UConn came out of the locker room at halftime trailing but determined to defeat Boston College. Head coach Jim Mora cited the "resilience" of his players.
Joe Fagnano threw three touchdown passes and ran for another as UConn defeated Boston College 38-23 on Saturday in Chestnut Hill, Mass., for the Huskies’ first win this season over a Power Four program.
It’s also the Huskies’ first road win over a major-conference program since they defeated Maryland in 2012.
UConn won its fourth consecutive game and moved to 5-2 on the season. One more win makes the Huskies eligible for a bowl game.
Fagnano, a seventh-year quarterback, threw for a season-high 362 yards on 23-of-31 (74.2%) passing. Skyler Bell caught 10 passes for 125 yards and grabbed a 38-yard touchdown pass with 4:05 remaining to seal the win.
Juice Vereen and Fagnano connected for two scores – one a 50-yard reception that gave UConn a 7-3 lead in the first quarter, along with a 14-yarder that made the score 31-20 near the end of the third.
UConn was in control most of the first half, but the Huskies went into the locker room trailing after Grayson James found Reed Harris for a 39-yard play that gave the Eagles a 20-17 lead.
Head coach Jim Mora, who now has beaten Boston College twice in his three-plus seasons at UConn, credited his team for not allowing the momentum to shift despite the Eagles taking the halftime lead.
“Very proud of our players,” Mora said. “The end of the first half didn't go like we wanted it to. We lost momentum that we kind of captured through the first half. We weren't able to convert and keep the drive alive and then we gave up the long 39-yard touchdown on first and 25, and that could bury some teams, especially if you're on the road.”
The Huskies were unaffected in the second half. They added a touchdown just 3:09 into the half on a six-play, 75-yard drive after John Neider caught a 43-yard Fagnano pass, then ended the quarter with Vereen’s second score.
The Eagles (1-6, 0-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) added just a field goal for their only scoring in the second half. Their four other drives resulted in three punts and a turnover on downs.
“You're up all half and then you go down, and I just thought the resilience that our players showed, the adjustments that our coaches made showed me a lot of what's happening around here in terms of confidence, belief in the work that we're doing, trusting each other, and then it paid off," Mora said.
UConn put up 455 yards of offense, including 93 rushing yards. Boston College had 204 passing yards from James and 191 rushing yards, led by Jordan McDonald, who carried the ball 24 times for 123 yards.
Both teams were 3-for-3 in the red zone. Luca Lombardo kicked three field goals for the Eagles, and Chris Freeman hit one for UConn. The game had no turnovers.
“I just thought it was pretty impressive the way that our team rallied around each other today,” Fagnano said. “It's hard to get a win in football but especially [against] a power … school. It's hard to do but you know this team had confidence all week.”
