UConn Football adds Yale to 2021 schedule

UConn will renew their local rivalry with Yale after over 20 years of inactivity next year, finalizing a deal to meet them on the Rentschler Field turf on October 16, 2021.

Connecticut’s two biggest athletic institutions met 49 times between the years of 1948 and 1998, but the two haven’t met since then. The rivalry was dominated by the Yalies from the inception of the series, with 30 wins and 3 losses, until UConn turned the tables in 1982 and proceeded to win 14 of 16 against their Ivy League rivals.

“We are excited to have UConn on our football schedule this fall,” Yale athletic director Victoria Chun said in a statement. “Our fans have been clamoring for this matchup for decades and we are happy to come through for them. Yale and UConn football have had a long history together and David (Benedict) and I are happy to bring the in-state rivalry back again.”

According to the contract between the two schools, UConn will pay $285,000 for Yale to come to East Hartford for the game. The Huskies now have two FCS schools on their 2021 schedule, which means that only one of them can count towards bowl eligibility (i.e. if they went 6-6, but two wins were against Yale and Holy Cross, they would not be bowl eligible).

UConn also added games against Florida International in 2024 and 2025, adding to games already scheduled against the school in 2022 and 2023.

The Huskies now have one slot to fill for the 2021 season, which is currently scheduled as follows:

August 28 at Fresno State

September 4 vs. Holy Cross

September 11 vs. Purdue

September 18 at Army

September 25 vs.Wyoming

October 2 at Vanderbilt

October 9 at UMass

October 16 vs. Yale

October 23 vs. Middle Tennessee

November 13 at Clemson

November 20 at UCF