Saturday’s forecast called for some freezing rain, clouds and, as always with New England wintertime weather, cold winds. However, the only storm that Fenway Park saw in this year’s Wasabi Fenway Bowl came from the UConn football team. Mel Brown set the tone right from the get-go with a massive 47-yard rush. From there, the “Let’s go Huskies” chants rang out from the Boston crowd, and North Carolina could never recover, falling 27-14.
Connecticut stormed out of the gates early as Joe Fagnano and the UConn offense wasted no time getting points on the board. Whether through the air or with his legs, the signal caller did an excellent job leading the program down the field, though the opening drive eventually stalled. However, Chris Freeman drilled a 32-yard field goal right down Broadway, putting the Huskies up 3-0.
Immediately, UConn made it known to the Tar Heels that they would be difficult customers on the defensive side, forcing an immediate three and out, with both the run and pass run defense holding up all afternoon long.
After a UConn punt on their next drive, North Carolina repossessed the rock, though matters quickly turned from bad to worse. On 2nd and 16, starting quarterback Jacolby Criswell took off running after being unable to find a receiver downfield. However, after being wrapped to the ground, the graduate signal-caller stayed down, nursing an apparent injury. After some time passed, Criswell walked off the field on his own power, though any momentum that the Tar Heels may have had dissipated at that moment. Freshman Michael Merdinger, who never played a collegiate snap in his collegiate career, was called upon to lead the North Carolina offense.
In the Huskies’ ensuing drive, Nick Evers came in for a snap, though not as a passer. The Wisconsin transfer came in for a designed run, taking it 13 yards to the UNC 38. Immediately following, the lethal Fagnano-Skyler Bell connection was called upon, as the redshirt Junior made an excellent 38-yard touchdown snag, and this contest appeared to be heading into a UConn beating, though shortly after, the Tar Heels finally got that spark they needed.
North Carolina return man Chris Culliver took a Freeman boot 95 yards all the way to the house, putting UNC on the board. After a few minutes spent reviewing whether Culliver stepped out or not, the call stood, and Connecticut needed to respond.
The Huskies showed the football world they were as battle-tested as they come, featuring many characteristics of past successful programs. An ability to move the chains both on the ground and through the air, the ability to succeed even on third down and, of course, finishing drives kicking an extra point. After an 11-play, 79-yard drive that lasted over four minutes, the Huskies did that as Fagnano found Alex Hoing for a four-yard score.
For the Tar Heels, it was Bizarro World. Immediately following a triple-option play that went seven yards backwards, the defensive line got a great jump and almost immediately swarmed Merdinger, who fumbled the football. However, the rock went out of bounds.
After a halfback toss 4th and goal score from Cam Edwards and an interception from Tui Faumuina-Brown, Connecticut capped off a dominant first half of football, owning a 24-7 lead. Perhaps more impressive was the discrepancy of total offensive yards, as UConn finished the half with 241 yards of total offense while UNC finished with 15 yards. North Carolina only moved the chains once in the first half, coming with 24 ticks to go.
The first drive of the second half for North Carolina was reminiscent of the first 40 minutes. After a Davion Barlow first down run, the Tar Heels were put into an uncomfortable position on 4th and 2, and Freddie Kitchens’ squad opted to go for it. After a keeper for Merdinger was initially ruled a first down, after review, he was short of the line to gain, meaning the Huskies offense was back at the helm.
After a UConn field goal and many punts traded, it seemed as though this contest was destined to end 27-7. However, Caleb Hood put the Tar Heels on his back late into the fourth quarter. The senior running back took five runs in a row for 64 yards, putting North Carolina the closest to scoring they have been all day. A few plays later, it was none other than Hood leading the charge for UNC, this time as a passer, cutting into the UConn lead 27-14.
The Tar Heels defense suddenly came to life at the end of the contest, forcing a UConn punt after sacking Fagnano on third down. With a little over four minutes to go, North Carolina had a chance to do some damage.
It appears that the Tar Heels were going to make it more of a contest than UConn fans would have liked, as the program was moving the ball effectively through the air, picking up 40 yards of offense, including on a fourth down. However, a Price Yates sack and an additional fourth down stop snuffed out any possibility of a comeback, meaning the Huskies held on for the win, 27-14.
Brown led the way for UConn rushers, finishing with 96 yards on 11 carries. Edwards also enjoyed a respectable 74 yards on 17 attempts on the ground. The Huskies have enjoyed an advantage running the football all season long, no matter who is doing it. Head Coach Jim Mora noted the commitment of everyone in the program, whether it be the coaches or the players who worked tirelessly all season towards winning, being the chief reason.
“We work hard on it, we detail it,” Mora said. “I don’t know that anyone coaches the outside zone better than Gordy [Offensive line coach Gordon Sammis],” adding, “The time that [the players] spend away from the time that’s required of us, perfecting their craft that [the offensive line] and Chase [Lundt] demand is what makes it so special.”
Fagnano finished with 151 passing yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions on 16-23 passing, which was good enough to earn him bowl game MVP honors. Yates earned defensive bowl game MVP honors.
Not only does this bowl victory represent the ninth win of the year for the Huskies, but it caps off a dominant season after finishing 3-9 the year before. This is the second Bowl Game in the Mora era, his first win in such games for UConn. After inking a new two-year extension with the program, Mora and UConn look to make bowl game victories an annual tradition for the program; Saturday’s feat represents the start of a new, higher standard for Connecticut football that is for the first time in a long time palpable among all fans of UConn football.