The Huskies welcome FAU to open up six straight games at the Rent.
KICKOFF: 7 p.m.
TV: CBS Sports Network
ANNOUNCERS: Jordan Kent (play-by-play), Logan Ryan (color analyst), Keiana Martin (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 387 (UConn)
ANNOUNCERS: Mike Crispino (play-by-play), Wayne Norman (color analyst), Adam Giardino (sideline)
RECORDS: UConn (1-2), FAU (1-2)
LAST WEEK: UConn couldn’t hold off Duke in a 26-21 loss; FAU picked up its first win of the season in the Shula Bowl over FIU, 38-20.
POINT SPREAD: UConn -1.5 (odds via DraftKings)
O/U: 45.5
SERIES HISTORY: This is just the second time the Huskies and Owls have met on the gridiron. They met back in 2002 when UConn crushed them, 61-14, on campus at Memorial Stadium.
PREGAME PRESS CONFERENCE(S): UConn head coach Jim Mora; FAU head coach Tom Herman
WEATHER FORECAST: East Hartford, CT
Fun With Numbers
6: Including Saturday night’s game, UConn will play its next six games at the friendly confines of Rentschler Field.
37°: In their only meeting in 2002, the game-time temperature was 37° which still goes down as the coldest game FAU has ever played in.
106: Huskies running back Cam Edwards rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown against Duke. It was the third 100-yard rushing game of his career.
124: If the Owls can beat the Huskies on Saturday night, it would be just the 124th win in program history.
1: UConn is just 1-3 against teams from the American since leaving to become an independent. The win came in 2023 against Rice. This is the first of three games against their former conference this season.
0: Florida Atlantic hss done a tremendous job holding on to the ball as they have not lost a fumble yet. This puts them No. 1 nationally.
416: The Huskies are averaging 416 yards of total offense per game in 2024.
2.0: The Owls are No. 7 nationally with a 2.0 turnover margin.
5: UConn has converted 5-of-6 opportunities in the red zone this season; all touchdowns.
20: FAU true freshman linebacker CJ Heard leads all freshman nationally with 20 tackles. He also is ranked No. 1 nationally with two fumble recoveries.
4: Four Huskies posted new career-highs in tackles in the loss to Duke in D’Mon Brinson (8), Jack Barton (7), Jordan Wright (6) and Donovan Branch (4) while Tui Faumuina-Brown (12) and Jelani Stafford (7) both matched their career-highs.
What to Watch For
Evers’ Progression
Will the UConn offense take a step forward under Nick Evers. Though his stats through two starts are modest, both of those opponents had a marked talent advantage over the Huskies. Against FAU, the offense should have more breathing room. They should get Cam Edwards going to take some pressure off Evers and the passing game but also Skyler Bell, TJ Sheffield, and the pass-catchers should be in a position to make plays too. FAU is no slouch defensively, however. It will be a step down from Duke, but the Owls are 60th in defensive success rate nationally and appear to be stronger in pass defense. The Huskies may have to rely on the running game in this one and let Evers manage it in order to win.
Tackling
The Huskies’ tackling and overall effort looked a lot stronger last week against Duke. If that kind of stoutness can continue, they should keep FAU’s offense relatively in check. They let up eight plays over 20 yards against Duke, but nothing too explosive, the longest was 45 and the next-longest was 36 yards and the rest were in the twenties.
This is going to be the key for UConn. Like the Duke game, a defensive touchdown would help but really winning the turnover battle and staying stout in the red zone will be crucial for the victory effort on Saturday.
Composure
How will UConn handle adversity? Will the Huskies close a game out if they have a chance? Can they avoid getting off to a horrid start in a pseudo-must-win game?
With a win, the Huskies’ bowl hopes start to feel feasible. If they’re going to win six games this season, it’d be smart to get on the board with an FBS win against a rebuilding opponent that isn’t anything special.