Huskies Bounce Back with Big Win Over Merrimack

After a disappointing season opener, UConn was hoping for a big “get-right” game against Merrimack. The Huskies delivered, defeating the Warriors 63-17. Receiving the opening kick, Joe Fagnano, starting in place of the injured Nick Evers, connected with Skyler Bell on a deep ball for 45 yards, setting up a Fagnano sneak into the end zone. A botched snap caused an 18-yard loss, but QB Malakai Anthony hit Jared Dunn for a 24-yard pass, still shy of the first-down down marker, forcing a punt. On the ensuing drive, Fagnano hit Cam Edwards in the flat, and he took it the rest of the way for a 50-yard TD. A three-and-out for Merrimack gave UConn the ball at midfield, and it took just one play for Durell Robinson to score with a 48-yard run. After forcing yet another three-and-out, Victor Rosa took it to the house with a 29-yard run, and UConn had a 28-0 lead, a sight that had not been seen since a 2010 victory over Texas Southern. 

Merrimack answered with a 46-yard TD run by Jermaine Corbett, who also received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for somersaulting into the end zone (flashback to Rosa in the NC State game last season), cutting the lead to 28-7. Bell took what looked to be a screen going nowhere to the outside and just outran the Merrimack defense for 60 to extend the lead to 35-7 with :27 seconds to go in the first quarter. Fagnano then hit Shamar Porter, who made a tremendous catch over two defenders for a 39-yard TD to extend the lead to 42-7. Cam Edwards capped off a 10-yard play, 78-yard drive with a one-yard TD run to make it 49-7 with just under six minutes to go, and the Husky fans in attendance were pleased. Campbell/Iowa State transfer Ezeriah Anderson got his first TD catch as a Husky with a 44-yard pass to extend the lead to 56-7, which would be the lead UConn took into the half. 

Halftime Stats:

The Huskies came out strong to start the second half, stopping the Merrimack return at their own 10-yard line. A couple of stops by Jelani Stafford forced a punt, giving UConn the ball at the Merrimack 42. The Husky drive stalled for the first time, and a 52-yard FG attempt from Chris Freeman missed left. UConn got the ball back, and Fagnano hit Alex Honig for his first UConn TD, extending the lead to 63-7. Through just three quarters, Joe Fagnano had thrown for 331 yards and 5 TDs, tying the program record for TDs in a game set by Dan Orlovsky. 

Husky fans got their first in-game action view of highly touted freshman Cole Welliver. His first two passes went to Robinson, but missed John Bechtle on fourth-and-short from the Merrimack 29. The quest to get 70 would be denied, but Merrimack added a late long TD pass and FG to make it a 63-17 final. 

What Went Well:

• Pretty much everything! It was exactly what this team needed after losing 50-7 last week to Maryland. 
• Fagnano was more than serviceable in relief of Evers. Mora has said there is no competition and Evers plays if healthy, but...
• Defense held Merrimack to under 100 passing yards for most of the game, until a long Merrimack TD pass midway through the 4th
• Run game did well, with several long runs and an average yards per carry of 7.1
• Skyler Bell had his second consecutive 100+ yard receiving game on just two catches
• Jayden McDonald led the team in tackles
• TJ Sheffield only got a couple targets, but he averaged 15.6 yards per punt return, including a long of 35
• The OL took care of business, which is precisely what should happen in an FBS-FCS matchup
• A lot of guys got reps who normally would not have 

What Did Not Go Well:

• A couple of big plays for TDs for Merrimack
• Still some missed tackles, even though it’s really hard to argue with the bottom line
• Some missed throws to open receivers on long balls, which again, not going to argue with the result, but would like to see him hit those

Final Stats: