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Huskies Back in Action Saturday Hosting Wake Forest

Media:

Television: CBS Sports Network - (pxp) Rich Waltz, (analyst) Ross Tucker, (sideline) Tiffany Blackmon

Radio: UConn Sports Network from Learfield Flagship Station -  Fox Sports 97-9 FM (Hartford) (pxp) Mike Crispino, (color) Wayne Norman, (sideline) Adam Giardino

Affiliates - WAVZ 1300 AM (New Haven), WGCH 1490 AM (Greenwich), WILI 1400 AM/95.3FM, (Willimantic); WICH 1310 AM/94.5 FM (Norwich)

Online: The Varsity Network App

SiriusXM 383 and on the Sirius XM App

Live Stats: UConn.Statbroadcast.com

UConn Game Notes  Wake Forest Game Notes


Quick Hits…

The UConn Huskies come off their bye week to play host to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons of the ACC on Saturday afternoon at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Kick-off is slated for 12 noon on CBS Sports Network.

This week's game marks the fourth meeting in the series between UConn and Wake Forest and the first since the 2007 season. The Demon Deacons own a 2-1 edge in the all-time series and have won two-straight.  The last meeting came in the 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, NC, a 24-10 win for Wake Forest.  The Demon Deacons also won in their only previous trip to The Rent, a 24-13 win in 2006. Saturday also marks UConn's third meeting with an ACC opponent this season, having lost at Duke and a trip up to Syracuse still to come.  The Huskies have dropped five-straight to ACC teams with their last win coming at home in 2022 against Boston College.

UConn rode into the bye week at 4-2 thanks to a thrilling 29-20 win over Temple. The UConn defense came up with a fourth and goal stop with three seconds left in the game, capped by cornerback Jordan Wright scooping a fumble and returning it 96 yards for a touchdown to put the final stamp on a 29-20 win.  The Huskies are 4-2 to start a season for the first time since the 2009 season.

The Huskies are 4-0 at home for the first time since the 2010 season when the Huskies were a perfect 6-0 at The Rent that season.  The Huskies have outscored opponents 187-54 and are averaging 46.8 points per game on their home turf. The Huskies have won five-straight at home dating back to last season.

Last Meeting vs. Wake Forest

Dec. 29, 2007 -- Wake Forest 24 - UConn 10 -- Charlotte, NC, Meineke Car Care Bowl

Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner was 29 of 38 in the air for 268 yards and a touchdown to lead the Demon Deacons to a 24-10 victory over the UConn in the 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl before a crowd of 53,126 at Bank of America Stadium. The two halves were mirror images of each other as UConn shutout Wake Forest in the first half and the Demon Deacons held the Huskies scoreless in the second. Connecticut, the 2007 BIG EAST Conference champions, finishes the year with a 9-4 record. Husky junior quarterback Tyler Lorenzen was 13-of-26 for 98 yards. UConn was led in rushing by sophomore Donald Brown with 13 carries for 72 yards. UConn led 10-0 at the half, but Wake Forest scored two third quarter touchdowns to take a 14-10 lead and never looked back. Wake Forest senior wide receiver Kenny Moore was name the game's Most Valuable Player as he made 11 receptions for 112 yards.  Josh Adams was the leading rusher for the Deacons with 66 yards on 19 carries.

Scouting the Demon Deacons...

Wake Forest comes to Connecticut off a 49-14 loss at home to the No. 10 nationally ranked Clemson Tigers last weekend. This will be the Demon Deacons final non-conference match-up this fall as they return to ACC play next weekend at Stanford.  Wake Forest is 1-2 in the ACC this season. The Demon Deacons have had success throwing the football this year behind r-senior Hank Bachmeier, who ranks sixth in the nation in completions per game (20.7), ninth in passing yards (1439), eighth in passing yards per game (239.8) and TD passes (9). Bachmeier has spread the ball around, with wideouts Taylor Morin (29), Deuce Alexander (21) and Horatio Fields (20) all with 20 or more catches.  WR Donavon Greene has big play capability with 16 catches for 271 yards and two scores; averaging 16.94 yards per catch. On the ground, junior Desmond Claiborne has carried it 99 times for 524 yards and six touchdowns.  He averages 5.3 yards per carry, eighth nationally.  His 87.3 yards per game ranks seventh. Defensively, junior defensive back Nick Andersen is the team's top tackler with 69 stops, first nationally at 11.5 tackles per game. He also has 34 solo tackles, ranking first in the NCAA at 5.7 per game.

UConn vs. the ACC...

