Much of UConn’s success on the football field last season came down to winning close games.

Of their nine wins in 2024, five were within one score in the final minute of regulation. This year’s team has shown over consecutive weeks, against opponents at different levels of the sport, that it has a ways to go.

UConn imploded again down the stretch at Delaware on Saturday. Defensively, they were never in it. On offense, where they were able to match the Blue Hens and put themselves into favorable position to escape with a win, the Huskies couldn’t get two yards on a potential game-winning 4th down opportunity and then again failed to find the end zone from inside the 5-yard line in overtime.

The season is far from lost. Based on the last two weeks’ results, UConn is capable of competing with every team on its schedule – even the two remaining ACC matchups against Boston College and Duke – but the Huskies can’t continue playing up or down to the level of their opponent. Saturday’s game against Ball State, which is ranked in the bottom five nationally by ESPN’s Football Power Index, should be an opportunity to get right before the Huskies hit the road again for a game at Buffalo.

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Here is a look into Saturday’s loss, by the numbers:

512

The 512 yards of total offense Delaware accumulated on Saturday was its highest total in any game this season, including its season-opener against Delaware State, an FCS team that went 1-11 last year. The Blue Hens had 303 yards in the first half alone.

521

Realizing the game would be a shootout early, UConn’s offense did its part to keep up with 521 total yards. The Huskies averaged 7.3 yards per play and had 324 yards of offense in the first half as they scored on four of their first five possessions.

179

Delaware running back Jo Silver, a senior, had never run for more than 100 yards in a game until Saturday, when he eclipsed that mark in the first half alone and finished with a career-best 179 yards and two touchdowns.

161

Similar to Silver, Delaware’s senior receiver Kyre Duplessis had never been close to the 161 yards he accumulated on nine catches Saturday. The Coastal Carolina transfer had a 68-yard touchdown play down the sideline and accounted for more than half of the Blue Hens’ 265 passing yards.

10

Quarterback Joe Fagnano found 10 different receivers as he passed for 346 yards, a career-high in a UConn uniform. The Blue Hens had their eyes on Skyler Bell but the Huskies’ top pass-catcher still recorded a team-high 92 yards on seven catches. John Neider, the Gatorade Conn. Player of the Year at Jonathan Law HS in 2022, had 60 yards on four receptions.

23

Cam Edwards had to carry a strong majority of the Huskies’ rushing load after Mel Brown went down with an injury early in the second series. Edwards finished the game with 116 yards on 23 rushing attempts and scored two touchdowns. Victor Rosa was second on the team with four carries, 40 rushing yards and a touchdown.

5

UConn’s defense, which looked much-improved last week despite the loss at Syracuse, had success in one area on Saturday as linebackers Bryun Parham and Tyquan King got to the quarterback for five sacks and seven tackles for loss. Parham, a transfer from Washington, led the team with 10 total tackles, three sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss.

314

Delaware quarterback Nick Minicucci accumulated 314 total yards (285 including sacks) as he carved the Huskies with chunk passing plays and made them pay with his legs. Minicucci accounted for three rushing touchdowns, including the game-winner.

7

After cutting down on its penalties last week, UConn was flagged seven times on Saturday. Of the five defensive penalties, two came in the fourth quarter, including a pass interference call on 4th-and-9 that extended the game and allowed the Blue Hens to drive for the game-tying field goal.

100%

Delaware got into the red zone three times and scored touchdowns on every trip. The Blue Hens also went 3-for-3 converting on fourth down.

UConn football falls in overtime again, 44-41 at Delaware