STORRS — Jim Mora and the UConn football team wanted to start last week’s game against Ball State with a bang.
So they dialed-up a deep ball intended for their best receiver, Skyler Bell, on the first play from scrimmage. But the throw from Joe Fagnano was short and lucky to find grass rather than the Cardinals’ hands.
Of UConn’s 181 passing yards in that 31-25 win, 126 of them came after the catch, mostly on screen passes or short throws into the flat.
The Huskies will again look to get off to a fast start as they search for their first road win on Saturday at Buffalo. But incorporating the deep ball will go a lot farther for the balance of the offense, which should help in preventing the late-game dramatics that have led to overtime losses on both road trips this year.
“We’re not pleased right now with where we are with the big throws to get down the field. We missed three on Saturday,” Mora said. “I think it’s timing and work with your receivers, understanding coverage. We’ve worked really hard to be on the same page with our quarterback and our receivers and the exactness of how a route is going to be run versus particular looks. Those guys get extra work at it each week so I think as that piles up, you’ll see us become more consistent in that area.”
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Fagnano has been as advertised so far.
In his seventh year playing quarterback at the college level, Fagnano has been able to get the ball in the hands of his playmakers quickly and at a consistent rate, he’s top 20 in the nation in passing yards (1,046) and has guided the Huskies’ offense to be one of five in the FBS without a turnover.
“I’ve got to finish some throws downfield and the receivers are gonna make plays downfield for me. So that starts with me,” Fagnano said. “There’s a rhythm to it and getting a feel for the pocket, but I’ve just got to be better in that department.”
Taking some risks might be key to snatching momentum and winning on the road.
“We try to create a routine that is consistent whether we’re home or on the road, but there are just some disruptions that you have to be able to overcome and you have to be able to maintain your focus, and that’s not always easy,” Mora said. “Typically there’s a little bit more momentum for the home team, once again that’s something you have to try to ignore, put out of your mind and focus on what you can control between the white lines. That’s what you stress and emphasize and that’s what we work on, but it’s not as easy as it sounds to do.”
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Buffalo hungry to rebound
Buffalo comes into Saturday’s game in a position the Huskies have been familiar with.
The Bulls led Troy, 14-0, before former UConn quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson went down with a lower leg injury late in the third quarter last week. They went up 17-0 early in the fourth quarter, but then imploded and allowed 21 unanswered points to lose the game.
And whether it is Roberson, who was labelled as doubtful to play by coach Pete Lembo and has been wearing a boot this week, getting back at his former team, or the nine returning defensive starters who remember last year’s 47-3 loss at Rentschler Field, Buffalo will come into the game with a chip on its shoulder.
“Super impressed with UConn going all the way back to last year when we played them and you turn on the film and you’re watching this year, and you see a lot of the same,” Lembo told reporters in Buffalo. “I think any time you’ve played somebody before you have a sense for the physicality of the team, you have a sense for the speed, so I think it’s more of a benefit than not.”
Who else can emerge in UConn’s pass game?
One former UConn receiver, Jasaiah Gathings, will line up on the opposite side after joining the Bulls in the spring. A compliment to Bell and TJ Sheffield for the Huskies last season, Gathings is Buffalo’s fifth-leading receiver with 11 catches for 107 yards.
For the Huskies, it is time for some of their new weapons to show up.
Bell had 14 of the team’s 20 receptions against Ball State. He is second in the nation in receiving yards with 445, which accounts for almost 23 percent of the Huskies’ total offense.
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Reymello Murphy has been the second-best option with 14 catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns this season while players like Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman, Juice Vereen and Chris Parker have been banged up. John Neider, the former walk-on from Milford, has been a standout in a relatively limited offensive role, and tight end Louis Hansen has 87 yards on eight catches.
Shamar Porter (five catches, 62 yards) and tight end Alex Honig (four catches, 26 yards) should play an increased role as the season goes along.
“I’m looking to get the ball to anybody that I can, whoever’s open,” Fagnano said. “Some plays were designed to go to Skyler, some weren’t, it just happened to be that way. He’s a good football player, so we try to get the ball to our best playmakers. … I’m just looking to spread it out some more, we’ve got some other good players out there at receiver that I can get the ball too as well.”
What to know
Site: UB Stadium in Amherst, N.Y.
Line: UConn by 2 1/2
Time: 3:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN+ – James Westling, Craig Haubert
Radio: UConn Sports Network from Learfield, Fox Sports 97.9
Online: The Varsity Network App – Mike Crispino, Wayne Norman, Adam Giardino
Record: UConn: 2-2, Buffalo: 2-2
Series: UConn leads, 17-5