The Huskies are 7-26 all-time against the ACC.  UConn has three games against teams from the conference this season with a loss at Duke, today's match-up with Wake Forest and an upcoming trip to Syracuse still to come.  The Huskies went 0-3 against the league last season with home loses to NC State and Duke and a loss at Boston College. UConn is 2-2 against Duke, 2-2 against Virginia and 1-2 against Wake Forrest.  The Huskies are 1-4 against Boston College since the Eagles joined the league in 2005 and 0-3 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 Temple... The UConn offense ran a season-high 82 plays in the win over Temple...For the first time in four games, the Huskies were held to under 100 yards rushing (99) while averaging just 2.4 yards per rush, a season-low, in the win over the Owls...UConn also averaged a season-low 4.5 yards per play and was just three-of-15 on third down, also a season-low mark...The Huskies turned it over a season-high three times in the game...WR TJ Sheffield had a career-day, catching nine passes for 141 yards, both career-best, and had a 58-yard TD catch, the longest catch of his career...TE Louis Hansen hauled in a career-best four passes...QB Joe Fagnano completed 24 of 41 passes, both season-high marks for a UConn quarterback this fall.

Defensive Notes from Temple... CB Jordan Wright scored his first career defensive TD on the 96-yard scoop and score on the game's final play, completing a goal-line stand and sealing the win over Temple...The Huskies matched their season-high with 10.0 tackles for a loss in the win...LB Jayden McDonald led the way with 2.5 stops for a loss, a season-high for a Husky this season. McDonald posted a season-high 14 tackles and got his first sack of the season...Fellow LB Tui Faumuina-Brown posted 2.0 tackles for loss, a new career-high...DE Jack Barton got his first sack as a Husky in the win...The Huskies have had a sack in five of the six games this season...LB Langston Hardy came up with eight tackles, a new career-high...DT Jelani Stafford matched his career-high with season-best seven tackles...Safety Malik Dixon-Williams got his first interception on the season, and the fourth of his career. The defense as a whole has gotten a pick in each of the last four games.

Special Teams Notes from Temple... Place kicker Chris Freeman made all three of his field goal attempts, hitting from 43, 24 and 35 yards. After starting 0-of-3 on the season, Freeman has now made nine-straight. Freeman also had three touchbacks on his six kickoffs.  On the season he is averaging 64.2 yards on kickoffs with 24 touchbacks on 41 kickoffs...Punter Connor Stutz punted six times against Temple. He posted a season-best 47.0 average per kick and unleashed his long of the season with a 66-yard boot.  On the season, Stutz has put eight kicks inside opponents 20-yard line and has nine punts of 50+ yards. 

Huskies Named to Joe Moore Award Mid-season Honor Roll... The Joe Moore Award for the Most Outstanding Offensive Line Unit in college football since 2015, announced the twenty-two members of its 2024 Mid-season Honor Roll with the UConn offensive line earning a spot among the programs honored. The Huskies offensive line is among a group of o-lines from Alabama, Army, Clemson, Iowa, Kansas State, Louisiana, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Navy, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Rutgers, SMU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas Tech, UNLV, Western Michigan, and West Virginia to make the mid-point honor roll. The UConn offensive line, tackles Chase Lundt and Valentin Senn, guards Christopher Fortin and Ben Murawski and center Wes Hoeh, are coached by offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis, in his third season with the program. Through six games in 2024, the Huskies only allow pressure on 22.7% of drop backs, the sixteenth best rate in the nation.  UConn has been sacked on just 2.2% of drop backs this season, ninth best rate in the nation. In the running game, the Huskies O-line paves the way for an offense that is averaging 220.3 yards per game.

Players Mentioned

Malik Dixon-Williams

DB
6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
6010

Joe Fagnano

QB
6' 4"
Senior
6040

Tui Faumuina-Brown

LB
6' 3"
Senior
6030

Christopher Fortin

OL
6' 5"
Senior
6050

Louis Hansen

TE
6' 5"
Junior
6050

Langston Hardy

LB
6' 4"
Redshirt Sophomore
6040

Chase  Lundt

OL
6' 8"
Senior
6080

Ben  Murawski

OL
6' 7"
Redshirt Sophomore
6070

Valentin Senn

OL
6' 7"
Senior
6070

Jelani Stafford

DL
6' 1"
Senior
6010

Wes Hoeh

OL
6' 4"
Junior
6040

Chris Freeman

K
6' 1"
Graduate Student
6010

Players Mentioned

Malik Dixon-Williams

6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
6010
DB

Joe Fagnano

6' 4"
Senior
6040
QB

Tui Faumuina-Brown

6' 3"
Senior
6030
LB

Christopher Fortin

6' 5"
Senior
6050
OL

Louis Hansen

6' 5"
Junior
6050
TE

Langston Hardy

6' 4"
Redshirt Sophomore
6040
LB

Chase  Lundt

6' 8"
Senior
6080
OL

Ben  Murawski

6' 7"
Redshirt Sophomore
6070
OL

Valentin Senn

6' 7"
Senior
6070
OL

Jelani Stafford

6' 1"
Senior
6010
DL

Wes Hoeh

6' 4"
Junior
6040
OL

Chris Freeman

6' 1"
Graduate Student
6010
K

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