On October 18th, the Boston College football team will host the UConn Huskies at Alumni Stadium for Homecoming weekend. It’s a classic New England rivalry that has picked up steam in the last decade and should be an interesting game in 2025. UConn is riding high after a 9-win season and will feel emboldened against a BC program that has traditionally dominated them.
Game Notes
- Saturday October 18th at TBD
- Chestnut Hill, MA
- Homecoming Weekend
Series
This will be the 17th meeting between these two programs. Boston College leads the all-time series with a 13-1-2 record dating back to 1908. UConn’s lone win against BC came in 2022, when Jeff Hafley’s BC squad lost to the Huskies in East Hartford, 13-3.
2024 Recap
UConn went 9-4 in 2024, their first season finishing above .500 since 2010 when they were in the Big East. Some of their more significant wins included a shootout over UMass to close the regular season and a Fenway Bowl win over North Carolina. Though that UNC victory was their only such performance against a power conference, as the Huskies lost their games against Maryland, Duke, Wake Forest, and Syracuse.
This program has shown some new life under head coach Jim Mora, now entering his fourth season at the helm. He’s taken them to two bowl games already and has rescued the program from the utter depths of hell. For four seasons under their previous head coach, UConn never achieved a record better than 3-9, including two seasons with 1-11 records.
In 2024, the Huskies defense was the best it’s been in 10 years and was top-10 in the nation on 3rd down. They also averaged over 400 yards on offense per game, a mark that they hadn’t met since 2017, and nearly averaged 200 rushing yards per game. Nothing about this team was particularly flashy or dangerous, but you can tell that they finally have a competent coach that can string together some wins. A base level of competence that the UConn program hasn’t seen for quite a while.
Offense: The OL unlocks everything
UConn was able to get their offense going in 2024 because of their solid run game. But with only one OL starter returning in 2025, will they be able to keep the momentum going? They’re still bringing back their top running backs and have a lot of depth at that position, but they will really need their OL to step up if they want to keep building on what they were doing last season. The staff brought in Notre Dame transfer Ty Chan at left tackle, but otherwise they’ll need their young talent to fill in the gaps.
Quarterback Joe Fagnano will return under center after a season that saw him throw for 1,631 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only 4 interceptions in 10 games. They’re also bringing back junior QB Nick Evers, who got some playing time under center last year as a rushing threat but was less impressive through the air. With the added return of their top WR Skyler Bell and new transfers Caleb Burton and Chris Parker, UConn is expecting their passing offense to continue to rise to new heights.
Defense: Total overhaul
UConn lost almost every single starter on defense this offseason, including star pass rusher Pryce Yates, so they hit the transfer portal hard and will try to rebuild. They are bringing in DL transfers from Virginia, Iowa State, Nebraska, Austin Peay, and Texas Southern. Linebackers coming from Kansas State, Temple, and Washington. And DBs from Penn State and Austin Peay. With such instability and uncertainty on the defensive side of the ball, it seems likely that the Huskies will take a step back in 2025, even if some of these transfers turn into hidden gems.
Match-Up Versus Boston College
BC should be solidly favored in this game, even though UConn is having a bit of a resurgence lately. Bill O’Brien should be able to exploit the uneasy Huskies defense that got crushed at times last season and is now being fully overhauled. UConn will certainly compete, though, and I expect that this game won’t be a walk in the park for the Eagles. The UConn offense especially could try to run it down the throat of the BC defense and establish a possession battle that keeps the game close.