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UConn Daily Digest: We Are The Everything School
Football, basketball, hockey (ice and field), soccer, all doing great things!
Aman Kidwai
November 14, 2025
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Welcome to this week’s UConn Daily, and thank you for being a subscriber. Have you voted Skyler Bell for the Biletnikoff Award today?
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Headlines
Best UConn football offense…ever?
UConn is likely to end the 2025 season with the most prolific offense in the program’s FBS era. After a big win over Duke, the Huskies are a team that’s, surprisingly, stronger offensively than defensively.
ESPN’s SP+ efficiency rankings have UConn as the 41st-best offense in the country (58th Overall, 81st Defense), which would be a high mark for the program if that’s where it ends. This is thanks to the passing attack — not since Dan Orlovsky has a UConn passer lit it up through the air the way Joe Fagnano is right now.
The former Maine transfer from Williamsport, PA, has completed 68.8% of his passes for 2,845 yards and 25 touchdowns with no interceptions. He’s 10th in the country in QB rating, 18th in completion percentage, second in yards, and third in touchdowns.
Storrs Central previously covered how rare it has been for the program to have strong passing numbers:
“The Huskies haven’t had a QB finish in the top 75 in passing yards since Bryant Shireffs threw for 2,287 in 2017. They’ve only had two QBs finish in the top 100 in the last six years…The last double-digit yards-per-attempt outing by a QB in an FBS game before this season was 11.3 by Jack Zergiotis against East Carolina in 2019.
In 2023, the best passing performance in a competitive contest was Ta’quan Roberson’s 23 of 32 attempts for 255 yards and two touchdowns in the loss to Utah State… UConn didn’t have a passer over 200 yards in 2022 and only eclipsed that mark twice, in losses, in 2021.”
Orlovsky holds the Huskies’ two highest single-season passing totals at 3,485 and 3,354 yards in his junior and senior seasons, respectively, at 12 games each. With three games left, at his current pace through 10 games, Fagnano would hit 3,694 yards.
Bell is in the hunt for the college football receiving triple crown, something that has been done just four times, including by Michael Crabtree in 2007 and DeVonta Smith in 2020. Bell currently ranks first in receptions (85) and touchdowns (13), and second in yards (1,131), a mere 43 behind Cam Cook of Jacksonville State.
Even if he can’t reach the triple crown, the Bronx native is a strong candidate for the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the country’s top receiver. CBS Sports national reporter Richard Johnson said he has Bell penciled in as his Biletnikoff pick.
Only 48 yards separate Bell from second place in UConn’s single-season record book, which would put him ahead of Noel Thomas’ 1,179-yard 2016 season, the top FBS mark. Mark Didio holds the record with 1,354 yards, set in 1991.
UConn will host Air Force this Saturday and Florida Atlantic on the road to close out the regular season. Both remaining opponents are ranked outside the top 100 in ESPN’s College FPI rankings, giving Fagnano, Bell, and the Huskies a chance to cap off their incredible seasons with a bang as they make the push for 10 wins.
The Huskies will be honoring 37 seniors on Saturday, with kick-off at noon and Senior Day festivities starting at 11:30 at the Rent.
Tarris Reed Jr. is so back
Dan Hurley said it himself — this UConn men’s basketball team is not whole without its big man, Tarris Reed Jr.
The Huskies missed Reed for both preseason exhibitions and the season opener against New Haven, making his season debut on Friday against UMass Lowell.
He made his presence felt immediately, putting up monster numbers as UConn notched two wins against low-tier competition:
UMass Lowell: 20 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 assists in 17 minutes
Columbia: 19 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 3 steals, 1 assist in 25 minutes
Reed said postgame that Friday “was a good step forward” in his injury recovery. He’s off the minutes restriction now and expected to take on a leading role in the team’s strategy.
Hurley, who said after the season opener that Reed’s presence would “solve a lot of offensive issues,” was pleased to have his starting center back in the fold. “He makes a difference on both ends (and) on the backboard.”
UConn decimated UMass Lowell, leading 47-5 before allowing the visitors to hit their first field goal. The Huskies’ 47-point halftime lead was the largest in program history. They didn’t have any trouble dispatching Columbia in their final tune-up before a challenging stretch of six top-40 KenPom opponents in eight games, including five in the top 26.
Up next, they’ve got No. 7 BYU on Saturday in Boston’s TD Garden before hosting Arizona on Wednesday at Gampel Pavilion.
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Women’s basketball keeps cruising
UConn women’s basketball is 3-0 after rolling through Florida State and Loyola Chicago this past week. The Huskies have won 19 straight games dating back to last season.
Kayleigh Heckel notched another double-digit scoring night Sunday against USC. Her 12 points were the third-most on the team behind Fudd and Strong. She also excelled defensively, with six steals against the Seminoles and another three against Loyola Chicago.
Sustained production from UConn’s bench bodes well for a championship repeat. The Huskies continue that quest Sunday against Ohio State in their first game at PeoplesBank Arena.
