If there is one word to sum up the UConn football team’s homestand this season, it would be dominance. The Huskies have beaten the pulp out of their opponents, outscoring teams by a hefty 158-34 margin in East Hartford. The program aims to keep the momentum going this weekend as they host the Temple Owls.
The biggest storyline heading into this matchup is what the Huskies will do at quarterback. Halfway through the second quarter of last Saturday’s showdown against Buffalo, Nick Evers left the game after suffering a major hit on a slide. Despite this, the Wisconsin transfer returned to practice this week, and there is a chance he will be able to suit up. If Evers cannot return for this game, he will have at least a two-week break, with the upcoming bye week, and Joe Fagnano will be behind center. Make no mistake, even if Evers doesn’t play, the Huskies are still expected to come out with the win. Each time Fagnano has been called upon this year, he has been excellent.
After Evers went down last week, Fagnano had himself an excellent day at the office, accumulating 217 passing yards and three touchdowns on 11-19 passing. Performances like this have been the status quo for Fagnano, who also played well in week two against Merrimack. Regardless of who is taking snaps for the program this weekend, the team hasn’t lost a beat and is firing on all cylinders.
Cam Edwards has been chewing up defenses on the outside run all season long, and it’s a significant reason the offense has been so successful. A week ago, the Norwalk, Connecticut native accumulated 97 yards on the ground on 10 carries and even found the endzone once. For a defense like the Owls, which surrendered 417 yards on the ground a week ago to Army and 186 the week before to Utah State, don’t be surprised if Edwards puts together yet another signature performance on the ground. While the ground game is sure to impress, don’t count out Skyler Bell and the rest of the wide receiver room.
Bell has had one of the best starts to his season as any receiver in the country. In five games, the Bronx, N.Y. native has 500 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Bell has improved and looked more fluid with every game he has played, and last week against Buffalo proved that, as he found the endzone on three separate occasions. In their first five appearances, Temple has been susceptible to giving up chunks of yardage through the air, meaning that Bell and the rest of the wide receiver room have a good chance at having it their way this Saturday, regardless of who is throwing the ball.
UConn’s defense also has a chance to keep on rolling. In their homestand, both the defensive line and secondary have been making game winning plays, which is a significant reason why opposing offenses have struggled to move the ball past midfield.
The Huskies come into Saturday as 17-point favorites, regardless of who the quarterback is. While some may be surprised at this fact, Connecticut has a chance to leave this weekend 4-2, which would set them up nicely for the rest of their season.
Connecticut football has been rolling lately, and this game is another chance for the program to keep building momentum. The Huskies will “protect the rent” this Saturday at 3:30 p.m.