UConn football pulled off a big upset Saturday, beating a Duke team that had bested them in each of the last two seasons and was favored by 10 points after beating Clemson last week, 37-34.
It was a competitive
game in the first half and an absolute barnburner in the second, as every possession in the third and fourth quarter besides the deciding one ended with a score. Jim Mora’s squad came out on top thanks to a 75-yard touchdown drive that ended with a pass up the sideline from Joe Fagnano to Skyler Bell for their second TD connection of the day.
Fagnano finished with 311 passing yards as he completed 69 percent of his 39 attempts with three touchdowns. Bell is up to 1,081 receiving yards on the season and a remarkable 13 touchdowns. Fagnano maintained his interception-free streak, now at 11 games going back to last year, to go with his 25 passing TDs on the season. He also scrambled for a two-point conversion after the touchdown to Bell, with 1:58 left, to push the Huskies’ lead to three.
On Duke’s final drive, Bryun Parham knocked the ball out of quarterback Darian Mensah’s hands to force a game-sealing fumble. The Huskies improve to 7-3 with two regular-season games and a bowl (most likely) left to play.
In the early going, it looked like the visitors might cruise to victory. UConn started off going three-and-out and with good field position Duke made it to the end zone in three simple plays to take an early 7-0 lead.
But UConn responded to that touchdown, and another Duke touchdown, with touchdowns of their own. The offense was mixing it up and trying some trickery with mixed results. A jet sweep to the little-used Terrence Smith helped get their first touchdown drive going before Fagnano found Juice Vereen for a 10-yard touchdown pass to tie the game.
A tipped Mensah pass was picked off by Parham to set up a UConn field goal. After a Duke touchdown made it 14-10, Fagnano hit Bell for their first TD of the day to cap off a 12-play drive that saw a screen and a short pass to Cam Edwards go for 33 combined yards. Mensah threw another interception to let the Huskies put three more on the board and take a 20-14 lead into halftime.
Duke opened the third quarter with a touchdown and UConn responded with a field goal to pull ahead, 23-21. The two teams traded touchdown drives, as Edwards’ rushing touchdown with 10:58 left made it 29-28 after the Huskies’ two-point conversion attempt failed. That drive stayed alive thanks to a fake punt on 4th & 9 from the UConn 34; Alex Honig took a direct snap and ran it 26 yards into Blue Devil territory.
Mensah hit Jeremiah Hasley for a go-ahead touchdown to put the visitors ahead 34-29 after their two-point conversion fell incomplete.
The Huskies got the ball back with 5:34 left, getting two first downs after completions to Bell and Reymello Murphy, who hauled in a team-high 110 receiving yards on five receptions.
On the ensuing first down, Edwards was stopped for a four-yard loss. After an incompletion on 3rd & 14, Fagnano hit Vereen for nine yards and then found him again on an in route on 4th & 5 to keep the drive going. On the next play, Fagnano hit Bell for what would be the game-winning touchdown.
Now at 7-3, UConn has a realistic shot at a 10-win season with Air Force visiting the Rent next week and a road game at FAU to end the regular season. They’ll kick off next week from East Hartford at noon and the game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
