UConn Daily Digest: Jason Candle & The Fenway Bowl

Look at us, taking an ACC bowl spot and poaching a sitting FBS head coach. Who would've thought?

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Aman Kidwai
December 09, 2025

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Hello, Jason Candle

UConn has a new head football coach, and it seems like a good hire.

Jason Candle comes to UConn after a 10-year stint as Toledo’s head coach. He was an assistant at Toledo for seven years before that, including four seasons as the OC under the now-Penn State head coach Matt Campbell.

Toledo has won eight or more games in each of the last four seasons, including an 11-win effort in 2023, and has never had a losing season under Candle, the winningest coach in school history with an 81-44 record. He’s had a lot of success in recruiting, developing NFL Draft picks, and retaining staff.

Compared to any of UConn’s head coaching hires in the past, this is by far the most accomplished person brought in to lead Husky football.

Jim Mora was out of coaching for five years after being fired at UCLA and had no ties to the Northeast. Randy Edsall had a bad run at Maryland and was doing odd jobs in the NFL before coming back to Storrs. Bob Diaco was a first-time head coach. Paul Pasqualoni was the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive line coach before taking over in 2011.

Nobody else wanted Pasqualoni, Edsall in 2017, or Mora leading their programs. Diaco was a prized hire as a former Broyles Award winner, but still a risk, as we all learned. That man was not ready for senior leadership and has not even been a coordinator since 2020.

This time, UConn brought in a sitting FBS coach with a sterling record who is well-versed in the Huskies’ general recruiting level as well as the intricacies of NIL and the transfer portal. After his introductory press conference on Monday, all signs point to a continuation of momentum for Husky football.

On Sunday, UConn also announced that it would be returning to the Fenway Bowl for the second year in a row as the Huskies go for their 10th win of the season.

Their opponent: the Army Black Knights. This is a program that has reached great heights under Jeff Monken, winning 12 games last year and 9+ games four times between 2017 and 2021.

UConn is 5-4 all-time against Army, losing the first matchup in 1979 before winning the first four meetings as an FBS program. The Black Knights have won three of the last four in this series, including a win at West Point in Jim Mora’s first season.

This year, they’re 6-5 after starting the season with a loss to FCS Tarleton State. They turned around the next week and upset Kansas State, 24-21, and have also defeated the two opponents they share with UConn: Air Force and UAB.

Some of their losses are more excusable than others; aside from Tarleton and a recent loss to Tulsa, they also lost to quality AAC teams in North Texas, East Carolina, and Tulane.

We’ll have more on the matchup ahead of the Dec 27th kick-off at 2:15 p.m. from Fenway Park in Boston. The assignment seems to have drawn mixed reviews from the fanbase.

Another Big Day in The Big Apple

Poised to be a Final Four contender but still working to get healthy, UConn men’s basketball is seeking revenge against No. 18 Florida in Madison Square Garden tonight.  

With a 5-3 record, the Gators are looking to get their season back on track, having lost two of their last three games. Florida suffered a loss to KenPom No. 56 TCU in an MTE over Thanksgiving and most recently lost a nail-biter to No. 3 Duke last Tuesday. The reigning national champs rank No. 18 in the most recent AP Poll, No. 14 in KenPom, and No. 22 in NET ratings, a nod to the respect for the roster and coaching staff at Florida.

Tipoff is slated for 9 p.m. on ESPN.

Tarris Reed Jr. is once again a game-time decision. He has not played in two straight games but was a full participant in practice twice this week. While Eric Reibe has filled in wonderfully, there is no doubting the value the Michigan transfer brings to this roster. 

With Reed, UConn (8-1) may have a better chance on the glass. Florida boasts one of the best frontcourts in the nation with Rueben Chinyelu and Alex Condon, who average over 20 boards per game combined. Arizona dominated UConn on the boards and in the paint in the team’s only loss. Every bit will be helpful tonight. 

Texas, net rating No. 77, rounds out UConn’s non-conference slate, leaving Tuesday as the Huskies’ last major chance to add a marquee win before league play, which may not offer as many Quad 1 or 2 games as we’d like. 

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Men’s Hockey Rights the Ship

Since we last checked in with Mike Cavanaugh’s squad, the Huskies were struggling and posting some disappointing results, like the tie to Stonehill.

This past weekend, the Huskies excelled against Merrimack, skating to a shutout win on Friday and an overpowering win on Saturday.

On Friday, Kaden Shahan, Alexandre Blais, and Jake Richard all found the back of the net while Tyler Muszelik continued his incredible play with 19 saves, recording his first shutout of the year. Shahan’s goal marked his fourth in five games as the sophomore has really found his stride recently. On Saturday, five different Huskies scored as UConn matched its second-highest goal total of the season. 

The Huskies rode into winter break on a win streak, sitting at 9-5-3 on the year and 7-3-1 in Hockey East play, retaining first place in the conference standings.

