The Huskies travel to Durham, NC to take on their first of three ACC teams this season.
KICKOFF: 6 p.m.
TV: ACCNX, ESPN+
ANNOUNCERS: Clay Matvick (play-by-play), Steve Addazio (color analyst), Marilyn Payne (sideline)
RADIO: UConn IMG Radio 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 390 (UConn)
ANNOUNCERS: Mike Crispino (play-by-play), Wayne Norman (color analyst), Adam Giardino (sideline)
RECORDS: UConn (1-1), Duke (2-0)
LAST WEEK: UConn crushed Merrimack, 63-17; Duke beat Northwestern, 26-20, in double overtime.
POINT SPREAD: Duke -16 (odds via DraftKings)
O/U: 46.5
SERIES HISTORY: This is just the fourth time these two teams have met on the gridiron with UConn holding a 2-1 advantage in the series. UConn has wins in 2004 and 2007 while Duke has the most recent win in 2023.
PREGAME PRESS CONFERENCE(S): UConn head coach Jim Mora; Duke head coach Manny Diaz
WEATHER FORECAST: Durham, NC
Fun With Numbers
6: After this roadie on Saturday night, UConn will play its next six games at home.
49: Duke brought in an ACC high of 49 transfers for the 2024 season.
624: UConn had a school-record 624 yards of total offense in the win over Merrimack.
30: The Blue Devils are 24-6 in their last 30 non-conference games.
7: The Huskies are 7-25 against teams from the ACC.
28: Jordan Moore of Duke has caught at least one pass in 28 consecutive games.
46: The 46-point margin of victory over Merrimack was the most since a 45-10 win over Memphis in 2013.
4: Texas transfer Maalik Murphy has four touchdown passes in his first two games with the Blue Devils.
105: UConn wide receiver Skyler Bell had his second consecutive 100-yard receiving game with two catches for 105 yards and his first career UConn touchdown.
18: Duke kicker Todd Pelino became the 18th person in Duke school history to score over 150 career points
31.5: Mel Brown is averaging 31.5 yards on four kickoff returns during the first two games for UConn. This places him sixth nationally in FBS.
8.6: TJ Sheffield is averaging 8.6 yards per punt return which is good for the 39th overall in FBS.
What to Watch For
Who Shows Up
Will we see the UConn team that got dominated at Maryland? Or the one that dominated Merrimack? The Huskies need to prove themselves after losing so badly to the Terrapins in Week 1 and to Duke at home last year.
If they get blown out again, it’s further proof that this team is not very improved from before. If they can keep it somewhat close, that will bode well for future prospects.
Jim Mora said he saw signs of offensive life despite the rough Week 1 performance. In Week 2, even though it was an FCS opponent, the way UConn set or tied program records in scoring and touchdown passes bodes well for the future. If the momentum and growth are to continue, then we’ll see a solid performance on Saturday even if Duke has a strong defense.
Who Plays QB?
For the third time in as many years, the Huskies have turned to their backup QB by the second game due to injury. This time at least it’s last year’s Day One starter in Joe Fagnano, who has looked alright in about six quarters of action including the full Merrimack game.
If Fagnano goes, he’ll be the one with the chance to prove that this Husky offense is capable of more than the seven points it managed in College Park. This Duke defense is no joke, however, and may even be stingier than Maryland’s.
Tackling
Jim Mora said after Week 2 that he was still disappointed in the tackling and indicated that it urgently needs to get better. Tackling is often an issue for teams early in a season but for UConn it was an issue all of last year. We’ll see if the new experienced talent plus more experience can lead to improvement on this front for the Huskies.