A major turning point in Jim Mora’s first year as UConn’s head football coach came in Muncie, Ind., when the Huskies blew a 21-10 halftime lead at Ball State and saw their first two-game winning streak since 2017 snapped.
At the time, the team’s reaction in the locker room reassured Mora that the program was ready to turn things around and reimagine its expectations. They responded to win their next three games against Boston College, UMass and Liberty to clinch bowl eligibility for the first time in seven years.
The teams meet again on Saturday, this time at Rentschler Field, with UConn in need of another reset.
The Huskies return home after consecutive blown leads and overtime losses at regional rivals, Syracuse and Delaware, and are still looking for their first FBS. Ball State has a new head coach in Mike Uremovich and was outscored 73-3 in losses at Purdue and Auburn to begin its season before squeaking past New Hampshire, an FCS opponent, 34-19, for its first win last week.
The Cardinals, 21.5-point underdogs on Saturday, are ranked the sixth-worst team in the FBS by ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) metric through three weeks.
“It’s just a matter of coming together as one and having a complete game. That’s one thing we haven’t had this year is a true complete game,” receiver Reymello Murphy said on Tuesday. “We’re not giving up on anything. It’s kind of motivation, it’s one of those things where (our) back’s against the wall and you don’t want it any other way because it forces us to be in an uncomfortable position and push forward.”
UConn has won seven of its last eight games at home and announced its fifth-largest crowd (37,594) for this season’s opener, a 59-13 win over Central Connecticut State.
“It does matter how many people are there, but it doesn’t because I know that the people who are there are diehards and they’re going to bring energy, and we love playing in front of them. And we like being in our locker room and we love playing on that grass, we love staying at our home hotel,” Mora said. “At this point, where we are, (playing at home) can help us, calm us down a little bit.
“It can give us that routine that we need. Our families are going to be there, our friends are going to be there and hopefully our students are going to be there. I feel like we have to earn them back a little bit, and I believe we will.”
UConn football loses key offensive playmaker after getting ‘beat up’ in OT loss at Delaware
Players to watch
UConn running back Cam Edwards will have a full plate this week. After losing the lightning to his thunder with Mel Brown breaking his collarbone in Delaware, Edwards will carry a heavier load as the Huskies’ workhorse. He had 23 carries against the Blue Hens after Brown went down in the first quarter and will likely be complimented by Bristol’s Victor Rosa, as well as Oliver Lundberg-Coleman, MJ Flowers and speedy receiver Terrence Smith Jr. in the run game. Ball State’s defense has allowed 149.7 rushing yards per game.
Ball State quarterback Kiael Kelly is an athlete. In four years with the Cardinals, he has played quarterback, running back, wide receiver and even pursued a starting role as a defensive back, which never transpired. Passing only 47 times this season (263 yards, 2 TD, INT), Kelly’s legs are a major part of the Ball State offense as he’s run for 143 yards – second-most on the team behind running back Qua Ashley. UConn struggled with a mobile quarterback last week as Delaware’s Nick Minicucci ran for three touchdowns, including the overtime winner.
UConn appears to have hit again in the transfer portal at the linebacker position, specifically with former Washington Husky Bryun Parham. The graduate student from Long Beach, Calif., had three sacks last week and leads the nation with five, in addition to his seven tackles for loss, which is also tops in the FBS. Parham leads the Huskies with 24 tackles through three games and will play a pivotal role in stopping the Cardinals’ running game, which has accounted for most of its offense.
Familiar faces
Running into familiar faces on opposing sidelines is only going to become more normal in this age of college football, and the Huskies will see several this season. Making a homecoming on Saturday will be linebacker Alfred Chea (UConn 2020-24) and defensive end Nathan Voorhis (UConn 2022-23). Chea has a share of the team-lead in tackles with 13 on the year, 1.5 for a loss, and Voorhis leads the Cardinals with 3.5 sacks and five tackles for loss.
“They’re very sound, they know what to do, they rush the passer, they’ve also got 10 sacks so they’re a good pass-rush team. They’ve got a couple guys on their defense that played here,” Mora said. “They’re a MAC team. They’re going to be tough, they’re going to be solid, disciplined and they’re going to play hard.”
What to know
Site: Rentschler Field in East Hartford
Line: UConn by 21 1/2
Time: 3:30 p.m.
TV: CBSSN – Fran Charles, Taylor McHargue, Hailey Sutton
Radio: UConn Sports Network from Learfield, Fox Sports 97.9
Online: The Varsity Network App – Mike Crispino, Wayne Norman, Adam Giardino
Record: UConn: 1-2, Ball State: 1-2
Series: Ball State leads, 4-0