The UConn football team (9-4) fell to the Army Black Knights (7-6) Saturday afternoon, 41-16, to put an end to a historic 2025 campaign.
After the news dropped that quarterback Joe Fagnano would not participate in the Fenway Bowl, a lot of questions erupted about who would replace him. Until the first drive of the match, the mystery starter, Ksaan Farrar, remained anonymous.
Throughout the entire game, the freshman struggled to create offensive opportunities for the program. In total, the gunslinger completed 11 of 17 (64.7%) passes for 84 yards. In the backfield, Cam Edwards carried the ball 11 times, accumulating 108 rushing yards and a touchdown.
As for the wide receiver room, Reymello Murphy topped the squad with 51 yards. When it comes to Skyler Bell, the star wideout only played for one drive at the beginning of the clash.
“I thought we had the guys to do it,” said interim Head Coach Gordon Sammis. “It’s unfortunate with what happened, wish it could have been better. It’s just how it goes.”
For Army’s offense, quarterback Cale Hellums completed seven of eight (87.5%) throws for 108 passing yards and 45 rushing yards. Additionally, the junior contributed three touchdowns.
The difference maker came in the Black Knights’ running back room. On the ground, Godspower Nwawuihe ran for 171 yards and two endzone appearances.
To start the contest, both programs traded offensive possessions. For Army, the team turned the ball over on downs after Hellums failed to convert on fourth-and-1. This led to the Huskies scoring the first points of the game.
With just over nine minutes left in the first quarter, Edwards immediately made his presence known. At Army’s 46-yard line, the junior moved the chains for a 34-yard carry.
On the next play, the powerful runner crossed the goal line for a 12-yard rushing touchdown. With 15 endzone appearances in the 2025 season, Edwards tied for fourth-most in program history.
After a 64-yard punt from the Huskies’ kicker, Chris Freeman, putting the Black Knights at their own 1-yard line, it did not take long for Army to respond. Running back Jake Rendina kicked the drive off with a 15-yard rush, advancing the offense to their own 40-yard line.
Three plays later, Hellums connected with wide receiver Noah Short for a 40-yard touchdown. With six minutes left in the opening quarter, the Black Knights tied the game with seven apiece.
Nearing the end of the first quarter and going into the second quarter, Connecticut saw several attempts at finding the endzone but faced challenges to finish the drives.
With just under six minutes remaining in the first quarter, Edwards ran up the middle for 16 yards. Not long after, the Connecticut native almost broke free, but resulted in negative yardage, as wideout Shamar Porter committed a holding penalty. The negative 10 yards forced UConn to punt the ball.
Heading into the second quarter, the Huskies began on the right foot. Defensive back D’Mon Brinson punched the ball out of Rendina’s hands, allowing defensive lineman Matt Hoffman to recover it for UConn. With about 13 minutes remaining in the first half, Connecticut took over at their own 39-yard line but could not earn any points.
On the Black Knights’ following offensive possession, Nwawuihe found a hole in the offensive line and took it to the house for a 43-yard rushing touchdown. This was the squad’s first lead of the day.
With three minutes left before halftime, the Huskies assembled a 10-play and 51-yard drive, allowing Freeman to nail a 49-yard field goal. This was one yard short of his season-long.
Coming out of halftime, the Black Knights wasted no time moving the chains. Right out of the gate, Nwawuihe bounced off several defenders and managed to notch a 70-yard touchdown. With kicker Dawson Jones missing the extra point, UConn faced a 20-10 deficit.
At this point, Army exploited the Huskies’ third-quarter offensive struggles. With the help of Hellums’ 6-yard goal line crossing, the Black Knights secured a comfortable 27-10 lead.
With nearly six and a half minutes remaining in the third quarter, it looked as if Farrar found his rhythm as he connected on six consecutive passes. On fourth-and-1, the Virginia native misfired an endzone target to receiver Neider, giving the Black Knight possession at their own 11-yard line.
Going into the fourth quarter, Army kept their foot on the gas, racking up 14 points. On Connecticut’s 6-yard line, Hellums kept it for himself and crossed the goal line. To end the matchup, running back Carson Smith slid in for a 6-yard touchdown.
UConn tried to retaliate against Army with six points of their own, but it was not enough to come out on top. With eight minutes remaining in the contest, wideout Murphy hauled in a 28-yard catch, putting the Huskies at Army’s 30-yard line. After running back Oliver Lundberg Coleman carried the ball for 15 yards, Farrar plowed through for an 11-yard touchdown.
As the historic 2025 stretch comes to a close, there is a lot to look forward to next year under new Head Coach Jason Candle.