The bowl eligible UConn football team wrapped up their season at home last Friday, beating Georgia State 34-27. The Huskies finished with an excellent 6-1 in games played at East Hartford. While this does qualify them for a bowl game, it does not guarantee them one, and head coach Jim Mora has made this point crystal clear to the program.
As mentioned previously, an added challenge for this contest is that the program will play on the road. Connecticut has not won a game away from Pratt & Whitney Stadium this season, going 0-2 in that span. However, both of those losses were against top-flight programs, and Connecticut could have easily been 1-1. Despite this added challenge, Connecticut has a real chance of winning this weekend; in order to do so, they will need to do some things right.
While the program has proven they can win without it, when their run game is on, it puts them on a different level and knocks games out of reach for their opponents.
Just a week ago, UConn ran the Panthers offense ragged, and it paid dividends. Connecticut runners combined for 271 yards on 43 attempts, averaging over six yards per carry. Not only did they score three touchdowns on this alone, but Mel Brown and Cam Edwards each broke off massive outside runs, essentially guaranteeing the Huskies points, and this did an excellent job at setting up Nick Evers and the UConn passing attack. Evers has also shown the ability to get out of trouble and get positive yardage on a broken-down play, though he can also step up in the pocket and make a good decision with the football.
When you talk about the Huskies’ season up to this point, it’s impossible not to mention the program’s high-level defense. While it did not perform as they would have liked a week ago, conceding 24 points and over 370 yards of total offense, they did get some crucial stops. It’s also hard not to mention the fact that they had two interceptions and scored 10 points off these turnovers. While they weren’t creating turnovers like this early in the season, they were limiting their opponents offensively, forcing punts. For an offense like UAB, which averages nearly 26 points a game, the Huskies will need their defense to be on their A-game, as the Blazers have some serious playmakers on that side of the ball.
Of course, it’s difficult to tell the story of UAB without talking about quarterback Jalen Kitna. The junior signal caller tied a Blazer program record a week ago, throwing for six touchdowns in the program’s 59-21 win over Tulsa. Not to mention, he accumulated 404 yards through the air en route to this record-setting performance. Wide receiver Kam Shanks did a great job at getting open for Kitna, as the quarterback’s performance would not have been the same if not for his five catches,153 yards and three touchdowns. If the Huskies wish to come out victorious, they must do their best to contain the UAB air assault, as they do not hold this same advantage on the ground. However, the Connecticut defense has become more cohesive as the season has progressed and is not content with last week’s performance despite forcing a pair of turnovers and crucial stops.
This matchup on the road against a high-powered offense in UAB will be a big test for the Huskies. It will give the college football world a look into how battle-ready Connecticut is, especially on the road. The program is not satisfied with finishing 6-6, as everyone around the program wants to “be better than mediocre.” Not only does winning improve the Huskies’ chance of making a bowl game, but they also have a higher probability of placing into a more prestigious bowl. However, they must first take care of business against UAB this Saturday at 2:30 p.m.