Preview: Merrimack takes on UConn in battle of FBS/FCS independents
Preview: Merrimack takes on UConn in battle of FBS/FCS independents
Merrimack takes on its second FBS opponent in as many weeks on Saturday when the Warriors travel to Hartford to take on UConn (0-1) at noon.
The Warriors are coming off a 21-6 loss to Air Force in the season opener last weekend. Meanwhile, the Huskies also lost in their opener last week, 50-7, to Maryland.
Before we get into our full preview, make sure you check out this week’s edition of the TMR Podcast, where Ian Beauchesne and I talk about Merrimack’s game at Air Force, and we’re joined by Merrimack head coach Mike Gennetti to talk about the Air Force game and preview this weekend’s game against the Huskies.
Merrimack vs. Air Force
Kickoff: 12:00 p.m. ET
Watch: WFSB3 (Local), UConn+ (Stream)
Venue: Pratt & Whitney Stadium (cap. 42,704)
Location: Hartford, Conn.
Records: Merrimack 0-1, UConn 0-1
History: This will be the first meeting between the programs.
Know the Foe: UConn
UConn was blown out in its season opener against Maryland, 50-7. The Huskies debuted 28 new players from the transfer portal, including quarterback Nick Evers, who transferred from Wisconsin. Evers struggled out of the gate, going 6 for 17 for 73 yards and throwing an interception.
Evers, who began his career at Oklahoma, was a four-star prospect out of high school and was also recruited by Auburn and Florida.
Evers will be a game-time decision after he was removed from the Maryland game for precautionary reasons after taking a big hit to the head.
According to Joe Arruda in the Hartford Courant, Evers has been a limited participant in practice and will be a game-time decision, made by doctors, on Saturday.
Senior quarterback Joe Fagano will start for the Huskies if Evers can’t suit up. Against Maryland, Fagano went 8 for 16 for 149 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Defensively, UConn allowed 629 yards to the Terps last Saturday (381 passing yards and 248 rushing yards).
The Huskies also had two defensive backs thrown out of the game for targeting. Jordan Wright was booted in the second quarter, and Rante Jones was ejected in the fourth. Jones was also flagged for targeting in the final game of last season against UMass.
“The first one was legit. The one on (Jones) — my opinion — wasn't,” UConn coach Jim Mora said. “I'm hard-pressed right now to find an answer to give to a young man about what he's supposed to do in that situation. And I'd love for someone to tell me what to tell him.”
UConn is 20-2 all-time against FCS teams since the program moved to FBS in 2002. The Huskies two losses came against Towson (2013) and Holy Cross (2021).
Three Things to Watch with the Warriors
1) The Warriors want to clean up areas of their game
One thing Mike Gennetti wants to see from his team this weekend is smarter play. He said earlier this week he loved Merrimack’s physicality and effort against Air Force last Saturday but felt better decisions could have put the Warriors in a position to win that game.
Merrimack was flagged for 11 penalties and fumbled four times, losing three.
“We had opportunities to make it a little closer, and if we had played even better, we would have had opportunities to win,” Gennetti said. “But that was still a far cry away. We had chances to make it a better game.
“Our effort as a team was unbelievable. Our guys played incredibly hard. It was just a matter of making better decisions and not shooting ourselves in the foot as much as we did. We took 11 penalties, I wasn’t happy with that. But I was happy with our physicality and toughness.”
Some of the penalties proved to be costly. A delay of game in the first quarter cost the Warriors a first down. The penalty turned a third-and-9 into a third-and-14. Malakai Anthony connected with Jelani Mason on a 13-yard pass, which brought up fourth-and-1, but Anthony was stuffed on a designed run the next play, and the Warriors turned the ball over on downs at their own 46-yard line.
Without the delay of game, Mason’s catch would have been a first down and the Warriors would have been driving on the Air Force side of the field for the first time in the game.
Overall, seven of the 11 penalties came on offense, including four holding penalties.
2) Who starts at quarterback for the Warriors?
Merrimack’s QB1 is an open question coming into the game for the second week in a row.
We know Gavin McCusker will miss the UConn game with a shoulder injury. Gennetti confirmed he was due for an MRI and hopes the injury won’t be long-term, but it will force him to miss the game against the Huskies.
Anthony was efficient against the Falcons, going 14 for 21, but the Warriors only gained 74 yards on those passes (3.5 yards per attempt).
Maine transfer Ayden Pereira came on for the game’s final drive, which was Merrimack’s longest drive. Pereira led the Warriors on a 15-play, 50-yard drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Jalden McDonald. Pereira took all 15 snaps out of the shotgun and ran the no-huddle from midfield.
3) The Warriors need to find a way to contain Skyler Bell
The Warriors must find a way to contain UConn receiver Skyler Bell. The Wisconsin transfer had 141 yards on five catches last week against Maryland. In three seasons with the Badgers, he had 755 yards on 69 yards and six touchdowns.
Some combination of defensive backs Garry Rosemond Jr., Tre Jordan III, Josh Addo, and Grant Jackson will be tasked with defending Bell.
People around the UConn program view Bell as a potential No. 1 receiver. He was targeted seven times in the game, and Fagano targeted him five times in 16 pass attempts.
Betting Lines
Merrimack: +15.5 (-115)
UConn: -15.5 (-105)
Over/Under: 45.5 (-110)
Both coaches felt like their offenses underperformed last weekend.
Despite the drive to end the second half, Merrimack’s defense held up against Air Force’s run-heavy triple option.
UConn’s defense was a mess against Maryland, but the Warriors don’t have the same weapons the Terps have on that side of the ball.
For those reasons, I like the under 45.5 points.
If we know that Evers is out of the lineup for the Huskies, I’d jump on taking Merrimack +15.5 points, and might even sprinkle a little on the moneyline at +490 just for fun.