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UConn Daily Digest: The Road to Buffalo
Football won, Basketball practice has started, and a lot going on for Hockey too.
Aman Kidwai
September 26, 2025
Welcome to this week’s UConn Daily Digest, and thank you for being a subscriber. Just 24 days until the first basketball exhibitions…
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Photo: Ian Bethune
Headlines
Football faces measuring-stick moment at Buffalo
After two straight losses on the road in overtime, a win over Ball State evened UConn’s record. But concerns remain about the path forward if the Huskies are going to be an 8-win team or better. They face a big test on Saturday.
After a win where the Huskies led the whole way but struggled to put the game away, Jim Mora’s squad is heading to Buffalo. The Bulls should be a slight improvement from the caliber of opponent that Ball State was, and may be stronger than Delaware, at least defensively.
Last year, these two teams met at the Rent with the Huskies winning handily, 47-3. Some things have changed for both teams since then, but they each tallied nine wins by the end of 2024 and head into this Saturday’s matchup with identical 2-2 records.
Buffalo’s starting quarterback has been former Husky Ta’Quan Roberson, though his status for Saturday is doubtful after he exited last week’s loss to Troy with a foot injury. With UConn, Roberson suffered a season-ending injury in 2022 before returning to play in 11 games in 2023. He transferred out after the arrival of experienced transfers Joe Fagnano and Nick Evers. Another former Husky, receiver Jasiah Gaithings, is on the Bulls’ roster, with 11 receptions on the season.
The Huskies have much to improve on if they want to improve to 3-2. Buffalo is tied for first in the nation in sacks, which means the Husky offensive front must come ready to protect Fagnano as he tries to overcome some of his own early-season woes. UConn is also looking for offensive playmakers beyond Skyler Bell and Cam Edwards to step up. The best candidates so far are Victor Rosa, John Neider, and Reymello Murphy, but none of them have shown up consistently.
“We’re not pleased with where we are with the downfield throws… We missed three (last) Saturday,” Jim Mora said in his Week 5 media availability. “We've worked really hard to be on the same page with our quarterback and our receivers…I think as that piles up, you'll see us become more consistent in that area.”
Defensively, UConn will have to stop Al-Jay Henderson out of the Buffalo backfield. The Huskies have struggled to limit big run plays, as seen most prominently in the loss to Delaware and its backup QB. Henderson rushed for over 1,000 yards last season and has eclipsed a quarter of that mark already in 2025 through his first four games. He can also prove to be a threat in the passing game, hauling in 13 receptions for 115 yards.
Kick-off is at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN+
Photo: Ian Bethune
Women’s and men’s basketball hold first official practices
We had the chance to catch up with both Husky hoops squads as they held their first practices of the 2025-26 season.
“It was good to get that first one under the belt,” Dan Hurley said after practice on Tuesday. “For the players, [they’ve] got, like, a hundred more of those at that intensity level. So they got that to look forward to.”
He cracked a smile when he said it, but there is no kidding around in Dan Hurley’s attitude toward this upcoming season. Given the disappointment of last year, he knew he had to go out and find players who better fit his style of basketball. He also maxed out his roster with two new additions in the fall.
“You really like having the 15-player roster,” he said. “Just gives us an ability to practice to the max, then keep the team fresh. Hopefully, that will be a big advantage, especially for the way we practice.”
The early-season practices, as Hurley said, are much more defensively focused. He and his staff are emphatically looking to see improvements on that side of the ball.
“We struggled mightily on the perimeter last year…With the exception of a healthy Hassan (Diarra), we didn’t get what we needed from anyone defensively on the perimeter,” he said. “And that’s including guys who were productive on offense.”
Hurley went on to praise Silas Demary Jr.’s size and defensive strength and mentioned Malachi Smith’s on-ball pressure. He noted Braylon Mullins’ physicality and defensive upside while adding that returners like Solo Ball, Jaylen Stewart, and Jayden Ross have all made strides to improve their perimeter defensive skills.
The women’s team held a public practice at Sacred Heart University last week. Daniel Connolly has the full breakdown on the UConn WBB Weekly:
Busy week for men’s hockey
UConn men’s hockey landed at no. 10 in the first USCHO poll of the season Monday, three spots down from their final ranking last year after their overtime loss to Penn State in the Allentown Regional final.
The next day, it was announced that UConn would be traveling to Belfast, Northern Ireland, to compete in the 2026-27 rendition of the Friendship Four. The Huskies have a score to settle at SSE Arena, where they first battled for the Belpot trophy during the 2018-19 season, finishing last in the four-team field. This time around, UConn will be joined by a fellow Hockey East team in Providence as well as the ECAC’s Colgate and NCHC’s Minnesota Duluth.
On Wednesday, the team landed a commitment from defenseman Carl-Otto Magnusson. The Gotenborg, Sweden native will join the team next season, and recently received an invite to the Detroit Red Wings’ training camp, though he was released last Saturday.
