The UConn football team fell in overtime for the second week in a row, 44-41, as it renewed an old rivalry at Delaware Stadium on Saturday.

It was another tense Huskies’ sideline down the stretch as Delaware dug itself out of a hole and made a game-tying field goal as time expired in regulation, like the Huskies did last week at Syracuse.

Taking the ball first in overtime, UConn had three chances from the 2-yard line but failed to get in the end zone and settled for a field goal. Continuing with the theme of the game, the Huskies’ defense couldn’t stop Delaware quarterback Nick Minicucci and he ran in from 13 yards for the walk-off touchdown.

Favored by more than a touchdown as it met Delaware in its first FBS season, UConn fell to 1-2 on the season with consecutive road losses to regional rivals.

“It’s a real down feeling in (the locker room). You lose two weeks in a row in overtime. We’ve worked really hard on those situations but maybe we’re not working efficiently enough so I’ve got to go back and make sure that we’re doing the right things in practice so when we get in those situations, we’re better,” coach Jim Mora told reporters in Delaware. “To me it comes down to all of us – again, broken record – performing up to our ability consistently in critical situations.”

The game had the makings of a shootout early.

The Huskies’ defense came out the way it finished the Syracuse game, allowing big play after big play as Delaware scored on each of its first three possessions. After a bit of a slow start, UConn’s offense joined the back-and-forth affair.

Helped by a pair of penalties in the UConn secondary, Delaware marched down the field on its opening drive and Minicucci ran in for his first score of the game. Running back Jo Silver, who had been quiet to start the season, carved up the Huskies’ defense for 116 yards in the first half, including a 70-yard scamper in the first quarter.

Silver finished with 179 of the Blue Hens’ 247 rushing yards.

“We did not play near well enough today, particularly on defense, we could not get stops,” Mora said. “Our offense moved the ball well, especially given the number of injuries we suffered on offense, which was a ton, and yet we continued to move it. But when you can’t get it in from the 2-yard line in overtime, then at that moment you’re not good enough.”

Delaware place kicker Nate Reed (91) reacts to his game-tying field goal at the end of the fourth quarter of an NCAA football game against UConn on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, in Newark, Del. Delaware won 44-41 in overtime. (AP Photo/Mike Buscher)

Minicucci, who ran in for his second touchdown before halftime, finished the game 23-for-34 passing for 265 yards and a touchdown. He was credited with 20 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

UConn QB Joe Fagnano did his part in the high-scoring contest, completing 28 of 38 passes for 346 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Running back Cam Edwards had to carry most of the load after Mel Brown went out early with an injury and finished with 116 yards and two touchdowns on 23 rushing attempts.

UConn’s offense came to life quickly thanks to Edwards and receiver Skyler Bell, who had a team-high 92 yards on seven catches.

Edwards took his third carry to the outside for a familiar highlight as he tiptoed down the sideline for a 51-yard touchdown on the Huskies’ second drive of the game. And Fagnano guided the Huskies down the field on the next series with chunk passing plays to Bell and tight end Juice Vereen, setting up a 28-yard field goal for Chris Freeman. UConn turned to Bristol native Victor Rosa as a speedy replacement for Brown and he broke a 31-yard touchdown run on the next series to keep matching the Blue Hens on the scoreboard.

Fagnano, who was 15-for-21 passing in the first half, continued to have success as he found Milford’s John Neider for a 29-yard completion to the 2-yard line, which set up Edwards’ second score and gave the Huskies their first lead of the game.

But it didn’t last long.

UConn wide receiver Terrence Smith (15) returns a punt during the second quarter of an NCAA football game against Delaware on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, in Newark, Del. (AP Photo/Mike Buscher)

The Blue Hens recreated the Minneapolis Miracle three plays later for the final score of the half as Kyre Duplessis, playing the role of Stefon Diggs, high-pointed the ball on the sideline, broke a tackle on the way down and cruised 68 yards to put the Blue Hens up 28-24, a lead that held until halftime.

Duplessis had 161 yards on a game-high nine catches.

The Delaware defense was undisciplined after the break and was called for three consecutive penalties that negated an interception and a fumble. UConn capitalized as Fagnano found Reymello Murphy for a 10-yard touchdown.

The back-and-forth action continued as Silver ran in from 18 yards for his second score of the day and Fagnano answered with a touchdown pass to tight end Alex Honig, which put the Huskies ahead, 38-35, with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Delaware attempted a 47-yard field goal to tie the game with just under seven minutes to go but couldn’t split the uprights, and UConn ran about five minutes off the clock before it faced a 4th-and-2 from the Blue Hens’ 23-yard line.

Rather than kick the field goal to make it a six-point difference, Mora gambled and went for it, but the screen pass to Louis Hansen was short of the first down, giving the Blue Hens the ball with just over two minutes to play and a chance to tie the game with a field goal.

Linebackers Bryun Parham (team-high 10 tackles, three sacks) and Donovan Branch got to Minicucci for back-to-back sacks to start the drive, but a 3rd down pass interference penalty on Cam Chadwick extended it and the Blue Hens drove into field goal range. The Blue Hens’ kicker Nate Reed made up for his earlier miss and sent the game to overtime with a 43-yarder as time expired in regulation.

“(Reed) came up with a huge amount of resolve and he made a kick, he hadn’t made a kick this year. So credit to him – resolve, mental toughness, all of those things,” Mora said. “We have a lot of work to do, we have a group that’s willing to do it, but we have to figure out – and we will – a way to do it more efficiently so when a game comes down to that final moment, we are confident and we execute with discipline.”

UConn returns to Rentschler Field on Saturday to host Ball State, which came into the weekend ranked as one of the worst teams in the FBS.

https://www.courant.com/2025/09/13/uconn-football-falls-in-overtime-again-44-41-at-delaware/