The Match Up...

UConn Huskies (0-1) vs. Merrimack Warriors (0-1)

Saturday, September 7, 2024 - 12:00 pm

East Hartford, CT - Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field

Media Coverage:

Television: WFSB3, WWAX, UConn+ (pxp) Randy Brochu (analyst) Marc Robbins (sideline) Joe Zone

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 382 and on the Sirius XM App

Live Stats: UConn.Statbroadcast.com

UConn Game Notes  Merrimack Game Notes

Quick Hits…

The UConn Huskies return to Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field on Saturday afternoon for the 2024 home opener against Merrimack College.  Kick-off is scheduled for 12:03 pm and will on TV across Connecticut on WFSB-3 and WWAX and streamed on UConn+.

The Huskies head into Saturday's match-up looking to rebound from a 50-7 season-opening loss on the road at the BigTen's Maryland last weekend.  The Warriors head to East Hartford off a 21-6 loss at Air Force in their season-opener last Saturday. This will mark the first-ever match-up between UConn and Merrimack, who plays as a FCS Independent. 

UConn played at least one Football Championship Subdivision school in each season since joining the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2002. UConn is 20-2 overall against FCS opponents. UConn logged victories against: Florida Atlantic (2002), Lehigh (2003), Murray State (2004), Liberty (2005), Rhode Island (2006), Maine (2007) and Hofstra (2008), Rhode Island (2009), Texas Southern (2010), Fordham (2011), UMass (2012), Stony Brook (2014), Villanova in 2015, Maine (2016), Holy Cross (2017), Rhode Island (2018), Wagner (2019), Yale (2021), Central Connecticut (2022), and Sacred Heart (2023) with losses to Holy Cross (2021) and Towson (2013).

Saturday's home opener will kick-off a stretch of seven of the next eight games in the friendly confines of Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field.  The Huskies are 14-6 in home openers at The Rent.  Following next week's trip to Duke, the Huskies will play six-straight at home.  For the first time since the 2016 season, the Huskies will play seven home games in a season.

Scouting the Warriors...

The Merrimack Warriors are in their first season competing as a FCS Independent in 2024 and are under the guidance of first year head coach Mike Gennetti.  He is the program's fifth ever head coach but has been at Merrimack for 19 seasons, most recently as the team's defensive coordinator.  Merrimack made the transition up to FCS in 2019 and up through last season played in the Northeast Conference.  The Warriors are headed to East Hartford for the program's third-ever game against a FBS opponent and are coming off a 21-6 loss on the road at Air Force last week.  Last season, Merrimack lost to UMass 31-21.  In last weekend's season-opening loss to the Falcons, the Merrimack defense held Air Force to just 237 yards of total offense, 166 on the ground.  On the flip side, the Warriors were held in check until the game's final play, an Ayden Pereira to Jalen McDonald 11-yard touchdown.  Wide receiver Donovan Wadley was named to the preseason Walter Payton Award Watch List.  He caught 26 passes for a total of 471 yards and five touchdowns and ran it 34 times for 216 yards, scoring three touchdowns last season. He also was the NCAA statistical leader in yards per kick return last season with a 37.9 average, returning three kickoffs for touchdowns.  Defensively last season, the Warriors led the NEC in rushing defense and were led by linebacker DJ Frazier who was the team's top-tackler with 52 stops. Defensive back Tre Jordan III had three interceptions last season.

Bell Gets 100 in Husky Debut...

R-Junior wideout Skyler Bell hauled in five passes for 141 yards in his UConn debut at Maryland since transferring in from Wisconsin last spring.  Bell hit the century mark, a first by a UConn wideout since the 2021 season when Keelan Marion had 102 yards at Vanderbilt.  For Bell, it was his second career 100-yard game, his first coming in 2022 at Wisconsin when he had four catches for 108 yards and two scores against New Mexico State.

First Career Start for Evers...

R-Sophomore Nick Evers was named the Huskies' starter at the end of summer camp and made his first collegiate start in last Saturday's loss at Maryland.  Evers joined the Huskies after spring, transferring in from Wisconsin.  He finished the game six-of-17 for 73 yards and an interception before leaving the game in the third quarter. R-senior Joe Fagnano came in and led the lone UConn scoring drive.  He finished eight-of-16 for 149 yards and a score. Fagnano won the starting quarterback job out of camp last season but saw his season come to an end in game two with a shoulder injury.  Fagnano transferred in to UConn at the start of last season from Maine, where he was coming off a season in which he threw for 2,231 yards and 15 touchdowns.  Fagnano was named to the 2024 Comeback Player of the Year watch list this preseason.

Sheffield Catches First TD...

R-Senior wide-out TJ Sheffield caught his first touchdown as a Husky in the loss at Maryland.  Sheffield finished the game with two catches for 32 yards, including a third quarter 27-yard hook-up with back-up quarterback Joe Fagnano.  While at Purdue, he caught 118 passes in 46 games for 1,209 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Defensive Notes from Maryland...

UConn senior linebacker Amir Renwick made his first career start and turned in a career-high eight tackles, five solo, including one for a loss and a pass break-up...Cornerback Jordan Wright made five tackles in the first half before being called for a targeting penalty and was ejected for the remainder of the game...Defensive tackle Jevon Banks, in his Husky debut, turned in two tackles and recorded the season's first sack...R-Freshman Cam Chadwick got his first start at corner and had two tackles and a pass break-up...Defensive tackle Dal'Mont Gourdine made a career-best seven tackles...Safety D'Mon Brinson made a career-high six tackles...Linebacker Langston Hardy had a career high four stops and one for a loss...Safety Rante Jones, who was forced to sit the first half last Saturday due to a targeting penalty in the second half of last season's last game at UMass, will have to do the same this week against Merrimack.  Jones was called for targeting and ejected in the second half at Maryland.