The Fenway Bowl pitted two programs, the UConn Huskies and North Carolina Tar Heels, that would be more likely to face each other in the Final Four in March instead of a bowl game. Ironically, the game was played at historic Fenway Park, a baseball stadium. In the end, UConn hits a home run in the Fenway Bowl, beating UNC 27-14.
Huskies Accumulating Mora Momentum
UConn started this season with a record of 1-2. However, the Huskies went 7-2 after that point to finish the regular season 8-4. With the Fenway Bowl win, this year’s UConn team became only the fourth in the school’s 128-year football history to win nine games. Following a 3-9 season in 2023, the Huskies made great strides on both sides of the ball. For his efforts in building the program, it was announced before the game that head coach Jim Mora was rewarded with a two-year contract extension that will take him through 2028. The continuity at the top will help the program continue to grow moving forward. After the game, Mora said of his players, “I’m so proud of them and couldn’t be happier for them and this program.”
Can Belichick Fit the Bill?
On the other side of the coin are the North Carolina Tar Heels, who finish the season 6-7. There is a lot of work for the newly hired Bill Belichick to do to get the program back to respectability. UNC was greatly impacted by players sitting out for NFL draft preparation as well as entering the transfer portal. Of most importance, the Tar Heels were missing an All-American offensive lineman and the running back who set the school record for all-purpose yards in a season this year. The most excitement for UNC in this game was a 98-yard kickoff return by Chris Culliver. However, UNC has made a big investment in rebuilding the program, in the form of Belichick. Time will tell how successful the hire will be, but it is apparent that the team will look very different next season.
Key Takeaways: UConn Hits Homerun in the Fenway Bowl, Beating UNC
The Fenway Bowl saw the UConn Huskies defend their New England home turf. As Jim Mora said during the game “There are a lot of UConn fans here. It’s a special day for us.” The weather was not great in Boston. Rain made the field wet, which further deteriorated the conditions that came from snow and ice over the past week. Consequently, divots had to be replaced at one point, and play was stopped. Additionally, both teams strangely shared the same sideline.
Joe Knows
The UConn offense did more than enough to win the Fenway Bowl. Of course, when the opposition plays as poorly as UNC did in this game, the game plan becomes more of a “don’t break anything” mentality. As expected, Joe Fagnano did well in managing the game. Not surprisingly, the Huskies used a run-heavy attack. However, Fagnano delivered through the air when needed. During an in-game interview, Mora credited Fagnano for how he was executing, saying simply “I like the way we’re moving the ball.”
Coming into the Fenway Bowl, the UConn offense averaged 32.3 points per game. Given the weather in Boston on gameday, it should have been a challenge for either team to reach that mark. However, UConn was able to deliver 27 points. Fagnano did well in delivering the ball on time and on target. He also contributed on the ground, running when necessary. He was only sacked three times this season coming into the Fenway Bowl, though UNC produced two sacks in this game.
Fagnano, in his sixth season, brings his veteran presence to the huddle on each play. He worked hard to come back after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in the second game of the 2023 season. Despite losing the starting job to Nick Evers, Fagnano stayed ready and took advantage of his opportunity when Evers was injured. Fagnano was able to end his college career on a high note at Fenway.
Offensive Offense
As impressive as the UConn offense was, the North Carolina offense was the opposite. The Tar Heels struggled up front on the offensive line. Some of the challenges were driven by players’ choices to skip the game, either to get ready for the draft or enter the transfer portal. The most important opt-out was from All-American right guard Willie Lampkin, which was announced the day before the game. With Lampkin opting out, the game of musical chairs on the offensive line continued for UNC after others were already out after entering the transfer portal. The lack of continuity and experience on the line showed in the stats, as well as through multiple false start, delay of game, and ineligible player downfield penalties.
Starting at quarterback for UNC was Jacolby Criswell. Unfortunately, he did not last very long as he was injured on a first-quarter scramble and did not return to the game. Conner Harrell, the backup quarterback, was not available after entering the transfer portal. So, the offense was turned over to freshman Michael Merdinger, who made his college football debut. The game went about as expected given these circumstances, though Merdinger did begin settling in late. The Tar Heels finally picked up a first down with less than 30 seconds left in the first half.
Other than Lampkin, the most notable opt-out was running back Omarion Hampton. Hampton set a single-season team record with 2,033 all-purpose yards. Davion Gause was given the first opportunity to show what the team’s running back future could be. However, he had nowhere to run behind the patchwork offensive line. UNC also used the Wildcat with Caleb Hood. Initially, that did not produce much success but Hood did throw a touchdown pass out of the Wildcat for the first UNC offensive score (with under seven minutes left in the fourth quarter).
By the Numbers: UConn Hits Homerun in the Fenway Bowl, Beating UNC
Offense
Passing: UConn threw for 151 yards, compared to 110 for UNC. Fagnano completed 16 of 23 for 151 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Evers thew an incompletion in his only pass attempt. For UNC, Merdinger completed nine of 12 for 86 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception. Criswell completed his only pass attempt, for seven yards. Hood completed his only pass attempt for a 17-yard touchdown.
Rushing: UConn had 210 yards, compared to 96 yards for UNC. Mel Brown led UConn, and all players, with 96 rushing yards on 11 carries. Cam Edwards added 74 yards on 17 carries with a touchdown. UNC was led by Hood, who had 78 yards on 11 carries. Darwin Barlow rushed five times, gaining 37 yards.
Receiving: Skyler Bell led UConn with a game-high 77 yards on three catches with a touchdown. Alex Honig scored the other UConn receiving touchdown. For UNC, John Copenhaver led the team with 44 yards on four receptions with one touchdown.
Defense/Special Teams
Defense: Pryce Yates, Jayden McDonald, and Malik Dixon-Williams each had six tackles to lead UConn. Yates, Aaron Key, Donovan Branch, and Matt Hoffman each had a sack. Tui Faumuina-Brown had the UConn interception. Caleb LaVallee led UNC with a game-high nine tackles. Beau Atkinson and Cade Law added one sack each.
Special Teams: For UConn, Chris Freeman converted two of three field goal attempts. He made all three of his extra-point attempts. Connor Stutz punted four times, averaging 43.8 yards per punt. For UNC, both Noah Burnette and Lucas Osada did not attempt any field goals but converted one extra-point try each. Tom Maginness punted six times, averaging 38.3 yards per punt.
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