UConn Daily Digest: Beat Syracuse, imo

Lots to say ahead of a big football matchup, with updates from soccer, volleyball and field hockey as well!

Author

Aman Kidwai
September 05, 2025

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Football Starts with a Bang

The final score and statbook had all the markings of a thorough beatdown: a huge yardage discrepancy, numerous big plays, and a very lopsided score. UConn fans have every reason to be happy with last Saturday’s season-opening performance. They should also be optimistic about what the future holds.

But it was dicey to start, and it wasn’t all perfect. Jim Mora and the players have made it clear that they still have a lot to clean up.

“There was some good, there was some bad,” Mora said in his Tuesday press conference. “There was nothing to be exuberant about. There was nothing to be depressed about.”

Let’s look at some of the highs and lows across the position groups based on how the Huskies graded out on Saturday. 

Quarterback

Starter Joe Fagnano completed 18 of his 25 passes and accounted for four of UConn’s five first-half touchdowns. After CCSU turned a muffed punt into an opening-drive touchdown, UConn answered right back with Fagnano’s quick pass to Skyler Bell for an 80-yard score. The chemistry between the two was on full display Saturday, despite Bell only playing in the first half after pulling in four catches for 165 yards and two touchdowns.

Fagnano finished with 260 yards in the air, three passing touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown, surely boosting his confidence ahead of what will be a major test against Syracuse tomorrow. 

Nick Evers was efficient in his backup duties, completing 8 of 11 with a touchdown on a screen play to Jackson Harper. Third-stringer Tucker McDonald even took a couple of snaps under center, showing nice arm strength with a 45-yard completion.

Photo: Ian Bethune

Running Backs

Cam Edwards and Mel Brown were the engines through the first half, with both breaking big plays, including Edwards’ 73-yard TD run. In the second half, MJ Flowers and Victor Rosa made appearances as well. Those four running backs combined for 257 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

Edwards took six carries for 115 yards, while Brown had the most carries with nine and the fellow CT native Rosa powered through multiple would-be tacklers for his score. Flowers carried the ball six times for 35 yards and one of those TDs in his first game as a Husky after transferring from Eastern Illinois.

Offensive Line

UConn had 11 different offensive linemen take the field in the win. Redshirt junior LT Ben Murawski recorded the highest PFF grade (90.4) on a game-high 47 snaps. The group allowed two sacks and did a good job of making holes for the run game.

They’re replacing a lot of starters from last year, but for now, it looks like four spots appear to be settled, and one is still up for grabs.

Along with Murawski, RT Carsten Casady, C Wes Hoeh, and LG Kyle Juergens also played 47 snaps. The starting RG on the depth chart, Ty Chan, had the lowest PFF grade among the starters across his 29 snaps. It looks like Brady Wayburn (18 snaps) may have played the rest of the 47 snaps that the starters took. Members of the second unit saw a snap-count in the low 20s.

Defensive Line

The D-line held up well overall but could have been more dominant against a weaker offensive front. Byrun Parham recorded the unit’s lone sack on the day, and of the 16 players who rushed the pass, only three (Matt Hoffman, Ben Smiley, Tyquan King) recorded a QB pressure and two (Ourmar Diamonde, Donovan Branch) a QB hit. Parham and Hoffman were the only Huskies to record a PFF grade in the 70s, while eight landed in the 60s and six in the 50s. 

Special Teams

The Huskies’ special teams were somewhat concerning, even though they returned last year’s starting punter and kicker. Against an FCS team, the consequences were limited, but going forward, a mishap like that could lead to a loss.

In addition to the disastrous botched punt, UConn had a holding penalty on a return and kicker Chris Freeman missed a 35-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter. These kinds of mistakes could be costly in future games.

Syracuse preview

After grabbing their first season-opening win since 2019, UConn faces a true test tomorrow on the road against a Syracuse team that won 10 games last year.

The Huskies have lost their last five matchups with the Orange, with their last win coming as conference rivals in the Big East in 2011.