Currently ranked No. 12 in the USCHO poll and No. 20 in NPI, the Huskies could get a small boost after an impressive weekend. For the cherry on top, Cavanaugh picked up another recruit with ‘05 forward Carter Sproule, who will join the team next season.

They return to action on New Year’s Eve with a 2 p.m. matchup at home against LIU.

Women’s Hockey Rising at the Break

Chris MacKenzie’s squad is also entering the break with momentum, going unbeaten in its last six games.

Now 13-3-2 on the year (6-1-1 Hockey East), the Huskies came in at No. 6 in the most recent USCHO poll and No. 5 in NPI, their highest ranking of the year thus far in both.  

Last weekend, the Huskies hosted the Nutmeg Classic, defeating No. 9 Quinnipiac 4-3 and No. 15 Yale 3-2 to win the championship. With bragging rights secured as the best team in Connecticut, the Huskies moved their focus to BU this past weekend. The two tied in Storrs before UConn won in Boston to claim the series.

UConn sits tied for fourth in Hockey East, with a good chance to move up. The Huskies have played eight conference games while four other teams have 10 games under their belt and all others have 12. 

The Huskies’ next game is at Providence for the start of a home-and-home series on Jan. 2nd.

Controversy in men’s soccer season-ending loss

As UConn trailed No. 4 Maryland 2-0 in the second half of its NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game Saturday, a pivotal moment proved costly. 

Senior Austin Brummett elevated to attempt to win a header, colliding with Maryland defender Lasse Kelp. Brummett’s elbow connected with the Kelp’s head, and after VAR review, UConn’s leading scorer on the season (10 goals) was shown a red card and sent off for violent conduct. 

The collision sparked a small skirmish, though it quickly fizzled, and an irate Chris Gbandi watched on as Brummett trotted off. 

The Huskies played the remainder of the match without their top scorer. They ended up falling 3-0, marking the first time they were shut out in a loss all season (twice they tied 0-0), which ended with a final record of 12-5-4.

Weekly Rewind

Men’s Basketball 

UConn men’s basketball remains at No. 5 in AP Top 25 – Meanwhile, Arizona reclaimed the No. 1 spot.

No. 5 UConn men’s basketball takes down East Texas A&M, 83-59 – Solo Ball scored a team-high 14 points.

Takeaways: Huskies finally conquer Kansas – Making sense of UConn’s first win over the Jayhawks.

Fab Freshman Help No. 5 UConn Hold Off No. 21 Kansas 61-56 – Braylon Mullins and Eric Reibe combined for 29 points as the Huskies held on at Allen Fieldhouse. 

Husky ReView: Kansas (12/2/25) – What do the stats and film say about UConn’s huge road win over Kansas?

UConn Takes Down Illinois at MSG, 74-61 – UConn led the entire way at MSG and Braylon Mullins made his collegiate debut. 

Husky ReView: Illinois (11/28/25) ($) – Breaking down the most important stats and film from the win on Black Friday. 

UConn is Standing Tall Against the Nation’s Best ($) – UConn set, and conquered, one of the most difficult non-conference slates in the nation. 

Women’s Basketball

UConn women’s basketball dismantles DePaul, 102-35 – It is the third time this season the Huskies recorded 100 points in a win. 

UConn women’s basketball smokes USF, 85-51 – The Huskies led wire-to-wire in a blowout victory. 

Shade, Ziebell lead UConn to breakout day from deep ($) – The Huskies set new season highs from beyond the arc. 

Weekly: How revenue sharing is changing the way UConn builds its schedule – The days of traveling to the Caribbean for Thanksgiving or Europe over the summer are likely over.

Chasing Perfection: Getting different perspectives on UConn – CT Insider’s Maggie Vanoni and the Hartford Courant’s Emily Adams join the podcast. 

Sue Bird’s legacy shines bright at UConn jersey retirement – As No. 10 heads to the rafters, Geno Auriemma and Sue Bird reflect on a legendary career. 

Football

UConn football to play in Fenway Bowl against Army – The Huskies return to Yawkee Way for the second straight year. 

SC Special Report: UConn Football Hires Jason Candle – Graham Chamberlain and Aman Kidwai dive into the newest hire and how he can reshape the program’s future. 

Where UConn’s 2025 Recruiting Class Stands after Mora’s Departure – What was once a promising class has since begun to fall apart. 

Hockey

Former UConn interim coach David Berard not surprised by program’s success ($) – The current Stonehill coach had great things to say about his prior squad. 

UConn shuts out Merrimack, 3-0 – Tyler Muszelik stopped all 19 shots as Alexandre Blais, Kaden Shahan, and Jake Richard tallied scores. 

UConn finishes off sweep over Merrimack with 5-2 win – UConn sweeps the regular season series over the Warriors. 

UConn heads into winter break on a high note with sweep of Merrimack ($) – After a loss to UNH and a tie with Stonehill, the Huskies got back in the win column. 

UConn men’s hockey lands commitment from ‘05 forward Carter Sproule – The Grand Forks, North Dakota native is the current captain of the NAHL’s Watertown Shamrocks and will join the Huskies next season

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