Hello everyone and welcome to the Hartford Courant’s live blog of the Fenway Bowl, as UConn football takes on North Carolina.
Follow along for live updates as the game progresses.
FINAL SCORE: UConn 27, North Carolina 14
Thanks for following along everyone! Keep your browser locked on Courant.com for much more from Fenway throughout the day, and be sure to pick up tomorrow’s Courant to commemorate UConn’s Fenway Bowl win.
2:16 p.m.: UConn gets the stop on fourth down and now it’s all over but the celebrating. Cask ‘n Flagon is about to be overrun with Huskies fan. A UConn chant breaks out at Fenway. This feels like one of the most significant moments in program history. 27-14 UConn.
2:11 p.m.: Finally some life from the Tar Heels as they’ve managed to move the ball 31 yards in four plays. The last two drives have been their best of the game, but barring something miraculous it’s too little, too late. The ball’s on the UConn 44 now, 3rd and 4 with 1:58 to go.
2:06 p.m. North Carolina gets the three-and-out it needed and forces a UConn punt. Connor Stutz sends it 50 yards, to the UNC 16. The Tar Heels take over from there, but an immediate false start penalty pushes them back to the 11. 4:08 to go.
2:00 p.m.: North Carolina scores its first offensive touchdown of the day as QB Caleb Hood finds John Copenhaver for a 17-yard score. The final score will look a little bit better now. UNC attempts a cheeky onside kick, squibbing it down the left sideline but it goes completely awry, sailing straight out of bounds. UConn ball, 6:34 to go. 27-14.
1:55 p.m.: North Carolina puts a decent drive together but it’s all academic at this point. This is just UNC’s second drive of the game with more than three plays. It’ll make the final stats look better, but likely not much else. 7 minutes to go, 27-7 Huskies.
1:45 p.m. UConn band playing ‘They Not Like Us’ by Kendrick Lamar. Feels appropriate.
1:41 p.m.: UConn forces another punt on a putrid North Carolina drive. The Huskies are now outgaining the Tar Heels 335-65, with 18 first downs to UNC’s 2. Just a shellacking here. One of the best days in UConn football history for sure.
1:34 p.m.: UConn’s Chris Freeman is brought on for a 52-yard field goal attempt. Sails wide left. North Carolina takes over at the 35 and QB Michael Merdinger is immediately sacked by Matt Hoffman. Bill Belichick probably made the right call watching this one on TV.
1:30 p.m.: Fagnano connects with Skyler Bell on a 32-yard pass play that takes UConn to the UNC 25. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Huskies’ Tank Green brings the ball back to the 41.
1:24 p.m.: UConn’s Chase Lundt goes down, trainers come out to check on him. He walks off on his own power. UConn ball at the 45, 4:27 left in the 3rd.
1:15 p.m.: Huskies kick a field goal to take a 27-7 lead. This has been a much more dominant performance start to finish, but UConn now officially leading by more than they beat South Carolina in in the PapaJohns.com Bowl back in 2010. They won that one, 20-7.
1:13 p.m.: Bristol’s Victor Rosa gets a carry as UConn continues to march towards Carolina’s end zone again. 3rd and 7 now on the seven yard line.
1:05 p.m.: North Carolina is stymied yet again on offense, decides to go for it on fourth-and-2, and gets stuffed. UConn takes over on downs, ball now on the UNC 34. The band is blaring, Fenway feels like Rentschler North right now.
1:01 p.m.: UConn kicks off to start the second half, through the back of the end zone for a touchback.
12:38 p.m. Halftime now with UConn leading North Carolina 24-7. That was a thoroughly dominant first half of football by the Huskies. Outgaining the Tar Heels 241-45 and with 14 first downs to UNC’s 1. Unbelievable performance so far– UConn’s largest halftime lead over a power-5 opponent since 2008, according to ESPN. We’ll be back with more live updates in the second half.
12:35 p.m.: North Carolina gets its first first down, 25 seconds left to go in the half. Wow.
12:31 p.m.: Facing a fourth-and-goal from the two-yard line, UConn brings former Pork Rhinds Player of the Year and defensive lineman Jelani Stafford on in the backfield. Instead of getting the ball, Stafford throws a nice block as Cam Edwards takes it into the end zone for the score. UConn now leads 24-7, 54 seconds left in the first half. Unreal.
12:26 p.m.: Mel Brown breaks out a couple of decent runs as UConn marches down the field again, now down to the UNC 21. Brown fumbles but the Huskies recover. 3rd and 10 now on the 17. They’re doing all of this in front of– as to be expected– a very pro-UConn crowd. Fenway is about 90 percent full, and Huskies fans far outnumber Tar Heels fans.
12:17 p.m.: Another three-and-out for UNC. Total yardage count now is 192-14. UConn has 12 first downs, UNC zero. This is total domination so far, couldn’t have asked for a better start for UConn, outside of the kick return.
12:06 p.m.: North Carolina just went backwards 13 yards on that last drive, a three-and-out. The Huskies are now outgaining the Tar Heels 191-0.
11:57 a.m. A fantastic response for UConn, as the Huskies march 79 yards down the field , and cap the drive off with a four-yard touchdown pass to tight end Alex Honig, streaking in the back of the end zone. UConn has been dominant so far, outgaining the Tar Heels, 191-13 so far. Huskies lead 17-7, 13 minutes now left in the first half.
11:40 a.m. Just like that, North Carolina strikes right back, as Chris Culliver takes the ensuing kickoff back 95 yards for a touchdown. There’s a flag on the play, but it’s picked up, and a replay review confirms Culliver was in bounds. 10-7 Huskies with 3:24 left in the first.
11:31 a.m. UConn’s defense has played extremely well to start, forcing two three-and-outs and giving up just eight total yards. The offense takes advantage of a short field, going 51 yards in two plays. Joe Fagnano finds Skyler Bell open in the back corner of the end zone for a 38-yard strike, and the Huskies jump out to a 10-0 lead.
11:14 a.m. Junior running back Mel Brown busts out a 47-yard run on UConn’s first play from scrimmage, taking the Huskies all the way down to the UNC 28. The drive stalls after that, but Chris Freeman makes a 32-yard field goal to put the Huskies up 3-0.
11:00 a.m. The teams take the field at Fenway, and news of a Jim Mora contract extension is percolating throughout the press box. It’s a two-year extension through 2028, and Mora will make $10 million plus incentives through the remaining four years of his contract. There’s even incentives for making the College Football Playoff. Dream big.
