East Hartford, Conn. — The UConn Huskies turned a season’s worth of close heartbreaks into their most defining moment of 2025, stunning ACC contender Duke 37–34 on Saturday night at Rentschler Field. A late touchdown and a dramatic defensive stand sealed the Huskies’ biggest win in over a decade before their largest home crowd since 2013.
After suffering three narrow losses earlier in the season — by a combined 13 points — UConn (7–3) finally found redemption in the clutch. Quarterback Joe Fagnano orchestrated a brilliant final drive, completing 6 of 7 passes before connecting with Skyler Bell on a 19-yard touchdown strike with 1:58 remaining. Following a review, Fagnano’s two-point run was ruled good, giving the Huskies a 37–34 lead.
Duke (5–4) still had time to respond, but UConn’s defense delivered the decisive play. Linebacker Bryun Parham stripped quarterback Darian Mensah near midfield, and Trent Jones pounced on the fumble to secure the win — and a field-storming celebration.
“I just knew I had to make a play,” Parham said. “It was surreal — something I’ve dreamed about my whole life.”
Head coach Jim Mora praised his team’s resilience, crediting the early-season adversity for Saturday’s poise under pressure.
“This was the culmination of everything we’ve learned,” Mora said. “If we hadn’t failed in those two-minute drives earlier in the year, maybe we wouldn’t have succeeded tonight.”
Fagnano was sharp all evening, throwing for 311 yards and three touchdowns, while Bell hauled in 11 catches for 87 yards and two scores, surpassing 1,000 receiving yards on the season and setting a new UConn record for touchdown receptions. Reymello Murphy added 110 yards receiving.
Bell was as animated as anyone after the defense’s game-clinching play.
“I was jumping for joy — almost cramped up,” Bell laughed. “That was our defense coming up huge when we needed it.”
The game featured plenty of momentum swings. Duke came out strong in the second half with a pair of touchdown drives — a 3-yard run by Nate Sheppard and a 1-yard scoring toss from Mensah to Landen King — to take a brief lead. But UConn responded with a perfectly executed fake punt that extended a drive, setting up a 3-yard rushing touchdown by Cam Edwards to reclaim the advantage, 29–28.
Mensah finished with 222 passing yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions, while Sheppard ran for 100 yards and two scores. Duke’s mistakes proved costly, as the Blue Devils lost the turnover battle and missed chances late.
“We made too many errors in all three phases,” said Duke coach Manny Diaz. “And that quarterback — he’s the real deal.”
UConn’s defense forced two first-half interceptions, both leading to field goals by Chris Freeman, helping the Huskies take a 20–14 halftime lead.
Takeaways
UConn: Fagnano remains interception-free this season — his only “pick” came on a failed two-point conversion attempt, which doesn’t count statistically.
Duke: The Blue Devils have a minus-nine turnover margin across their four losses this year, continuing a trend that has plagued them in close games.
Up Next:
Duke: Hosts Virginia next Saturday.
UConn: Returns home to face Air Force in another nonconference matchup.
