TIME: 12:o0 PM
TV: CBS Sports Network
ANNOUNCERS: Chris Lewis (play-by-play), Randy Cross (analyst), Richard Johnson (sideline)
RADIO: UConn Sports Network; Varsity Network App; 97.9 Fox Sports, WGCH 1490 AM, WAVZ 1300 AM, WILI 1400 AM and 95.3 FM, WICH 1310 AM and 94.5 FM; Sirius/XM online streaming, XM 383 (UConn)
ANNOUNCERS:
Mike Crispino (play-by-play), Wayne Norman (color analyst), Adam Giardino (sideline)RECORDS: UConn (7-3); Air Force (3-6, 2-4 Mountain West)
LAST WEEK: UConn knocked off Power
Four opponent Duke, 37-34; Air Force beat San Jose State, 26-13, on the road
POINT SPREAD: UConn -7.5 (odds via FanDuel)
O/U: 63.5
SERIES HISTORY: This will be the first time these two teams have met on the gridiron. The Huskies will head out to the Air Force Academy in 2026.
GAME NOTES WITH DEPTH CHART: UConn; Air Force
PREGAME PRESS CONFERENCE(S): UConn head coach Jim Mora; Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun
WEATHER FORECAST: East Hartford, CT
Fun With Numbers
2: Last week’s win over Duke ensures that UConn will finish with a winning record for the second straight season. It’s the first time since the 2007 through 2010 seasons when they won four in a row.
1: UConn is 1-8 against teams from the Mountain West with their only win coming at home in 2022 over Fresno State.
70: The Huskies moved up four spots to 70th in ESPN’s FPI (College Football Power Index) this week. Air Force is 100th.
58: Despite the win over Duke, in ESPN’s SP+ rankings, UConn drops one spot to 58th while the Falcons are ranked 86th.
2,840: Joe Fagnano has thrown for 2,840 yards this season, which ranks him second in FBS. He is third in passing TDs (25), seventh in points responsible for (164), 10th in passing yards per game (284.0), 11th in completions per game (23.6) and passing efficiency (162.4) and 19th in completion percentage (.688). UConn has not had a quarterback pass for over 3,000 yards since Dan Orlovskly in 2003.
1,260: BYU quarterback Liam Szarka has passed for 1,260 yards and nine touchdowns. He leads the Cougars in rushing with 903 yards and 13 touchdowns.
0: Fagnano has also not thrown an interception all season. He has the most pass attempts (343) and passing yards (2,840) without an interception among all quarterbacks in the NCAA. He is the only QB with 300 or more pass attempts without an interception this season. Dating back to last season, he gone 376 passing attempts without an interception while throwing 29 toucdowns in that span.
1,081: Skyler Bell’s 1,081 receiving yards in a season makes him the 11th Husky to achieve the feat and ranks him currently second in FBS. The last to do it was Noel Thomas in 2016. Bell ranks first in the country in catches (85), receptions per game (8.5) and receiving TDs (13), yards per game (108.1) and is seventh in total touchdowns (13).
536: The Cougar’s Cade Harris leads the team in receiving yards with 536 and catches with 31.
7: Bell has now caught a touchdown in seven straight games. UConn has also won seven straight home games heading into the Air Force game.
13: Bell’s 13 touchdown passes breaks the single-season school record which was previously held by Carl Bond, who did it in 1998.
35: The UConn defense has 35 sacks on the season which leads all of FBS. They are ranked fifth in the nation in average sacks per game at 3.5.
10.5: Huskies linebacker Bryun Parham leads the team with 10.5 sacks and ranks third in total sacks (10.5) and seventh sacks per game (1.05). Parham is also the Huskies leading tackler with 96 tackles on the year, ranking 4th, and 14th in tackles per game (9.6). He ranks ninth in tackles for loss, averaging 1.45 per game. He is just 2.5 sacks away from tying the school record of 13 set by Steve Beal (1978) and Mark Michaels (1984).
866: UConn running back Cam Edwards ranks 15th in the country in rushing yards (866) and is 17th in rushing touchdowns (10).
94: Air Force has now rushed for 100 yards in 94 consecutive games. No team has a streak longer than 45 games.
What to watch for
Honoring the Seniors
There are 33 players on the UConn roster listed as either graduate students or seniors, a group that includes QB Joe Fagnano, WRs Skyler Bell, Reymello Murphy and Chris Parker, DBs D’Mon Brinson, Devin Pringle, Tyrece Mills, Malachi McLean, punter Conor Stutz, kicker Chris Freeman, OL Wes Hoeh and Kyle Juergens, tight ends Louis Hansen and Alex Honig, LBs Bryun Parham, Tyquan King, and Amir Renwick, among others. Mel Brown is also listed as a senior, but may redshirt after an injury suffered early in the season.
This senior class group has been through a lot, good times and bad. Even someone like Fagnano, in his third year with the program, has had ups and downs and in his case was not always tabbed as the guy who’d be starting for the Huskies. Others have spent their whole career with UConn, joining a program in the dumps and being part of its rise to stability.
This crew deserves a ton of credit. While the coaches, leadership, and Xs and Os matter, the Jimmys and Joes win games. Let’s hope these guys get the home send-off they deserve before a road game to end the regular season and a bowl appearance to close out the year.
Air Force Can Run
This game can go a lot like the Rice game if UConn does not find a stronger run defense tomorrow. Air Force has the no. 2 rush offense in the country and its triple option attack has been known to give teams fits. The Falcons can also throw the ball a little this year. Sophomore QB Liam Szarka leads the charge; he’s attempted 117 passes with 1,260 yards and nine touchdowns while rushing for a team-high 903 yards as well with 13 rushing touchdowns. Running QBs have also given UConn trouble, so this matchup should strike fear in Husky fans as they look for their team to close out the season strong.
As one of the worst defenses in the Mountain West, Air Force is not stopping anyone. The Huskies’ prolific offense must thrive in order to capture the victory. Rice rushing for 300 yards is why UConn lost that game, but the Husky offense also turtled late, scoring just three points in the second half. The Huskies need to maintain consistency and avoid a letdown after a big win and receiving some national attention for their success.
The Chase
Bell and Fagnano have been high on the statistical leaderboards at their position and rising. Bell is first in the country in receptions and receiving touchdowns and second in yards. Fagnano has a chance to surpass Dan Orlovsky’s program record for single-season passing yards and is second in yards, 18th in completion percentage, and third in touchdowns. Orlovsky has the two best passing seasons by a UConn QB all-time, with the single-season record of 3,485 yards and the second-place mark of 3,354. Fagnano is currently at 2,842 with three games left.
