For a brief period in the first quarter, it appeared as though the UConn football team would be without their star wideout. Redshirt junior Skyler Bell was slow to get up after his helmet came off during a 16-yard reception.
UConn, in the redzone at that point, settled for a 3-0 lead over the Buffalo Bulls on Chris Freeman’s 26-yard field goal. Fans relaxed when the Wisconsin transfer returned on the Huskies’ next possession. Although Bell did not take off until almost halftime, his presence set off Connecticut’s offense.
The Bronx native caught six passes for 153 yards and three touchdowns, complementing the Huskies’ lockdown defense in a 47-3 win over Buffalo. Bell became the first player since Dak Newton in 1996 with three receiving scores in one game. No Husky had picked up 150+ receiving yards since Cam Ross in 2019.
“The guy is relentless in his work ethic,” head coach Jim Mora said about the redshirt junior afterward. “He is all about business.”
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Graduate quarterback Joe Fagnano connected with Bell four times, three of which resulted in touchdowns. Despite some early second-quarter struggles when he relieved an injured Nick Evers, Fagnano’s first connection with the redshirt junior settled him down. The former Maine Black Bear was 0-3 before then, but went 11 for his next 16 and finished with 217 passing yards.
Evers, meanwhile, took two rough hits in the first half. The first from fifth-year safety Solomon Brown resulted in an automatic first down. The second, which came as he was sliding during a run, knocked the Wisconsin transfer out of the game. No update has been provided regarding his injury.
UConn’s offense made the Bulls’ defense see déjà vu from their road tilt with the then-No. 9 Missouri Tigers. Buffalo allowed a season-worst 280 yards through the air and a season-high 257 rushing yards, both higher numbers than they posted against Missouri. Redshirt sophomore Cam Edwards led the Huskies’ ground game with 97 yards and a score while Charlotte transfer Durell Robinson added 73.
Connecticut’s defense, meanwhile, contained Buffalo. Nearly every player in defensive coordinator Matt Brock’s department ate; only three players recorded 5+ total tackles. The Huskies held the Bulls under 200 total yards of offense and consistently stopped them on third and fourth down.
Buffalo went 1-17 across those downs combined, with their only conversion coming with 10 minutes remaining. Eight of the Bulls’ 13 failed third-down conversions resulted in a three-and-out. One of Buffalo’s fourth-down attempts resulted in the game’s lone takeaway, a Rante Jones interception in the endzone.
The Bulls’ three points scored were the fewest UConn’s defense surrendered since they gave up that many against the Boston College Eagles in 2022. Saturday afternoon marked the first time all year that the Huskies did not allow either a 50-yard rusher or a 50-yard receiver.
“They are starting to understand the nuances of [Brock’s ‘unorthodox’ scheme],” the third-year Huskies head coach commented. “It looks complex to an opponent, but our coaches have done a really good job of teaching it, and, if anything, our players are embracing it.”
Connecticut’s 44-point victory involved some early activity. During pregame warmups, a plethora of Huskies surrounded a Buffalo coach and several players who had some words for the home squad. Mora himself showed some anger toward the Bulls’ staff as it ended.
Tensions remained high following Brown’s late hit on UConn’s second possession (they took a 3-0 lead on their first). Rather than expressing their anger at Buffalo, though, the Huskies exerted it on the ground. Edwards put Connecticut ahead 10-0 after sprinting down the left sideline for a 43-yard house call.
Connor Stutz’s first punt in two weeks with 88 seconds left in the opening period put Buffalo in enemy territory for the first time all afternoon. Even then, the Bulls could not start their offensive motor. Senior running back Jacqez Barksdale gained nine yards on the first snap, but Buffalo’s offense failed to get the 10th. The Huskies stymied the run three times over, matching Brock’s energy on the sidelines after the third stop.
UConn went ahead 16-0 in the second quarter behind two more Freeman field goals. The Huskies’ defense put on a clinic for most of that frame. Connecticut’s relentless pressure on the Bulls’ first three possessions of the quarter kept their offense at bay. Across those drives, all three-and-outs, the Huskies recorded two sacks, allowed -19 yards and forced three punts.
UConn’s offense, moving slowly with Fagnano under center, found a spark before halftime. Bell left himself all alone after dusting two defenders and completed the 40-yard reception for his second touchdown of the season. Buffalo made it a 23-3 game before halftime when redshirt sophomore Upton Bellenfant buried a 47-yard field goal.
The Huskies’ leading receiver blasted off again three plays into the second half. Staying inbounds as he made the catch, Bell broke free and ran away from multiple defenders down the right sideline for his second touchdown in as many possessions. The redshirt junior hit the trifecta two possessions later, putting up three fingers to Connecticut’s student section seconds after catching Fagnano’s slant pass.
Despite being down 37-3, Buffalo showed some fight. The Bulls nearly scored their first touchdown of the day after senior quarterback CJ Ogbonna got them in the redzone. Ogbonna opted to keep the ball himself on fourth down and got tackled for a loss.
Gardner-Webb transfer Mel Brown made Buffalo pay as soon as the fourth quarter started, hitting paydirt from 28 yards out almost immediately following Robinson’s 41-yard rush. Freeman converted his fourth field goal two minutes later, making him the first Husky with that many since Dave Teggart in 2011. Jones’ first interception of the season on the ensuing possession secured UConn’s best start to a season in over a decade.
The Huskies, now 3-0 in the Nutmeg State, next take on the Temple Owls before their first of two bye weeks. Kickoff from East Hartford next Saturday is at 3:30 p.m. on CBSSN.
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