AMHERST, Mass. – The UConn football team finished out the regular season by earning their eighth win of the season thanks to a 47-42 win at New England rival UMass Saturday afternoon in front of 10,365 at McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
UConn posts an 8-4 record, the most wins for the program since the 2010 season when the Huskies finished 8-5 after a trip to the Fiesta Bowl.
The Huskies were led by r-sophomore running back Cam Edwards (Norwalk, CT) who posted his second 100-yard game this season, rushing for 142 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown. Edwards also caught a touchdown in the win. R-Senior quarterback Joe Fagnano (Williamsport, PA) threw for 181 yards and three scores in the win.
Junior back Mel Brown (Stone Mountain, GA) finished with 232 all-purpose yards to include 206 return yards, 96 of which was a first quarter kick-off return for a touchdown. On defensively, senior linebacker Jayden McDonald (Suwanee, GA) finished with a career-high 20 tackles, just one off the UConn FBS record.
The Minutemen held a 28-27 lead at halftime after a wild first half that started with the Huskies scoring a touchdown on their first play from scrimmage, a kick-off return for a touchdown and ending on a Chris Freeman (Zionsville, IN) 53-yard field goal, matching his career-long.
The Huskies got off to a blazing start, forcing a three and out on the game's first possession followed by Fagnano finding tight end Louis Hansen (Dover, MA) for a 55-yard catch-and-run for the game's first points on their first play of the day. UMass's Hairston threw the first of his three first half TDs, beating pressure and finding Jacquon Gibson for a 19-yard score to tie it at 7-7.
Hairston then gave his team a 14-7 lead with 2:17 left in the first, converting a 4th-and-3 by hitting Jakobie Keeney-James for a 29-yard score. The UConn special teams chipped in with a touchdown as Brown took the ensuing kick-off 96-yards for a score, the first return touchdown by a Husky since the 2021 season (Brian Brewton at Clemson/99 yards).
UConn went back in front 21-14 early in the second quarter as Edwards capped off a 10-play, 80-yard drive with a three-yard TD plunge. Hairston again answered for the Minutemen, capitalizing on a UConn interception and great field position. Hairston topped off the drop with a dump off to tight end Dominick Mazotti from a yard-out to knot it at 21-21 with 8:26 left in the half. UConn's Freeman converted his first field goal of the half, hitting a 30-yarder for a 24-21 lead.
The Minutemen jumped back in front with their fourth score of the half with running back Jalen John finding daylight and scampering for a 15-yard score on a drive that was helped by a pair of UConn face-masking penalties. The UConn offense put together one more scoring drive before the halftime horn as Freeman buried a 53-yard field goal chance, matching his career-long set earlier this season at home against Wake Forest.
The UConn defense opened the second half in dominant fashion, forcing three 3-and-outs in the third quarter. The Huskies would take the lead back with 12 seconds left in the third as Fagnano found Jasaiah Gathings (Statesville, NC) in the front right corner of the end zone for six. The two-point try failed, leaving the Huskies up 33-28 to start the fourth.
Fagnano and the Huskies extended their lead on his third TD throw of the game, finding Edwards out of the backfield for a three-yard score to make it 40-28 with 11:12 left in the game. UMass's CJ Hester scored on an eight-yard run with 3:52 left but UConn used a nine-play drive that was capped by a Durell Robinson (Seat Pleasant, MD) touchdown run to push the lead back to double digits, 47-35, with 2:18 left.
The Minutemen made one last run at it with a Will Perry T.Y. Harding seven-yard touchdown throw with 36 seconds left, but UConn would recover the ensuing onside attempt to kneel out the win.
Up Next:
The Huskies are bowl eligible for the second time in the last three seasons and will be awaiting their postseason fate with the announcement of the college football bowl slate on Sunday, December 8.
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