Orange head coach Fran Brown has a new quarterback under center in Steve Angeli, who won the quarterback battle in preseason over LSU transfer Rickie Collins. Angeli threw for 274 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in Syracuse’s 45-26 loss to No. 22 Tennessee.

The Huskies had no answer for the Orange passing game last year, allowing 470 air yards and two touchdowns, but that was with Kyle McCord, who’s now in the NFL. On the ground, Syracuse lost another draft pick but the UConn defensive front can expect to see a lot of sophomore Yasin Willis, who rushed for over 90 yards and three touchdowns against the Volunteers. 

“What I see is a big, physical, talented football team,” Mora said in a press conference Tuesday.

There is some extra motivation on the line for the Orange. Essentially, Syracuse must go perfect at home to make a bowl game. After a 10-3 season last year, its 2025 schedule is loaded with high-profile programs. Road matchups this year include Tennessee, SMU, Georgia Tech, Miami, and Notre Dame.

The last time Syracuse played at home, it pulled off the largest comeback in program history to lift a win from then-No. 8 Miami before putting an exclamation point on its season with a win over Washington State in the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl. 

“It’s a great opportunity to go play a good football team,” Mora said. “We’ve been there before. It’s a tough place to play.”

“It’s gonna be difficult. It’s gonna reveal a lot. These are the kinds of games that you relish,” he continued.

An uphill battle awaits UConn, though this is a winnable game for Jim Mora and his squad. They’ll need some luck and to avoid mistakes, but UConn is not as overmatched as it has been in previous meetings. ESPN’s SP+ efficiency rankings have the Huskies rated higher than the Orange, and the betting line has moved down a few points since opening up around 8.5 in favor of Syracuse.

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Fall sports starting in earnest

Last week, soccer was the only sport with games. Since then, volleyball and field hockey have also started.

Men’s soccer thumped Manhattan on Sunday, 5-1. Kyle Durham made his fourth start of the year and tallied a career-high seven saves, while five different Huskies tallied a goal in the win. After beating CCSU on Thursday, 1-0, they’re 3-0-2 on the year with a home game against Colgate coming up on Sunday. 

Women’s soccer is at 2-2-1 after a 1-0 win over Yale Thursday night. Though their schedule has not been easy, every game has been competitive. Both losses (Texas A&M, Brown) came by one goal, and they held Rutgers scoreless last Sunday despite the tie. It seems like they’ve been playing well.

Field Hockey took a weekend road trip up north to start its 2025 season. After finishing 17-4 (6-1 Big East) last year, the Huskies beat UNH, 4-3 win in their season opener. The next day, No. 9 St. Joseph’s prevailed 2-1 in a shootout.

Volleyball set a program record last year with 26 wins but failed to clinch an NCAA Tournament berth after losing to Villanova in the Big East Championship. They opened 2025 by sweeping their opening weekend series in the Bearcat Classic. The Huskies dropped just two sets across three matches — both to the host Binghamton — topping Lehigh and Fordham in straight sets. They also took down South Dakota on Thursday night to kick off a weekend tournament along with Colgate and Ball State.

Weekly Rewind

Women’s Basketball

Azzi Fudd and Ashlynn Shade Stepping into UConn’s leadership void – With Paige Bueckers and Kaitlyn Chen starting their professional careers, Fudd and Shade pushed out of their comfort zones to become more vocal. 

Football

UConn’s path to the College Football Playoff – We are saying there’s a chance!

UConn stomps CCSU, 59-13 – The Huskies tallied a new program record 638 offensive yards en route to a Week 1 win. 

Opponent Q&A with Nunes Magician – Syracuse fans offer insight to the state of their program and the Week 2 matchup against UConn. 

UConn vs CCSU Postgame Media Availability - 8.30.25 – Hear from Jim Mora, Joe Fagnano, and more.

UConn Football Week 2 Media Availability - Mora, Parham, Edwards & Honig – The team offers its thoughts on an always-troublesome opponent.

What They’re Saying About UConn Football Week 1 – Major news outlets have moved the Huskies around significantly in their rankings following their big win.

UConn football still has plenty to fix ($) – UConn opened the season with a blowout win, but it has much to prove heading into the Syracuse game. 

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