The Huskies’ season starts one week from today when they take on Colorado College in a weekend set. Puck drop is slated for 9 p.m. Friday night.
Women’s hockey opened its season with an exhibition at Quinnipiac this past weekend. We have a season preview podcast for that team here.
Men’s soccer breaks into national rankings
UConn men’s soccer exploded out of the gate in 2025. Despite being picked to finish fourth out of six in the East Division of the Big East, UConn went undefeated through its first nine games, 6-0-3.
On Monday, the Huskies were rewarded with a spot in the United Soccer Coaches Men’s Top 25, at No. 22 team in the country. This came off the heels of a decisive 3-1 conference win over then-No. 19 Akron, picked to finish first in the Midwest Division of the Big East.
The schedule did not get much easier for UConn, which went on to play No. 14 Bryant on Tuesday night. Four goals from Bryant’s offense marked the most UConn had allowed in a game all season as the Huskies fell 4-1, their first loss of the year.
At 1-0 in the Big East, UConn still has an early, bright path to the conference tournament, with even higher hopes of an NCAA Tournament berth. They will look to rebound against Villanova in their next game at 6 p.m. Saturday at home.
Weekly Rewind
Men’s Basketball
Junior County Prospect Profile (9/26 Official Visit) ($) – The four-star guard from Utah is heading east for a visit to UConn.
Preseason Media Availability - Hurley, Ball, Reed, Smith & Karaban – The Huskies spoke after their first official practice on Monday.
Tom Moore Live Q&A (Varsity) ($) – UConn men’s basketball’s general manager connected directly with Varsity subscribers for a live Q&A.
Samson Johnson on Exhibit 10 with Indiana - Johnson will join the G League team in Bloomington.
Women’s Basketball
Notes and observations from UConn’s open practice and scrimmage ($) – Saturday revealed some key insight into the Huskies’ rotation and more.
Blanca Quiñonez remains UConn’s intriguing mystery – Quiñonez was limited in Saturday’s open practice.
Chasing Perfection: First look at the Huskies – Thoughts after UConn’s open practice at Sacred Heart.
Weekly: Breaking down UConn’s full 2025-26 schedule – Everything you need to know about the upcoming season.
UConn women’s basketball’s trip to USF moved to Dec. 2 – The Huskies’ trip to Florida will come one day earlier.
Football
UConn Holds On To Beat State, 31-25 – UConn led all game to secure its first FBS win of the year.
Photo gallery: Ball State Cardinals @ UConn Huskies football - 9/20/25 – Relive UConn’s Week 4 win at Rentschler Field.
SC Postgame Report: Huskies Bounce Back With Win vs. Ball State – All the analysis you need following UConn’s big Week 4 win.
UConn vs Ball State Postgame Media Availability - 9.20.25 – Jim Mora, Skyler Bell, and Tyquan King all shared their thoughts following the win.
Beyond the Box Score: PFF Grades Week 4 - Ball State ($) – UConn’s lowest-rated game of the season still yielded a win.
Week 5 Media Availability (Mora, Fagnano & Neider) – Former walk-on John Neider takes the podium alongside his head coach and quarterback.
UConn Still Finding Its Way After Four Weeks – Some key improvements needed on both sides of the ball.
UConn football vs. Buffalo: TV info, point spread, what to watch for – Everything you need to know ahead of UConn’s matchup with Buffalo this Saturday.
Hockey
Podcast: Breaking down UConn men’s hockey roster player-by-player ($) – Meet the new and returning faces for this season’s #IceBus.
UConn ranked No. 10 in USCHO Preseason Poll – UConn cracks the top 10 in its first preseason poll appearance in program history.
UConn to play in 2026 Friendship Four – The Huskies will join Providence, Colgate, and Minnesota Duluth across the pond.
UConn lands ‘06 defenseman Carl-Otto Magnusson – Magnusson is set to join UConn’s roster next fall.
UConn not worried about letdown after historic season: ‘We’re a lot hungrier’ – The Huskies look to build on last year’s breakthrough success.
Podcast: UConn women’s hockey season preview – UConn looks to return to the NCAA Tournament with 2025-26 on deck.
Soccer
Photo gallery: St. John’s Red Storm @ UConn Huskies women’s soccer - 9/20/25 – Women’s soccer is 1-0 start to Big East play.
Photo gallery: No. 14 Bryant @ No. 22 UConn Huskies’ men’s soccer - 9/23/25 – Ian Bethune captures all the action in this visual recap of UConn’s first loss of the season.
Volleyball
Photo gallery: Brown Bears @ UConn Huskies women’s volleyball - 9/19/25 – The Huskies swept the Bears in straight sets.
Photo gallery: Sacred Heart Pioneers @ UConn Huskies women’s volleyball - 9/21/25 – The Huskies improved to 11-1 in dominant fashion.
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