First look: What to know about Duke’s nonconference football game at UConn
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Duke travels to UConn in a midseason nonconference game before Virginia.
- UConn enters 6-3, 4-0 at home and averages 44.8 points at Pratt & Whitney.
- Darian Mensah has 2,572 yards and 21 TDs; UConn threats Bell and Fagnano lead offense.
It would be easy to call it a “trap game” for Duke’s Blue Devils.
After beating Clemson at Clemson in an emotionally charged, milestone ACC victory for the Duke football program, the Blue Devils must face Connecticut this week before another big ACC showdown against Virginia.
For Duke, it’s a non-conference game on the road against a Huskies team that qualified for bowl eligibility Saturday with a 38-19 victory over UAB. UConn (6-3), which bounced back from a 37-34 loss to Rice, will make its third bowl trip in four years under coach Jim Mora, Jr.
The Huskies played at Duke last season and pushed the Blue Devils to the limit. Duke trailed 21-17 entering the fourth quarter, scoring the last nine points for a 26-21 comeback victory that had wide receiver Que’Sean Brown make 11 catches.
That game was Duke’s third of the 2024 season, played in September. The timing is different this year, interrupting Duke’s ACC schedule and sending the Blue Devils on the road for a second straight week.
Also of note: UConn is 4-0 at home this season and averaging 44.8 points at “The Rent,” as Huskies fans call Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field.
Duke pushed its ACC record to 4-1 for the first time since 2014 with its first win at Clemson in 45 years. Quarterback Darian Mensah was at his efficient best, going 27-of-41 passing for 361 yards and four touchdowns.
Mensah capped the 46-45 thriller with a two-point conversion pass to Sahmir Hagans after Nate Sheppard’s short TD run with 40 seconds left in the game.
“It’s a huge win for sure,” Mensah said after the game. “I felt like we didn’t have any other choice than to come out and get the ‘dub.’”
Clemson had 560 yards in total offense as quarterback Cade Klubnik returned from an ankle injury to throw for 385 yards and two scores. But the Tigers were repeatedly burned by Duke’s array of receivers and allowed a 100-yard kickoff return by Hagans for a tying score in the third quarter.
“To come out and win in this fashion against a really talented team, in this environment, is huge,” Mensah said. “I’m super proud of our guys and how we played to the last snap. We knew we had to play our best today and we did.”
Key game matchup: Defusing the Fagnano-Bell combo
UConn quarterback Joe Fagnano and receiver Skyler Bell have a good thing going for the Huskies. The two teamed up for three touchdowns Saturday against UAB as the Huskies took a 24-0 lead at halftime and led 38-6 after three quarters.
Fagnano, a 6-4, 225-pound graduate student and a Maine transfer, was 23-of-30 for 267 yards and four TDs. Bell, a redshirt senior who transferred from Wisconsin, had eight receptions for 149 yards and his three TD catches tied him for the school record for a season with 11.
Bell had seven catches in the game at Duke last year and later scored a touchdown in the Fenway Bowl victory over North Carolina. This season, he had 14 grabs against Ball State and 10 against Boston College.
In the past three games, Bell has 26 receptions for 432 yards and five TDs, including an 80-yarder against Rice. That has Duke’s attention.
UConn impact players: Chadwick, Vereen
Cornerback Cam Chadwick was all over the field Saturday against UAB, picking off three passes to tie the school’s single-game record. The redshirt sophomore also had a sack and seven total tackles.
Chadwick and the UConn secondary will be tested by Mensah, who has 2,572 passing yards and 21 TDs and now has thrown 211 passes without an interception — Mensah has had two picked off this season, by Illinois and Tulane.
Tight end Juice Vereen was a highly sought 4-star recruit out of Havelock who first went to N.C. State and then transferred to UConn after two seasons. Vereen played in just three games for the Pack in 2024.
Vereen, a redshirt sophomore, has touchdown catches in each of UConn’s past three games and four TDs overall in the games against BC, Rice and UAB. He caught four passes for 82 yards in the Huskies’ 38-23 win at Boston College, giving UConn its first TD with a 50-yard reception.
Vegas betting odds
Duke has been made an early 9.5-point favorite by various betting services. FanDuel Sportsbook has set the over/under at 62.5 points. The moneyline: Duke -365, UConn +285.
Duke-UConn game info
Who: Duke (5-3 overall, 4-1 ACC) at Connecticut (6-3); When: Saturday, Nov. 8, 3:30 p.m. Where: Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field, E. Hartford, Connecticut.
TV: CBS Sports Network. Stream: fubo TV, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV Stream, Sling TV.
Series history: Duke and UConn have played four times in the series with each winning twice. The Blue Devils took a 26-21 win in Durham last season and a 41-7 victory at UConn in 2023. The Huskies’ wins came in 2007 and 2004.
