Sep 20, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Connecticut Huskies running back Cam Edwards (0) runs the ball for a touchdown against et Ball State Cardinals in the second half at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images David Butler II-Imagn Images

What Pushed UConn Over the Edge in Third Win

Originally posted on UConn Huskies on SI
By Connor Mardian | Last updated Sep 28, 2025 11:00 AM ET

What led to UConn’s (3-2) 20-17 victory over Buffalo (2-3) (1-0)? What was Jim Mora’s squad able to do at the very clutch to seal a needed win over their former quarterback, Ta’Quan Roberson’s school?

Well, like many tightly-knotted games, the answer can be pinned down to a number of things. Ultimately, it was kicker Chris Freeman who notched the game-winning 44-yard field goal that gave the Huskies the win or the silencing of the nation’s best pass-rush. Possibly the fact that UConn was able to complete another 60 minutes without losing the ball.

While all those factors played a part, the biggest factor that narrowly pushed UConn over the edge was the Huskies’ dynamic run game.

While Buffalo actually totaled 39 more yards on the ground than the Huskies’ 165. UConn’s was spread out much more than the clump of 63 yards Buffalo running back Lamar Sperling nabbed on a touchdown sprint in the second quarter.

For UConn head coach Jim Mora, seven of the Huskies’ 17 first downs came from rushes with an average rush of 5.3 per play, .4 yards higher than the Bulls’.

The three biggest contributors for the Huskies were quarterback Joe Fagnano, and running backs Cam Edwards and Oliver Lundberg Coleman. Fagnano totaled 64 net rushing yards, averaging out to 10.7 yards per carry.

Edwards, who plays as the lead running back, snatched 57 net yards on 3.8 yards per carry, which came with an all-important touchdown. Leaving Coleman, whose five rushes spiked for 31 yards on the day.

Heading into Saturday afternoon, a lot of talk was on the passing threat that Fagnano posed. Yet, Buffalo created Fagnano’s lowest passing yards tally on the season as the Huskie tossed just 155 yards and one touchdown. For comparison, Fagnano had seen over 200 yards on three separate occasions this year.

For an offense that had its fair share of lagging with seven punts on the day, the spark the consistent rushes provided was just enough to keep Buffalo on their heels, for when Fagnano and his 61.3% completion rate were not quite connecting.

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