UConn football riding four-game winning streak behind explosive offense

STORRS, Conn. (WFSB) - The UConn football team is riding a four-game winning streak with their offense on fire, and there’s a direct correlation between making explosive plays and winning games.

After winning their last four games, the Huskies are sitting at 5-2 on the season. Their offense, averaging 37 points per game, is a big reason why.

Behind the leadership of quarterback Joe Fagnano, who has 17 touchdowns and zero turnovers through seven games, the Huskies have found the end zone 14 times on plays of 20 yards or more this season.

Head coach Jim Mora praised Fagnano’s dedication to improvement.

“Joe’s a relentless worker. He’s always around here, he’s always studying film, he’s always in there with Coach Tracy, he’s always trying to find a better way. He practices with intent and purpose. He doesn’t ever feel like he’s got it, and that’s what you want out of players, you know? Guys that are constantly striving to be better,” Mora said.

Wide receiver Skyler Bell said the team’s aggressive approach has paid dividends.

“You’ve got to be aggressive, you’ve got to take chances, you’ve got to take shots, and obviously we’ve got the guys to come down with the plays. So, I think just being able to be aggressive and call those plays and us being able to execute those plays is big for us,” Bell said.

Seeing their hard work throughout the week result in wins on Saturday is helping the team build confidence and continue to set a new standard for what they hope the program can grow into moving forward.

“It’s just always a good feeling to get a win towards the end of the week to set yourself up for a good week of work, for the next week. So, yeah, I would say there’s a feeling of confidence and some belief in the work we put in,” said defensive back Malachi McLean.

Bell said the team’s practice performance translates to game success.

“All week in practice we’re executing, we’re hitting our plays, we’re making the right reads, we’re catching the ball well, we’re doing all the right things right. So, on Saturday it only makes sense for it to come to fruition in front of everybody,” he said.

Between the offense playing at a high level and the defense getting into a rhythm, UConn will have the chance to extend their winning streak to five games when they travel to Houston to take on Rice. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.