Photo by Siham Nedloussi/The Daily Campus.
The UConn football team is coming off an unideal 50-7 loss on the road at Maryland, but despite this, the program has much to look forward to. This Saturday will mark the first day of Connecticut football at Pratt & Whitney stadium this season. The Huskies will host the Merrimack Warriors, and this is a game which Connecticut is projected to win by 15 points.
Of course, the biggest question on fans’ minds is Nick Evers’ status. Whether the signal caller takes the field or not is slated to be a game-time decision. Evers was a limited participant for practice all week long after enduring a big hit last Saturday. If Evers does not start, the team will opt for Joe Fagnano, who performed as well as could be expected in a blowout, throwing for nearly 150 yards and a touchdown.
Skyler Bell is a player who Husky fans will want to keep an eye on heading into this one. The junior wide receiver tore it up last weekend, finishing with 141 yards on five receptions. It will be interesting to see Bell’s long-term role on this team. Despite being in his third season, he spent the past two years with the Wisconsin Badgers. Bell has the potential to be the No. 1 option in this system. He and the rest of the offense have a real chance of lighting up the scoreboard this weekend, as the Merrimack defense surrendered nearly 12 yards per catch last week at Air Force.
Merrimack lost the previously mentioned road showdown 21-6 to Army. In this game, the Falcons did an excellent job limiting the Warriors passing attack. Air Force conceded only 103 yards through the air and one score. However, Merrimack did find some success in the ground game. Senior running back Jermaine Corbett is a player the Huskies will want to watch some film on for this weekend. The New Jersey native had a solid first game, gaining nearly 60 yards on eight carries. While this may not be the most eye-popping stat, this averages out to over seven yards per carry, beyond efficient. Corbett also can break off a run for serious yardage, as he did against Air Force, gaining 33 yards on a carry. Connecticut will certainly need to improve their run defense from last week to stop Corbett, and there is no reason to believe this team cannot. Despite the big runs they conceded last week, Maryland is a powerhouse program, and there were moments when the run defense got home and stuffed runners.
Speaking of running backs, UConn will be looking for a big game from Cam Edwards. The Norwalk, Conn. native did not exactly perform poorly against the Terrapins; in fact, he had one of the more solid performances for the program. Despite only seeing five carries, Edwards accumulated 32 yards on the ground, including breaking one off for 16 yards. Look for the sophomore to run rampant in front of the Connecticut home crows. Teammate Victor Rosa also looks to cause some chaos on the ground. For the past two seasons, the Bristol, Conn. native has played crucial roles for the program. Rosa has run for over 1000 yards and 12 touchdowns in his career with the Huskies and owns a lifetime average carry of nearly five yards per carry. For a program like Merrimack, which surrendered 166 yards on the ground, look for these two to have a busy day.
Last week was not an easy game for UConn fans to endure. However, it was only week one. The season is far from over, and the Huskies are a resilient team and have a realistic chance at pulling off their first win of the season.
The Huskies will kick off their first home game at noon this Saturday.