Who will step up if Joey Muldowney doesn’t play?
UConn men’s hockey is in a bind.
After suffering an upper-body injury Friday against Providence, Joey Muldowney missed Saturday’s game and is questionable to play this weekend against Northeastern, with his status “day-to-day,” per head coach Mike Cavanaugh. The team has been hit hard by the injury bug. Carlin Dezainde had to dress despite a doubtful status.
UConn needs to bring its A-game this weekend against No. 11 Northeastern and arguably the nation’s best goaltender in junior Lawton Zacher, who boasts a .956 save percentage, 1.38 goals against average, and three shutouts in eight games. He ranks top-five nationally in those three categories, including a tie for first in shutouts.
Without Muldowney, the team leader in points last year, who is going to step up?
The easy answers are Jake Richard and Mike Murtagh, the team’s top two in points, respectively. Richard has mostly set up scoring chances, with two goals and six assists, while Murtagh has broken out in his sophomore season with seven points in 10 games after just one point in 29 games last year.
Ryan Tattle is an interesting case to supply some much-needed scoring. The senior forward leads the team in shots (40) despite just three goals on the year after scoring a career-high 18 goals last season. The same goes for Jake Percival, who has yet to find the back of the net this season after doing so nine times last season.
Women’s hockey splits with BC
Women’s ice hockey’s seven-game unbeaten streak came to an end this weekend in a series split with Boston College. The Huskies went north to Chestnut Hill and grinded out a 3-1 win before losing at Toscano Family Ice Forum 2-1.
Goals from Claire Murdoch, Sadie Hotles, and an empty-netter from Kyla Josifovic sealed Friday’s win, while Martha Mobarak found the back of the net in Saturday’s loss.
Now at 8-3-1 on the year, UConn dropped from its No. 8 spot in the USCHO poll to No. 9, just between St. Cloud State and Northeastern. They play next on Nov. 21 and 22 in a weekend series against Vermont at Toscano Family Ice Forum.
Fall sports roundup
The women’s soccer season has ended after a 7-0 defeat to Xavier in the Big East semifinals last weekend. UConn did not earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Men’s soccer’s tournament chances greatly improved Thursday with a win over No. 19 Akron in the Big East semifinals. The Huskies raised their RPI and will compete for the Big East title Sunday against Georgetown. A win secures an automatic bid in the 48-team field, while a loss or tie leaves the team hoping for one of the 26 at-large bids. The upset over higher-ranked Akron, RPI No. 8, helps bolster that case.
Field hockey just beat Wake Forest, 2-0, in the NCAA Tournament. They will face 3-seeded Harvard at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Volleyball is 18-8 (7-7 Big East) with two games left in the regular season. The Huskies will face Villanova and Georgetown on the road this weekend, needing to win out and get some help to make the conference tournament, starting on Nov. 22.
Weekly Rewind
Men’s Basketball
UConn Demolishes UMass Lowell as Reed Jr. Returns – The big man played just 17 minutes but stuffed the sheet in his return.
Husky ReView: UMass Lowell (11/7/25) ($) – An in-depth look at one of UConn’s most dominant wins ever.
UConn men’s basketball rises to No. 3 in AP Top 25 – The Huskies gain one spot.
Husky ReView: Columbia (11/10/25) ($) – What do the film and stats tell us?
UConn Topples Columbia, 89-62 – The Huskies overcame a sluggish start to come out on top.
Women’s Basketball
UConn women’s basketball signs 2026 post Olivia Vukosa - Signing Day has come for the regional prospect.
How UConn is approaching its quest to win back-to-back national championships –The Huskies have all the tools to do it again.
Weekly: How Blanca Quiñonez ended up at UConn - The now-freshman never planned to play college basketball until she finally discovered the NCAA Tournament.
Football
UConn football tops Duke, 37-34 – UConn forced three turnovers and outgained Duke 467-390.
UConn Upsets Duke, 37-34 – Another impressive day for Joe Fagnano.
SC Postgame Report: UConn Defeats Duke 37-34 – Discussion after the huge win.
Beyond the Box Score: PFF Grades - Duke ($) – How did UConn grade out?
Hockey
No. 11 UConn downed by No. 15 Providence, 4-1 – The Huskies suffered their worst loss of the season.
UConn rides third-period comeback to 2-2 tie, shootout win against No. 15 Providence – The Huskies erased a two-goal lead to steal two points on the road.
How a change in attitude sparked UConn's third-period comeback: 'Let's just go play' ($) – The Huskies mounted a late comeback to flip a would-be weekend sweep into a 2-2 tie and shootout victory.
Soccer
UConn men’s soccer earns No. 3 seed in Big East Championship – The Huskies upset No. 21 Seton Hall to earn their spot in the conference postseason.
UConn men’s soccer places six on All-Big East Teams – Sabri Hanni garners All-Big East First Team recognition
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