UConn Football vs. UMass Minutemen: How to watch, by the numbers, what to watch for

KICKOFF: 3:30 P.M. ET

TV: NESN

ANNOUNCERS: Josh Maurer (play-by-play), Andy Gresh (color analyst)

RADIO: UConn IMG Radio Network; TuneIn; 97.9 ESPN Hartford, WINE 940 AM, WGCH 1490 AM, WICC 600 AM, WAVZ 1300 AM, WATR 1320 AM WILI 1400 AM and 95.3 FM

ANNOUNCERS: Mike Crispino (play-by-play), Wayne Norman (color analyst), Adam Giardino (sideline), Bob Joyce (pregame host)

RECORDS: UConn (1-6); UMass (1-6)

POINT SPREAD: UConn -10

OVER/UNDER: 63

SERIES HISTORY: The UConn Huskies and Massachusetts Minutemen have previously met 72 times before in the gridiron in a series that dates back to 1897. UMass holds the advantage at 36-34-2.

Pregame Coverage

Randy Edsall blames phones, Fortnite for program-building struggles

2019 UConn football opponent preview: UMass

Fun With Numbers

734 - On Saturday, UConn will be gunning for their first win against an FBS opponent in 734 days. Their last FBS win came against Tulsa on October 21, 2017.

741 - The number of days since UConn has last beat an FBS team on the road. They beat Temple on October 14, 2017.

4 - Days from Saturday until UConn men’s basketball kicks off its season with an exhibition game against Saint Michael’s College at the XL Center.

8 - Days from Saturday until UConn women’s basketball kicks off its season with an exhibition game vs the Jefferson Rams at Gampel Pavilion.

20 -Years since UConn has played UMass at McGuirk Stadium in Amherst.

7 - UMass is tied with Alabama and Stanford for the most true freshman to start a game this season with seven.

What to watch for

Road Woes

UConn has had its fair share of struggles on the road in the second era of Randy Edsall, having gone more than two years without a road victory. Freshman quarterback Jack Zergiotis has been especially bad on the road, throwing for just 131 yards and two interceptions in three road appearances this season. He’ll have to be much better to lead UConn to a win against the Minutemen, and is coming off of a two touchdown, 270-yard performance against Memphis. If he can shake his road struggles and put together a strong performance, the Huskies should be in line for a win.

Defensive Ineptitude

While UConn’s defense has improved since last year, it still is regarded as below average. Fortunately, UMass’ defense is even worse, allowing 49.9 points per game and ranking dead last in defensive SP+. The Minutemen do have a standout in cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, who is one of two players in the country with three interceptions returned for touchdowns.

Some Spread

According to SP+, this ranks as one of the worst games in college football this season, with UConn coming in at No. 126 and UMass last at No. 130. Nonetheless, Vegas has the Huskies as a 10-point favorite, despite not having won a road game in over two calendar years and starting a true freshman quarterback on the road. Since Randy Edsall came back for his second stint as head coach, UConn has covered the spread in just 33 percent of their games. Can the Huskies put a win together in first (and possibly only) time as a favorite against an FBS foe this season?