Connecticut football proved they have what it takes to play with the best in 2023, but they still fell short on the scoreboard Thursday night at East Hartford’s Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field.

In front of an announced crowd of 36,526, the visiting Atlantic Coast Conference North Carolina Wolfpack came away with a 24-14 victory as the Huskies opened their 20th season of football here.

It was a battle of transfer portal quarterbacks, and linebackers. NC State quarterback Brennan Armstrong threw for 155 yards and ran for 96 more, and UConn’s Joe Fagano aired it out for 113 and ran for another 52. The linebackers were key to the outcome. UConn has a cadre of strong, middle and weak-side players to contain the Michael Vick-style of quarterback play their team often is faced with, and North Carolina’s linebackers played as a unit, intercepting the ball at the end as Connecticut tried to drive for a game-tying or winning scores.

Goal-line play was also terrific for fans of old-style football in the trenches. It took the Wolfpack 6 tries from inside the UConn five yard line to take a 17-7 lead in the third, the extra downs coming from a pass interference call on fourth down against strong side linebacker Tui Faumuina-Brown.

Standouts included Husky running back Victor Rosa who ran for 99 yards and scored both of UConn’s touchdowns, including a 71-yard run that got the Huskies to within three in the third quarter. But he somersaulted into the end zone at the end of the run, and that celebration was flagged for a penalty that forced the Huskies to kick off from their 20-yard line.

The ensuing 40-yard return by the Wolfpack ended with a sideline penalty on Connecticut, tacking on another 15 yards placing the ball on the Connecticut 27. Wolfpack safety Rakeim Ashford suffered a knockout blow that silenced the crowd and saw him carried off to an ambulance, giving a thumbs up as he left. Held overnight, NC State coach Dave Doeren later said medical reports were positive.

The next drive saw the Wolfpack score Armstrong’s second touchdown from 8 yards out.

UConn simply could not contain the big, aggressive quarterback from Virginia. “Having that extra runner as a quarterback kind of helps you as an offense, right,” Armstrong said. “I just felt like the game needed my feet and that’s just kind of what happened.”
UConn jumped out early, with quarterback Fagnano and the Huskies leading a 12-play, 75-yard opening drive. Rosa capped that off with an 18-yard touchdown run. But the Huskies had just 50 yards of offense the rest of the half. The Wolfpack held the Huskies to 273 total yards. Fagnano finished 14 of 26 for 113 yards and an interception, from linebacker Payton Wilson that sealed the win with under a minute to go.
“It was neck-and-neck and we were fighting hard and then we imploded a little bit there at the end of the third quarter,” UConn coach Jim Mora said.
NC State had a 66-yard drive on its first possession, with Armstrong keeping the ball for a 4-yard touchdown run.
The Wolfpack’s Brayden Narveson hit a 44-yard field goal as time expired in the first half and NC State led 10-7 at intermission.
THE TAKEAWAY
Ashford’s injury changed the entire mood of the game. Replays showed him being blindsided just after Gray was tackled. A cart was brought onto the field, but not used. Ashford was eventually strapped to a stretcher and wheeled off the field. UConn’s Isiah Davis was called for unnecessary roughness on the play.
UConn coach Jim Mora has been vocal about his hopes that UConn can get an invite into a Power Five football conference and a win over an ACC opponent would have helped that cause. The Huskies play three more Power Five games this year, against Duke, Boston College and Tennessee.
The Wolfpack finished with 209 yards rushing, after averaging 114 a year ago and failing to rush for 100 yards in their final three games of the season. Senior Jordan Houston had 57 yards on 13 carries.
EXPERIENCE AT QB
Both teams started transfers at quarterback. Fagnano played for three years at Maine. Armstrong, who threw for over 9,000 yards at Virginia, was reunited at NC State with two former coaches, offensive coordinator Robert Anae, who held that position with the Cavaliers in 2021 and offensive line coach Garret Tujague.
“I’m just trying to play every snap like it’s my last, because it could be eventually,” Armstrong said. “We play a violent sport so there’s an urgency involved in that.”
UP NEXT
North Carolina State: The Wolfpack host No. 13 Notre Dame on Sept. 9.
UConn: The Huskies play their first road game at Georgia State on Sept. 9.