The UConn football team will go from playing one of the most effective rushing offenses in the country to one of the least when it meets Florida Atlantic on the road Saturday to finish out the regular season.
The Huskies earned win No. 8 against Air Force, the No. 3 rushing offense in the country, last week and will look for better fortune on the road, where they’ve gone 2-3 with three overtime losses this season.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Owls, who fell 48-14 at Rentschler Field last year, prefer to fly. Their rushing offense is just No. 126 nationally (102.2 yards per game), but they lead the nation through the air, where they average 328.9 passing yards per game thanks to quarterback Caden Veltkamp (66.3% completion, 2,971 passing yards, 22 TDs, 14 INTs) and a receiver room led by Easton Messer (83 receptions, 847 yards).
“At the end of the day, we want to have more points than they do. And that’s gonna take us playing at a high level of execution, an elite level of execution, maturity, competing like crazy, playing with great discipline, having great eyes, putting some pressure on this quarterback,” UConn coach Jim Mora said. “He’s a very good player, gets rid of the ball quickly. They’ve got one of the best receivers in the country, trying to do the best we can to contain him, and then it certainly always starts with stopping the run.”
UConn to face another of nation’s top QBs as it goes for nine win-season vs. FAU
As far as scoring points goes, UConn’s offense hasn’t had much trouble. The Huskies, behind their own top-15 passing offense, have the 20th best scoring unit in the nation at 35.9 points per game.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDefensively, where the Huskies rank 84th nationally allowing 388.3 total yards per game, the improvement has shown itself week-to-week – particularly as the team was able to stop Air Force in multiple short-yardage situations to take control of Saturday’s home finale.
UConn has the seventh-best turnover margin in the nation with its defense forcing 10 interceptions and four fumbles, and its offense having only turned the ball over twice – one fumble, one interception – all season.
“Coach always has a good plan, run and pass, so obviously they’re gonna go fast, air raid, but we’re gonna be ready for it,” said linebacker Aaron Key.
“There’s no finish line. You just put your head down and you run as fast as you can and you don’t stop,” Mora said. “That’s how coaches are built, that’s how players are built, that’s how competitors are built. So, pleased? Yes. Satisfied? No. A lot left out there for us? Yes. Even when we think we’ve reached the ceiling, we’ve got to push it higher and keep going. That’s the mindset of great competitors and winners, and that locker room is filled with great competitors and guys that winning is important to.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementA win this week would mark the first time the program has ever won nine games in back-to-back seasons.
Skyler Bell and a Triple Crown caseThe UConn football program hasn’t seen numbers like receiver Skyler Bell is putting up this season: No. 1 nationally in receptions (93) and receiving touchdowns (13), and No. 2, four behind the lead, in receiving yards (1,151).
“I think it’s pretty easy to make the case that he’s the most productive receiver in college football to this point this year,” Mora said.
Mora credits Bell for his steady, consistent effort and his ability to lead by example, like quarterback Joe Fagnano. He even compared him to one of the greatest receivers of all time in Jerry Rice, who he coached (as a defensive coordinator) with the San Francisco 49ers.
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“When you have strong leadership that sets a good example every day, the young guys say, ‘Hm, I want to be like that guy.’ It’s very reminiscent of when I was in San Francisco with Jerry Rice… he was undoubtedly the hardest worker on the team,” Mora said. “Impeccable in his preparation, impeccable in his effort on the practice field and every receiver who walked into that building said, ‘I have this opportunity to be just like him, to learn from the best, and I’m really not being very intelligent if I’m not doing what Jerry does.’ He didn’t say a lot, at all. But just everything about him said, ‘I’m gonna be the very best I can, I’m gonna strive for excellence in everything that I do.’ And I see those same traits in these guys.”
Bell sees himself as a sort of safety blanket within the offense: “If things aren’t going right, you can find me and I’ll make something happen. I think that’s been my biggest improvement, I focused on improving that this offseason,” he said.
Players to watch: Cam Edwards, Mel BrownUConn saw an opportunity to run the ball against Air Force, the No. 102 rush defense in the nation this year, made a concerted effort to move the ball on the ground and Cam Edwards answered the bell with 165 yards on the ground. It was his first game with 100 rushing yards in six opportunities, going back to his 194-yard game against Ball State.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEdwards moved up to 10th in the nation as he reached 1,031 rushing yards on the season. He and Bell are the only running back-receiver duo in UConn’s FBS history (since 2002) to each reach the 1,000-yard milestone in the same season.
The Norwalk native is expected to have some reinforcements this week with Mel Brown potentially returning from a broken collarbone against FAU’s 126th-ranked rush defense. Brown, a speedy compliment to Edwards, broke his collarbone early in UConn’s third game of the season, an overtime loss at Delaware, and has stayed with the program during his recovery. He can still redshirt and maintain his final year of eligibility if he plays on Saturday.
What to knowSite: Flagler Credit Union Stadium in Boca Raton, Fla.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLine: UConn by 7 1/2
Time: 3 p.m.
TV: ESPN+ – AJ Ricketts, Patrick Murray, Savanna Collins
Radio: UConn Sports Network from Learfield, Fox Sports 97.9
Online: The Varsity Network App – Mike Crispino, Wayne Norman, Adam Giardino
Record: UConn: 8-3, FAU: 4-6
Series: UConn leads, 2-0.
Last meeting: Sept. 21, 2024 – UConn 48, FAU 14 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford
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