The UConn football team (8-3) celebrated senior day and finished the 2025 home game stretch by beating the Air Force Falcons (3-7) 26-16 on Saturday.
For the third time in program history, the Huskies secured an undefeated record of 6-0 while playing at Rentschler Field. This was last accomplished in the program’s 2010 campaign.
Huskies quarterback Joe Fagnano ended the day completing 15 of 23 (65.2%) passes for 155 yards and a touchdown. With slightly under five minutes left in the first quarter, defensive linebacker Max Mustell picked off Fagnano’s first interception of the year after it was tipped in the air.
In the backfield, Cam Edwards dominated, especially in the second half. At halftime, the Connecticut native had only gained 12 rushing yards. By the end of the match, the junior rushed for a total of 165 yards and broke the plane twice.
Additionally, Edwards’ goal this season was to hit 1,000 rushing yards and he did just that versus the Falcons. Within four years with UConn, this is the powerful runner’s first time reaching 1,000 rushing yards.
“It means a lot to me. I’m just striving to get every goal that I’m chasing,” said Edwards. “The job is not finished; I’m trying to get to the NFL and hopefully that dream comes true.”
The last Husky to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in a single year was Kevin Mensah with 1,013 in the 2019 season.
When it comes to the deep ball, Air Force contained wide receiver Skyler Bell well, holding him to 70 yards. To counteract Air Force’s defense, Connecticut exploited the short game.
Even though this was not Bell’s best performance, the senior surpassed 2,000 receiving yards within two years of wearing a blue and white jersey.
Defensively, UConn struggled to stop Air Force’s run game, as the Falcons entered halftime with 179 rushing yards. In total, the running backs combined for 291 rushing yards.
Despite using a new defensive formation, the Huskies only conceded two rushing endzone appearances. To add on, the program denied the Falcons on several occasions from converting on fourth down.
“If you’re a football player, I feel like you should just adjust on the fly,” said safety Malachi McLean. “I think we did a good job this week with that, and we came out and executed today.”
To start the match, the Huskies set the tone of the game quickly, as they were the first to find the endzone. To get into Air Force’s red zone, Fagnano threw a dot to Bell for a 20-yard catch that advanced them to the Falcons’ 20-yard line.
After a few small plays that moved the chains to the 10-yard line, the defense challenged Connecticut on 3rd and 10. However, Fagnano carried the ball, hit the pylon with a sideline diving play and scored six points.
With just under five minutes remaining in the first quarter, the Falcons responded. On Air Force’s second offensive possession, the program ran eight consecutive run plays and passed the ball once. This led to fullback Dylan Carson plowing through for a 6-yard endzone appearance.
Following the opening touchdown, Connecticut’s offense faced challenges to take the field, as UConn only owned six minutes of offensive possession. With 28 seconds left in the first half, the Huskies’ kicker, Chris Freeman, drained a 47-yard field goal to take a 9-7 lead.
Fast forward to the second half, the squad found its groove. On UConn’s first drive of the third quarter, Fagnano connected with wideout Shamar Porter for a 31-yard catch. This moved the chains to Air Force’s 9-yard line. Edwards finished the drive with an 8-yard rushing touchdown.
The Falcons tried answering with seven points of their own, but could only obtain three after Connecticut held them at their own 19-yard line.
With a little over 14 minutes left in the clash, the Huskies broke away from Air Force after Freeman kicked a 27-yard field goal. In a nine-and-a-half-minute drive, the Falcons could only move the markers once before the defense stuffed them.
This allowed Edwards to set UConn up in enemy territory after rushing for 31 yards. Three plays later, the veteran crossed the goal line, giving Connecticut a comfortable 26-10 lead.
With two and a half minutes remaining in the contest, fullback Carson knocked in 6 points for Air Force, but it was too late for a comeback.
To wrap up the 2025 stretch, the Huskies will travel to face the Florida Atlantic Owls on Saturday, Nov. 22. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.