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UConn football kicks off their season tonight at 7 p.m. under the lights of Pratt & Whitney Stadium against the defending national champions, No. 21 the UCF Knights. The two teams have faced off five times in the ConFLiCT with UCF holding a slight edge, 3-2.
Their first meeting came in 2013 with the Blake Bortles-led Knights crushing the Huskies, 62-17. Tim Boyle starting the game at quarterback for UConn and Lyle McCombs led the team in rushing. What a time.
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Since moving up to FBS in 2002, the Huskies have fared well in season openers, holding a 12-4 record. UConn has won three straight openers, all against FCS opponents. Their last loss in an opener was also the last time they faced a FBS team back in 2013 to BYU.
It’s no secret the Huskies will be young this season. However, they project to be one of the youngest teams in the nation. They have the fewest redshirt seniors in the nation with two — center Ryan Crozier and defensive lineman James Atkins. They also were towards the top of the nation in 2017 with the most true freshmen starters and most first-time starters. That should only increase this season.
Before the game begins tonight, check out all of our preview coverage leading up to the season opener.
Previews
- Game Preview: How to Watch, By the Numbers, Keys to the Game
- 2018 Staff Predictions
- Q&A with SB Nation’s UCF Site, Black & Gold Banneret
- Analysis of UConn’s First Depth Chart
- Positional and Opponent Previews
- Fall Sports Preview Podcast
ConFLiCT Talk
- ConFLiCTed: A Documentary on the Civil ConFLiCT Trophy — Part One
- ConFLiCTed Trailer
- All-Time, All-Sport ConFLiCT Standings
- ConFLiCT T-Shirts and Other Merchandise
Come hang out with us in the comment section for the first UConn football game of the season. Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter @TheUConnBlog, like us on Facebook, bookmark our hompage and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with our coverage all season long.