STORRS — While UConn football has only played Florida Atlantic once, in 2002, current Owls quarterback Cam Fancher is no stranger.
Jim Mora and several of the same UConn staff members spent almost a month preparing for Fancher ahead of their matchup with his Marshall team in the 2022 Myrtle Beach Bowl. Then a redshirt freshman, Fancher didn’t have to do much to take down the Huskies, who turned the ball over four times in the game. He threw for under 100 yards, fumbled and was intercepted, but his two touchdown passes were enough to hold off a late comeback effort as the Huskies lost 28-14.
Plenty has changed since then.
Fancher, of course, is in a new uniform and surrounded by an entirely different group under coach Tom Herman. Now a redshirt junior, he has shown more willingness to move out of the pocket and take off running through three games with the Owls – something the Huskies have struggled with in the past.
“Their quarterback is active, he’s a heck of a runner. And he’s fearless, he’s tough and he’s competitive as heck,” Mora said Tuesday. “The main thing for us is to go out and execute to the best of our ability. Try to get out to a faster start than we got off to (against Duke) and then certainly in the last quarter and a half, learn how to close on people when we get the lead.”
With essentially the same defensive line from that bowl game, minus current New York Jet Eric Watts, and the same safeties, UConn’s defensive unit under new coordinator Matt Brock hopes to continue its week-to-week improvement as the Huskies begin a stretch of six consecutive home games.
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After giving up a quick 17-0 lead to Duke last week, UConn (1-2) was solid defensively until it took the lead, then allowed nine consecutive points to lose the game. As slim 1.5-point favorites on Saturday, the little things will be critical to secure a win.
“We didn’t execute well enough on offense and we didn’t get off the field on defense. And the reason is, my belief is that we lacked some confidence. They really turned it up and we didn’t necessarily match their intensity,” Mora said. “It’s all about just being able to focus and stay in the moment, and that’s hard to do. It’s easy to say, hard to do, especially against a team like that.”
“I think it was a little lack of detail,” said linebacker Langston Hardy, who started the comeback with a pick six. “We need to make sure we stay on top of all the little details and keep on doing the things that we started off the game (doing). Hustling, aggressive to the ball, all 11 hats to the ball, stuff like that.”
Offensively, consistency will be key.
FAU (1-2) has allowed no more than 24 points this season in games against FIU, Army and Michigan State. That high point total was achieved by Army, which ran for over 400 yards and completed a single pass for a 44-yard touchdown.
Behind Nick Evers, UConn’s offense clicked for about a quarter against Duke, scoring twice for consecutive touchdown drives after halftime. Evers showed he can be UConn’s own dual-threat at the quarterback position, but has to focus on hitting open receivers and confidently running plays.
Keep an eye on
Fancher: He has completed 51 of his 88 passes this season (58%) for 470 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. He has also rushed 43 times for 141 yards and a touchdown, and is the second mobile quarterback UConn has faced this year. The Huskies allowed Maryland’s Billy Edwards Jr. to run for 39 yards on five carries in Week One.
FAU RB Zuberi Mobley: After struggling in the Owls’ first two games, Mobley matched his career touchdown total in the first half against FIU last week as he ran into the end zone three times. He finished with 134 yards on 20 carries and will look to continue that success.
FAU DT Prince James Boyd Jr.: A New Haven native, Boyd is expected to see his first action for FAU after transferring in from Purdue in January. A graduate student, Boyd made 19 total tackles for the Boilermakers in the 2021-22 seasons but saw action in just one game last year.
Evers: He has continued to show glimpses of how he can impact the game from the quarterback position, but needs to improve the speed of his decision-making and the consistency of his throws.
UConn RB Cam Edwards: UConn could get Victor Rosa (broken finger) back this week, but Edwards will remain the workhorse in the backfield. Edwards had 132 total yards (106 on the ground) and a touchdown as he carried the ball 21 times last week at Duke.
What to know
Site: Rentschler Field in East Hartford
Line: UConn by 1.5
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: CBS Sports Network – Jordan Kent, Logan Ryan, Keiana Martin
Radio: UConn Sports Network from Learfield, Fox Sports 97.9
Online: The Varsity Network App – Mike Crispino, Wayne Norman, Adam Giardino
2024 record: UConn: 1-2, FAU: 1-2
Series: UConn leads, 1-0.
Last meeting: Nov. 2, 2002 – UConn 61, FAU 14 at Memorial Stadium in Storrs
Pregame reading:
