EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — Another season of UConn football at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field is coming to pass as the team suits up for its home finale Friday at 7 p.m. against Georgia State on CBS Sports Network.
Unlike recent seasons, however, the excitement on Senior Night is palpable. The 5-3 Huskies are one win away from clinching bowl eligibility. They’ll have four opportunities to earn that sixth win, but it would be ultra special for the senior class to accomplish the feat on their home turf.
The two programs are meeting for the first time ever, following a dominant 35-14 Georgia State victory last fall in Atlanta. The Panthers led that game 28-0 in the fourth quarter. UConn hopes to return the favor this year on its homefield, where the Huskies are 5-1 on the season.
Last week, UConn overcame a slow start and a scoreless first half against Rice by ultimately securing a 17-10 victory. The defense made a statement, as it has all season, allowing only 178 yards to the Owls, a season best performance. Rice threw for only 88 yards in the game and fired seventh-year head coach Mike Bloomgren when the team returned to Texas.
Against Rice, UConn forced eight three-and-outs, 11 punts and held the Owls to only two third-down conversions the entire game. The UConn defense now ranks second in the country in third-down conversion percentage. The Huskies also collected nine tackles for a loss, two sacks and 11 pass breakups, according to a release from UConn Athletics.
The offense struggled against Rice, as quarterback Nick Evers failed to move the ball down the field with consistency. He was bailed out by his running backs, beginning with a 68-yeard third-quarter touchdown run by Durrell Robinson in the third quarter to give UConn the 7-3 lead. The Huskies never looked back, as Robinson eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the second time this season. Prior to his touchdown, UConn had only carried the ball for 30 yards on 23 attempts.
Following his dynamic run, the Huskies’ running backs carried the ball for 151 yards on 21 carries. Fellow running back Cam Edwards also scored.
Evers finished the day going just nine of 24 passing, with 128 yards and an interception. UConn converted only three times on third down against Rice.
Entering Friday, Georgia State has lost four consecutive games, following a 33-26 loss at Appalachian State last week. The Panthers do have a victory over Vanderbilt this season; Vanderbilt notably beat Alabama following the loss.
Georgia State quarterback Christian Veilleux has thrown 1,301 yards this season, while completing just over 58% of his passes. He has thrown nine touchdowns and five interceptions in 2024.
His top target will be Ted Hurst, who has 29 catches for 506 yards and six touchdowns, good enough for 19th in the country. Hurst is averaging 17.5 yards per catch and 72.3 yards per game. Also dangerous is Dorian Fleming, who has caught 31 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns in 2024.
Running back Freddie Brock has carried the ball 89 times this year for Georgia State, recording 497 yards and two scores. He averages 5.6 yards per rush. Running back Michel Dukes has also put together a solid season, averaging 7.3 yards per rush while catching 25 balls for 194 yards.
In his third season leading UConn, head coach Jim Mora, former head coach of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks, has brought magic back to Rentschler Field that hasn’t been observed in what feels like a generation of Huskies football.
This season, UConn reached five wins quicker than it has since 2007 and 2008, when the team opened 5-0 on both occasions. A win on Friday would match the Huskies’ most home wins in a season since 2010.
More importantly, it would send the Huskies to just their third bowl game since the 2010 team reached the prestigious Fiesta Bowl.
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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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