Redshirt senior Joe Fagnano had previously appeared in eight games for the UConn football team. Half of those contests were starts; the other half had been relief outings.
A rainy Saturday afternoon in Birmingham, Alabama, may have been the pinnacle of his Huskies tenure.
Fagnano came in for redshirt sophomore Nick Evers, who suffered an apparent lower-body injury, with a little under 10 minutes remaining. Although the former Maine Black Bear only completed five of his 12 passing attempts, he jolted Connecticut’s offense.
Down 23-10 when Fagnano entered, the Huskies rattled off 21 unanswered points against a UAB Blazers program seemingly destined for a second consecutive win. UConn, who trailed 20-3 at halftime, stunned the Blazers 31-23 at Protective Field for their first road victory of the season.
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Two of the Pennsylvania native’s five completions resulted in touchdowns. A third was a 28-yard deep ball that redshirt junior Skyler Bell hauled in over his defender. The former Wisconsin Badger nearly had himself a touchdown as well, but nevertheless finished with five catches for 45 yards.
Akron transfer Jasiah Gathings became the top target for both Evers and Fagnano. The redshirt junior wideout caught six catches for 52 yards, and his touchdown put the Huskies ahead. Purdue transfer TJ Sheffield additionally contributed with four catches for 38 yards.
It was not just the Comeback Player of the Year award Watch List member who delivered in the Yellowhammer State. Connecticut’s defense allowed almost 250 total yards and 15 first downs in the first half. They locked in and held UAB to just 157 and eight, respectively, in the second while collecting three sacks.
Recording four turnovers—two interceptions and two fumbles—helped defensive coordinator Matt Brock’s unit shift the momentum. The Huskies turned those takeaways, two of which were on UAB drives that lasted just one play, into 14 fourth-quarter points.
UConn’s lockdown efforts stymied a Blazer offense that scored 17 points in the second frame alone. They especially contained running back Lee Beebe Jr., who crossed the century mark in the first half but only gained eight in the second.
UAB found more of their success through the air in those final 30 minutes. Florida transfer Jalen Kitna, who threw for over 200 yards for the fifth straight contest, completed 22 passes. Despite connecting with just five wideouts, he only recorded one touchdown and threw two interceptions.
Beebe Jr. and sophomore wideout Amare Thomas caught 12 of those completions for a combined 109 yards. Yet it was redshirt freshman Corri Milliner whose 38-yard touchdown catch accounted for Kitna’s lone score of the afternoon.
The Blazers’ defense stood strong for much of the first half, but not necessarily on the Huskies’ first drive of the game. Evers and Sheffield guided Connecticut to the red zone, where Indiana transfer Chris Freeman countered Jonah Delange and knotted the contest at three.
While both teams’ first possession resulted in a field goal, their second ended with a giveaway. Redshirt freshman Cam Chadwick halted any momentum UAB gained on Beebe Jr.’s 24-yard strike with his second interception in four weeks. Three plays later, the Huskies gave the ball right back as the Blazer defense poked the pigskin out of Sheffield’s hands near midfield.
UAB’s defensive takeaway sparked their offense throughout the second quarter. It started when Delange delivered from 36 yards out for a 6-3 Blazers advantage. Evers’ interception on his ninth pass further fueled the avalanche. Kitna’s 38-yard strike to a wide-open Milliner on the eighth play of the drive gave UAB a 13-3 edge.
The Blazers got the ball in plus territory following the two-minute timeout. Beebe Jr. gave his team a 20-3 halftime advantage with 20 seconds left after staying inbounds on a 25-yard house call.
UConn cut their 17-point deficit not before the break but rather after it. Durell Robinson got heavily involved on a Huskies’ drive that burned over seven minutes off the clock. The former Charlotte 49er’s fifth carry resulted in his seventh touchdown of the season.
Thomas’ 36-yard reception on third down helped UAB turn a potential three-and-out into three points on the ensuing possession. Delange’s 32-yard field goal gave the Blazers a 23-10 lead, but it was when they marched down the field again that the tide shifted.
UAB made it just outside of the red zone with 19 seconds left in the third quarter. Redshirt senior Malik Dixon-Williams came back inbounds on Kitna’s first home run shot, though, and lunged for his second interception in as many weeks.
Connecticut could not capitalize on that turnover, but Evers’ injury at the end of that drive gave Fagnano time to warm up. The former Maine Black Bear entered with 9:59 remaining and stayed on the field for only 70 seconds.
Bell got the Huskies into the red zone after hauling in a 28-yard reception behind his defender. Following three consecutive incompletions, Fagnano found Kentucky transfer Shamar Porter on fourth down to make it a 23-17 ballgame.
It took just two plays for UConn to take the lead. A poor toss on the next play from scrimmage gave Furman transfer Jack Barton his first fumble recovery as a Husky. Gathings immediately grabbed the Williamsport native’s 21-yard pass with a defender covering him as Connecticut went ahead 24-23.
The Huskies’ defense responded with a three-and-out and a Kervins Choute fumble recovery with nearly five minutes left. Cam Edwards broke free down the left sideline 2:15 later for the 48-yard touchdown that placed immense pressure on the Blazers.
Freeman’s missed field goal gave UAB 104 seconds to potentially force overtime. Although the Blazers marched into enemy territory, UConn’s defense forced another turnover on downs. It helped the Huskies secure their first winning season in 15 years.
Connecticut returns to action on November 23 when they face the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. The kickoff time will most likely be determined before next Saturday. While the television network also remains unknown, the game itself will air on the UConn Sports Network.
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