The pain is almost over for University of Connecticut football fans. After a season that has included multiple injuries, a fight for the worst team in college football, and poor play across the field, there are two more games remaining. In the Huskies’ upcoming game on Saturday, they play the 6-4 University of Central Florida Knights.
In UConn’s previous matchup, the team lost in an almost inevitable result: a blowout at the hands of the Clemson Tigers. In that matchup, the Huskies simply didn’t have an answer for Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and the entire Clemson roster, which outscored UConn 30-7 in just the first half.
While UConn did as bad as analysts and fans predicted for the team, the team is reverting back to their original formula this week. Steven Krajewski is back as the starter after UConn quarterback Jack Zergiotis failed to get anything going for the Huskies. Head coach Lou Spanos is hoping that his decision to start Krajewski on Saturday will bode well for the team, despite neither quarterback looking too impressive this season other than Krajewski’s two touchdowns against Vanderbilt on Oct. 2. The Huskies will bring their usual set of starters to accompany Krajewski in this matchup.
Despite all signs pointing to a UCF win on Saturday, the Knights are still coming off a brutal 28-55 loss to Southern Methodist University in their previous matchup. In that game, UCF quarterback Mikey Keene threw for 174 yards and scored a single touchdown in the defeat. Although SMU has been very good this season at 8-2, the Huskies will take any sign of hope they can get in what the team hopes will be their second win of the year.
What is the main headline for this game? That would be a fading rivalry for the two colleges, otherwise known as the “Civil ConFLiCT.” Started by then-UConn head football coach Bob Diaco, the team wanted to have a rivalry between the two colleges, but that never truly caught on. Diaco even created a trophy that would be given to the winner in an October game in 2016. However, the Knights ultimately won the game and utterly disrespected the Huskies by leaving the trophy on their bench. That trophy has yet to be seen to this day, and the situation has created multiple theories of where it could be located.
Regardless of the outcome of this matchup, the season is just a step away from completion as the team hopes to remain relevant again with new UConn hire Jim Mora. All UConn fans can do is hope for the best in a game that takes place in the Bounce House, the home of the Knights. Kickoff will occur at 4 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN+.
