University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Syracuse
Huskies Take On The Orange in Week 2
9/4/2025 9:37:00 AM | Football
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Quick Hits:
The UConn Huskies head out on the road for the first time in 2025 with a trip up to Syracuse to face the Orange in the JMA Wireless Dome on tap this Saturday. The Huskies and Orange will kick-off at 12 noon on ESPN+ and ACC Network Extra.
UConn and Syracuse take the field in the JMA Wireless Dome for the second-straight season after the Orange dealt the Huskies a 31-24 loss last November and have now won five-straight match-ups in the all-time series. UConn is 2-5 all-time at Syracuse with the last win in the Dome coming in 2010. UConn has three future games with Syracuse scheduled, at home in 2026 and 2027 and back at the JMA Wireless Dome in 2028.
UConn is coming off a season-opening 59-13 win over in-state foe Central Connecticut in week one. The Huskies piled up a school record 638 yards of total offense in the win, led by quarterback Joe Fagnano who threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns while running in another. Running back Cam Edwards needed just six carries to log 115 yards and a score, his fifth career 100-yard game. The win was UConn's first in a season opener since the 2019 season.
Last Meeting vs. Syracuse...
Nov. 23, 2024 -- Syracuse 31 - UConn 24 -- Syracuse, NY
Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord threw for 470 yards and two touchdowns as the Orange handed the UConn Huskies a 31-24 loss at the JMA Wireless Dome. McCord completed 37 of 47 passes with his two touchdowns coming in the first half. Receivers Oronde Gadsen II, Darrell Gill Jr. and Jackson Meeks all went over 100-yards receiving as the Orange improved to 8-3 on the year. UConn saw their three-game winning streak come to an end with the loss as they fall to 7-4 on the season. Quarterback Joe Fagnano completed 27-of-48 for 228 yards and two scores while running back Cam Edwards had a team-high 71 yards rushing and a touchdown in the loss. Wideouts Skyler Bell and TJ Sheffield each caught a career-high 10 passes. Bell went for 110 yards, his third 100-yard game receiving this season. UConn linebacker Jayden McDonald made 12 tackles and had a sack in the loss.
Scouting the Orange... The Syracuse Orange return to the JMU Wireless Dome for their 2025 home opener on Saturday coming off a 45-26 loss to No. 24 ranked Tennessee in Atlanta last weekend. Running back Yasin Willis finished with 91 yards on 23 carries and scored three touchdowns. Willis and teammate Will Nixon were both named to the Doak Walker Preseason Watch List. New Orange quarterback Steve Angeli completed 23-of-40 for 274 yards and a touchdown, but was sacked five times in the loss. Angeli found Johntay Cook II for six catches and 58 yards and a score. On defense, the Orange were led by returning starting safety Duce Chestnut who made 10 tackles. Syracuse posted a 10 win season in 2024, their first season under head coach Fran Brown. The season was capped by a 52-35 win over Washington State in the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl. The Orange were tabbed 12th in the 2025 preseason media poll release earlier this summer.
UConn vs. the ACC... The Huskies are 8-28 all-time against the ACC. UConn snapped a six-game skid against the conference with a win over North Carolina in the 2025 Wasabi Fenway Bowl to cap last season. The Huskies will match-up with the conference three times this season, heading to Syracuse and Boston College and playing host to Duke. UConn is 2-2 against Duke, 2-2 against Virginia and 1-3 against Wake Forrest. The Huskies are 1-4 against Boston College since the Eagles joined the league in 2005 and 0-4 vs. Syracuse since the Orange jumped to the ACC in 2013. UConn has also faced Clemson (0-1), Georgia Tech (0-3), North Carolina (0-3) and NC State (0-4). The Huskies were 1-3 against Maryland when the Terrapins were a member of the conference through 2014. The Huskies have also faced Louisville, Miami, Pitt, SMU and Virginia Tech in their history but prior to those teams joining the ACC. The Huskies have never faced Cal, Florida State or Stanford.
Offensive Notes from CCSU... The Huskies piled up 638 total yards, 250 on the ground and 388 through the air, to set a new UConn school record. The Huskies have eclipsed 600 total yards of offense five times in program history and last Saturday's mark breaks the mark of 624 set last fall vs. Merrimack...The 59 points scored tied for the 12th highest point total in school history...The Huskies were 12-of-16 on third downs in the win...UConn got points on seven of their eight trips into the red zone last Saturday with six touchdowns...Transfers, running back MJ Flowers and wide receiver Carmello Murphy, both scored their first career UConn touchdowns in the win...WR Jackson Harper pulled down a game-best five passes for 42 yards and his first career TD...RB Oliver Lundberg Coleman got his first career carries, going for 30 yards on four carries...Back-up QB Nick Evers came in and completed 8-of-11 for 83 yards and a TD...UConn's new receiving additions in Murphy (4 rec., 26 yds), Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman (3 rec., 31 yds), Chris Parker (2 rec., 59 yds), and Juice Vereen (2 rec., 38 yds) were among 12 different Huskies who caught a pass in the win.
Fagnano Starts Strong... QB Joe Fagnano made his eighth career start for the Huskies and completed 18-of-25 for 266 and three touchdowns. He ran a score in as well. Fagnano now has 23 career TD passes at UConn, moving him into the top-10 in the record book. It was
Bell Comes Out Flying... WR Skyler Bell hauled in four passes for 135 yards and two scores, his fifth 100-yard receiving game in his 14 games at UConn. Bell had touchdown catches of 80 and 12 yards on consecutive drives in the first quarter of last Saturday's game. His 80-yard catch and run marked the longest reception of his career. Bell had 50 catches for 860 yards and five scores in 2024. In last year's game at Syracuse, Bell caught a career-high 10 passes for 110 yards.
Ground Game Picks Right Back Up... After averaging 199.2 yards per game on the ground last season, the Huskies rushing game picked right back up to start 2025. UConn ran for 250 yards, the 10th time during the Jim Mora era they have eclipsed 250 or more yards rushing in a game. UConn hit the mark five times last season. Cam Edwards led the way, needing just six carrier to notch his fifth career 100-yard game, finishing with 115 yards and a touchdown, His 73-yard TD run was the longest run of his career as well as his 16th career touchdown. Â
Defensive Notes from CCSU... The Huskies gave up just 257 yards of total offense to the Blue Devils. Under DC Matt Brock, UConn held opponents to under 300-yards of total offense sixth times last season, going 6-0 in those games...One of the top defenses on third down last season (29.6%/4th NCAA), UConn opened this season holding CCSU to just 5-of-16 last Saturday...The UConn secondary had six pass break-ups in the win lead by safety D'Mon Brinson who batted down a career-best two passes...A trio of Husky linebackers were at the top of the tackle ledger led by transfer's Tyquan King and Bryun Parham who had eight and seven, respectively. Parham had a career-best 2.5 tackles for loss and his first sack as a Husky...LB Oumar Diomande made his first career start and notched a career-best seven stops.
