For 20 years, Dan Orlovsky was the only quarterback in the UConn football team’s Football Bowl Subdivision history with 5+ passing touchdowns in one game. Making only his third start in two seasons with UConn on September 7, graduate gunslinger Joe Fagnano joined that exclusive list.
Three of Fagnano’s five touchdowns against the Merrimack Warriors that afternoon came from 40+ yards out. Merrimack’s secondary had almost no answers for the graduate student’s arm. As a team, the Huskies set program bests in total yards (629), points in one quarter (35) and in one half (56).
Connecticut made more history against the Florida Atlantic Owls two weeks later. The Huskies did damage on the ground this time around, running for an FBS-best 421 yards on 66 carries versus FAU’s run defense. Running backs Mel Brown and Durell Robinson each collected a career-high 156 rushing yards while redshirt sophomore Nick Evers added 78 of his own.
What happens in the trenches has played a huge part in creating these record-breaking games and noteworthy performances.
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Across UConn’s first two home games, the offensive line has not allowed a sack and had as many ineligible men downfield as holding penalties called against them. That holding penalty, which came in the Huskies’ home opener, never actually counted because of a Merrimack personal foul.
Connecticut’s offense has averaged 447.5 yards through four games, which ranks 37th in the FBS heading into Week Five. The Huskies’ rushing attack ranks even better at 13th with 241.5 yards per game. For reference, seven of the country’s currently-ranked teams average at least 240 rushing yards.
Only two players have recorded a sack against UConn’s quarterbacks in 2024; both of them split the bill on the same play. Just one ranked team, the No. 20 Oklahoma State Cowboys, has surrendered exactly one sack going into this weekend. Five programs in the nation have not allowed one.
“They are working well together,” Mora commented about the offensive line before the team’s duel with the Duke Blue Devils two weeks ago. “There is no miscommunication. They are doing a good job of [identifying] the front and the potential blitz and getting the communication made that needs to get made.”
Three out of the Huskies’ five starters from last year’s team, including Seattle Seahawks guard Christian Haynes, graduated. How has Connecticut’s offensive line continued their success?
It starts with the man in charge: first-year offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis. The University of Virginia graduate joined Mora’s staff in 2021 as the Huskies’ offensive line coordinator. Sammis retained that position when he became the team’s offensive coordinator following Nick Charlton’s departure for the Cleveland Browns in March.
The New Jersey native’s offensive line made their largest contributions to the Tribe’s success when the team went 6-5 in 2021. Opponents sacked William & Mary’s quarterbacks 11 times in as many games played that season. Their 203.7 rushing yards per game led the Coastal Athletic Association by almost 30 yards.
Sammis’ success coaching offensive lines spans almost 15 years, starting with his three seasons at Columbia University. The former Lions tight ends coach has turned his repertoire up a notch through three years in East Hartford.
Only once over the past 29 games has UConn allowed at least three sacks in a single contest. Since surrendering four against the Ball State Cardinals in 2022, there have been just four instances where an opponent has recorded multiple sacks. All but one of them came from an Atlantic Coast Conference team.
Haynes led the way for the front five, earning All-American honors during both of his seasons in Sammis’ system. The Maryland native is not the only lineman who possesses star potential, however. Offensive tackles Valentin Senn and Chase Lundt both earned spots on the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 Watch List in July.
All five of the Huskies’ primary starters rank in the top 100 of Pro Football Focus’ national rankings at their respective positions. Last Saturday’s 34-point victory over the Owls highlighted another strength in Connecticut’s offensive line.
“Having guys that can step up and step in like Brady [Wayburn] and Kyle [Juergens], it just shows you that we are building depth,” Mora explained postgame. “When you can replace a really good player like Ben [Murawski] and still have the productivity like we did [Saturday], that shows that you are building depth.”
The Huskies’ offensive line next faces one of their toughest challenges since Sammis arrived. First-year defensive coordinator Joe Bowen has transformed the Buffalo Bulls’ defense into a juggernaut. Buffalo’s 38 tackles for a loss rank fourth in the FBS behind two Power Four programs and the East Carolina Pirates. The No. 1 Texas Longhorns have as many sacks (seven) as the Bulls do.
Although they did not have their best outing in DeKalb, Illinois, last week, Buffalo’s defense still boasts the nation’s top tackler. No player has more individual tackles (34), tackles for a loss (9.5) or total tackles (62) than graduate linebacker Shaun Dolac. Since 2022, the fifth-year Bull has had just three games where he neither recorded 10+ total tackles nor forced a tackle for a loss.
“He plays with a tremendous motor,” Mora stated about Dolac on Tuesday ahead of UConn’s bout with Buffalo. “Their whole defense plays like that [smart and anticipating plays well], but that young man really stands out.”
Fast as the New York native may be, the former UCLA Bruins head coach believes the Bulls’ unstoppable force could meet an immovable object in East Hartford. The 62-year-old head coach sees some intangibles in the Huskies’ offensive line that could complicate Buffalo’s defense.
“They care; they are smart; they are very well-coached,” Mora said that same morning.
If Sammis’ unit can once again stand their ground, a third-consecutive win at the Rent may be in Connecticut’s sights. Beating a defensive-minded team like the Bulls could strengthen the Huskies’ national reputation. UConn’s offensive line, the focal point of their record-setting offense, might catch more of the country’s attention because of it.
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