, the Huskies have an opportunity to test their mettle against another FCS foe in Central Connecticut and, they hope, start a season 1-0 for the first time since 2019.
“We’ve been working from really January to get to this moment so a lot of work’s been put in, a lot of time, a lot of effort from all these guys coming from different places and now we’re finally able to go out on the field and display that work,” said Joe Fagnano, the Huskies’ starting quarterback who tied the school record for passing touchdowns in a game in that Week 2 victory last season.
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Fagnano will be directing a UConn offense that comes into the year with significant potential after a 2024 campaign that ranked third all-time in the school record books for total yards (5,169) and second in both rushing yards (2,590) and points (415).
Norwalk native Cam Edwards returns as the Huskies’ lead back with his eyes set on being a 1,000-yard rusher, and will be complemented by speedy senior Mel Brown and Victor Rosa, a redshirt-junior from Bristol. Skyler Bell is just one of the playmakers to watch in a deep receiver room that has impressed throughout fall camp.
“I feel like there’s probably more talent at the skill positions right now (than) in the time that I’ve been here,” coach Jim Mora said. “But, that said, we have to go out and we have to do it on Saturday. It can look good and bright and shiny, but if it doesn’t produce, if we’re not putting them in the right position to utilize what they do best then we’re failing. That’s our objective: make sure we give them a chance to go out and showcase their skill sets.”
UConn is a 25.5-point favorite on Saturday, but CCSU is no pushover.
The Blue Devils are the reigning Northeast Conference champions coming off a 7-6 season that got them to the FCS playoffs, and were picked by NEC coaches to finish atop the league again in 2025. UConn’s new-look defense will be put to the test against an experienced unit as CCSU returns its quarterback, Brady Olson, and the last two NEC Player of the Year winners in star running back, Elijah Howard, and receiver Donovan Wadley, who transferred in from Merrimack.
Defensively, where CCSU ranked 23rd in the FCS last season allowing 321.7 total yards per game, the Blue Devils returned last year’s NEC Rookie of the Year in defensive back Christopher Jean, who had two forced fumbles and four interceptions last season, including three in one game against Duquesne.
“They’re physical, they cause a lot of turnovers, they do a lot of different things, especially on third down and they’re just a tough unit. They fly around and they make plays, but I think we just need to focus on the UConn Huskies and play our football,” said Fagnano, who finished last season with a 58.3% completion percentage and threw 20 touchdowns to just four interceptions.
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“I’ve been very impressed with their defense,” Mora said. “I think they were fifth in the country in takeaways last year, they played hard, they played physical, they played through the echo of the whistle. So they’re an opportunistic defense. In a game like this where you haven’t seen a team for awhile, where it’s the first game of the season, you know you’re going to get some un-scouted looks, things we haven’t prepared for, the most important thing you do is execute.
“If you do what you’re supposed to do, follow your rules through situations, through looks that you have not seen before, and really play with aggression and execute. So our focus, yeah we’re preparing for CCSU, but the important thing is that we play to our standard.”
Jim Mora vs. FCS opponents
Mora’s first win as UConn head coach came against Central Connecticut back in 2022, after the Huskies returned from their season-opener at Utah State. UConn, which notably lost to Holy Cross before Randy Edsall stepped down as head coach in 2021, is 3-0 against FCS opponents under Mora. The Huskies beat Sacred Heart, 31-3, in 2023 and set multiple offensive school records in a 63-17 trouncing of Merrimack last fall.
What to know
Site: Rentschler Field in East Hartford
Line: UConn by 25.5
Time: 2 p.m.
TV: UConn+, WWAX – Randy Brochu, Marc Robbins, Joe Zone
Radio: UConn Sports Network from Learfield, Fox Sports 97.9
Online: The Varsity Network App – Mike Crispino, Wayne Norman, Adam Giardino
2024 record: UConn: 9-4, CCSU: 7-6
Series: UConn leads, 4-0.
Last meeting: Sept. 3, 2022 – UConn 28, CCSU 3 at Rentschler Field.
