Part of the expectation when he transferred to Storrs was that redshirt sophomore Nick Evers would be the UConn football team’s starting quarterback. After all, Evers’ mix of speed and arm strength gave the Huskies a combination they did not exactly have during their forgettable 2023 season.
The redshirt sophomore has met some of those expectations for UConn, especially as a scrambler, through four games. As a passer, Evers is 37-72 with 347 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. On the ground, the former Wisconsin Badger has 42 carries for 172 yards and two scores. His dual-threat talents have been one catalyst behind the Huskies’ 4-2 start, their best since 2009.
When he is healthy, Evers is as dangerous in Connecticut’s offense as any of his weapons or his nationally recognized offensive line.
Put italics around or underline the word healthy, though.
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The Flower Mound High School alum has suffered two head injuries that have sidelined him for almost three full games combined. He slid on both plays. Evers’ first injury came when he took a late hit in the season opener against the Maryland Terrapins. He suffered a concussion on that play and required assistance leaving the field from his new teammates and staff members.
The second scary hit to the head came halfway through the second quarter versus the Buffalo Bulls on September 28. Rivals’ fourth-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the 2022 class took a knee to his head and almost immediately put his hands on his face. Team doctors quickly ruled out the Huskies’ 6-foot-3 dual-threat quarterback before halftime.
Joe Fagnano started UConn’s subsequent contest on both occasions. The first time around, Fagnano and the offense broke or tied countless records against the Merrimack Warriors. Coming off the bench versus the Bulls three weeks later, the former Maine Black Bear threw 217 yards and three touchdowns. As the calendar flipped to October, Fagnano and the Huskies’ offensive juggernaut looked extremely sluggish.
Connecticut’s offense struggled against the Temple Owls on October 5. Philadelphia’s lone FBS team entered Pratt and Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field having allowed over 280 rushing yards per game. While they departed East Hartford with a heartbreaking defeat, the Owls outgained the Huskies on the ground 134-99.
Through the air, the graduate gunslinger went 24-41 for 272 yards and a touchdown. Impressive as that performance might initially seem, Fagnano frequently missed or overthrew his receivers and turned the ball over three times. Temple turned those giveaways into 10 points (17 if one includes the blocked punt in the second quarter).
Keeping Evers on the field will be crucial for the program in the second half of their 2024 campaign.
Some differences exist in how UConn’s dynamic offense operates between the Williamsport, Pennsylvania, native and the Flower Mound, Texas, native. Remove their record-setting 63-17 win over Merrimack, and the Huskies have scored more points with Evers as their quarterback (82) than with Fagnano (70).
Five out of Connecticut’s next six opponents allow fewer rushing yards per game than Temple does. Two of them—the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and Syracuse Orange—play in the competitive Atlantic Coast Conference. Every foe that the Huskies face in the regular season surrenders more passing yards per game than the Owls.
The ideal approach might be to attack through the air for the next seven weeks; that makes sense when UConn averages over two scores per game. If Fagnano cannot get into a rhythm, however, then the Huskies’ chances of winning significantly dwindle. Even if Evers struggles in the passing game, though, Connecticut has more weapons they can use to break their opponent’s run defense.
The Huskies have scored 12 rushing touchdowns this season. Each signal-caller has been on the field for six of them. All six of the rushing scores UConn scored with ESPN’s No. 7 pocket-passer in the 2022 class on the field came against FBS opponents. Four of the six rushing touchdowns that the Wyoming Area Offensive Player of the Year handed off were against an FCS defense.
Now the Huskies have proven that they can score enough points to secure a victory regardless of who is calling plays under center. Having a defense that seldom surrenders 30+ points in a game helps.
Neither of those will be enough going forward, however.
Every team Connecticut faces from here on out, including the UMass-Amherst Minutemen, has played a game against a Power Four program. The Georgia State Panthers have a slight edge over the Huskies’ other five foes; they beat the Vanderbilt Commodores at home.
Having Evers available vastly expands offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis’ playbook, but it especially benefits their explosive run game. UConn would instantly have more plays to run on third down and could have an advantage in short-yardage situations. The Huskies would not have to completely abandon the run game either if an opponent somehow stops all four of their primary backs.
Head coach Jim Mora could be more all-in on having Connecticut focus on scoring seven points on a drive as opposed to three. For that to happen, however, there is one technique the 37th-ranked player from Texas in the 2022 class needs to adjust and remember.
“Dive, do not slide,” Mora stated following the Huskies’ nine-point win over Temple on October 5. “[He] is a big part of our offense, so it is up to him to make sure that he dives.”
The 2004 NFC Coach of the Year said in his weekly press conference on Tuesday that Evers was “doing great.” Based on Mora’s words, early signs are pointing toward the former Oklahoma Sooner returning for UConn on Saturday afternoon.
Again, it is of utmost importance for the Huskies that Evers stays healthy for the rest of the year. Even though Fagnano is a quality No. 2 option at quarterback, his arm will not be enough to help Connecticut achieve its goals. The 6-foot-3 redshirt sophomore, meanwhile, gives the Huskies their best chance of qualifying for their second bowl game in three seasons.
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