Paws Up Preview – FIU Football @ UConn

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DATE – Saturday, October 4th

TIME – 3:30 PM EST

OPPONENT – UConn Huskies (FBS Independent)

VENUE – Rentschler Field (East Hartford, Connecticut)

HOW TO WATCH – CBS Sports Network

ODDS – UConn -7.5

The time for some R&R is over; now it’s time to rebound for FIU Football. After that tough loss to Delaware at Pitbull Stadium, the Panthers have had a week off to heal up, look in the mirror, make adjustments, and (hopefully) come out swinging on the road against the UConn Huskies.

If a win against Florida Atlantic shone a light on this FIU squad, a loss to the Blue Hens exposed some weak points. Even if Delaware is better than anyone would have guessed, it won’t get much easier for the Panthers as the season progresses, especially right now and later on in November.

UConn is a national powerhouse that all visiting teams should be wary of when they face them in a game of basketball. Football-wise, they’re a decent program that’s looking to repeat historic success in 2024. Still, they’re not perfect, and FIU will look to once again knock off the Huskies at The Rent.

Left In The Past For A Reason

There were some positives here and there against Delaware, but don’t kid yourself. FIU looked and certainly played like they were not ready for this game. The reasoning? It could be a Shula Bowl “hangover,” or that they simply overlooked their opponent.

Still, being down 24-7 at halftime was not going to be an easy hill for FIU to climb. And, well, they didn’t.

FIU’s secondary was shredded by Delaware. Big play after big play. It really goes to show how important Brian Blades II is to this defense, because without him, the Blue Hens racked up 218 yards and three touchdowns through the air.

The Nick to Nick connection can't be stopped 🤝 pic.twitter.com/pkodaKIk7x

— Delaware Football (@Delaware_FB) September 21, 2025

Now, FIU defenses in the past have struggled with limiting dual-threat quarterbacks. Thankfully, this wasn’t a problem against Nick Minicucci, who was stopped to just four rushing yards.

Back to the negatives. Keyone Jenkins had a very bad game. 203 yards aside, two interceptions, and an inability to connect on the deep ball are raising questions about Lyghtz. Aside from him, this receiver room is still looking for a bona fide WR1, though perhaps Alex Perry is on a fast track to that.

And the FIU special teams? Just about abysmal, between a missed field goal to close out the first half and a punt return for a touchdown for Delaware, they didn’t help much in this game.

Yeah, that’s it. All around, a disappointing performance against an opponent many people thought FIU would run right through… including myself. The Panthers had to take it on the chin and think about it for a week. Hopefully, that extra time has allowed them to make the necessary adjustments, as I feel most of their problems so far this season CAN be fixed.

Getting Tired Of The Northeast

Oh look, it’s the UConn Huskies! They have a 3-2 record, with two overtime losses to Syracuse and Delaware (go figure), but wins over Central Connecticut (FCS), Ball State, and Buffalo.

Still, it’s a far cry from what they were able to accomplish last season – a 9-4 record with not a single loss to a non-ACC or Big Ten member. They then went to Fenway Park and blew out North Carolina in the Fenway Bowl.

With that said, here’s the main takeaway from UConn: their offense is one of their best in the country, and their defense is mid. That’s… about it.

Their offense really is good, though. QB Joe Fagnano was originally supposed to take on FIU all those years ago when he was the QB at Maine, but was injured, eventually transferred to UConn, and here we are. He’s thrown 1,201 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and NO INTERCEPTIONS.

Husky Recap Episode 3 – Buffalo#HuskiesOverEveryone pic.twitter.com/jJ6ZAZLXhV

— UConn Football (@UConnFootball) October 1, 2025

Cam Edwards is a solid running back with touchdowns so far this season. But there was only one player that Willie Simmons referred to by name during media availability – Skyler Bell. Their top receiver has hauled in 499 yards and four touchdowns – a gamebreaker in an offense that rarely makes mistakes.

Defensively, they certainly like to bring pressure. With 14 sacks already this season, Lyghtz might need to escape the pocket a few times this game. Still, their secondary is nothing to write home about.

They give up over 232 passing yards per game and have only recorded two interceptions. Bryun Parham is most likely their best player on defense, with 38 total tackles (18 solo) and 5.5 sacks.

Who Wins – FIU or UConn?

Gosh, I want to pick FIU so badly. But I just can’t.

I think this has the chance to be a high-scoring game. On paper, both offenses should have their way with opposing defenses. For FIU, having Blades back (potentially) will be a benefit, but after that Delaware performance? I can’t trust them just yet.

It’s plain and simple. UConn is at home and is coming off back-to-back wins. Wanna stack them up against a similar opponent? The Huskies lost to Delaware in an overtime thriller on the road. FIU got blown out at home by that same team a week later.

UConn consistently takes on power conference opponents – three this season, and five last season. More often than not, they hold their own and have even won. This is an independent program that views itself as closer to a P4 level than the Group of Six.

Hope they have their way against FAU to end the season, though.

UCONN – 30

FIU – 24

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