EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — UConn football has a winning record through five games for the first time since 2012 and looks to build on its momentum against the Temple Owls Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
The game will be the Huskies' third in a row at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. UConn is 3-0 this season at home, outscoring Merrimack, Florida Atlantic and Buffalo by a combined 158-37. UConn is in the middle of a six-game homestand.
Last week’s dominant 47-3 victory over Buffalo was unexpected as the Bulls were fresh off beating No. 23 Northern Illinois on the road in overtime. On a day where nearly everything went right for the Huskies, one thing went wrong, as starting quarterback Nick Evers left with an injury in the second quarter.
Backup quarterback Joe Fagnano followed up his five-touchdown day against Merrimack right where he left off, throwing three touchdowns for 217 yards on 11 completions, as the Huskies separated from Buffalo. All three touchdown throws were to wide receiver Skyler Bell, who finished with 153 receiving yards.
It remains to be seen whether Evers or Fagnano will start on Saturday versus Temple. Earlier in the week, Hartford Courant writer Joe Arruda reported that Evers practiced, and head coach Jim Mora said he “looks good.”
Mora wasn’t willing to announce who will be playing on Saturday, however. According to Arruda, Mora said he needed to evaluate practice on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to determine who will be taking the snaps.
Saturday’s meeting between UConn and Temple will be their 21st matchup, according to the UConn Athletic Department. It will be the first time they play since Temple won 49-17 in UConn’s final game in the American Athletic Conference in 2019. The two teams have split the last six games they’ve played in East Hartford.
Temple will surely be preparing for UConn’s ground game, led by an offensive line that is emerging as one of the best in the country. Last Saturday, the Huskies rushed for 257 yards, led by a 97-yard performance from running back Cam Edwards. Over the past two games, UConn has scored 95 points, the most in program history during consecutive games against FBS opponents.
The defense shined as well against Buffalo, holding the Bulls to only three points and 198 total yards, both season lows.
A win for UConn would put them at 4-2 for the first time since 2009, but Temple will try to prevent the Huskies from matching that mark.
Temple is coming off a 42-14 home loss to Army last week. Their only win of the season came two weeks ago against Utah State, 45-29 at home.
The scouting report provided by the UConn Athletic Department said the Owls struggle both running the ball and stopping the run. Temple has averaged just 81.6 rushing yards in 2024, ranked 123rd in the country. Meanwhile, they’ve allowed 260.2 yards on the ground per contest, which ranks 132nd in the nation.
However, Temple has defended the pass with efficiency, allowing only 147.6 yards per game, good enough for 12th in the country. They are also the ninth least penalized team in the nation, averaging only 34.4 penalty yards per game.
Temple quarterback Evan Simon can be explosive, having thrown for 680 yards and nine touchdowns in 2024. Against Utah State, he threw for 271 yards, five touchdowns and rushed for another. Simon has most frequently targeted wide receiver Dante Wright, who has 34 catches for 450 yards and four touchdowns.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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