Joe Fagnano’s first NFL start came with plenty of pressure and very little help, and the results showed it.
The former UConn quarterback struggled Thursday night as the Baltimore Ravens fell 33-10 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. With Lamar Jackson unavailable, Baltimore dropped to 4-5 while Jacksonville moved to 6-2.
Fagnano finished 10-of-18 for 60 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. His quarterback rating was 22.7. Baltimore also seemed intent on limiting the burden on him, leaning on multiple direct snaps to players in the backfield.
The rough outing came in a difficult spot. Fagnano had not dressed for the first several weeks of the season, then was forced into action last Sunday against the Buffalo Bills as the Ravens’ third-string emergency quarterback.
That role usually doesn’t come with many practice reps during the week, and the challenge only got steeper when he had to turn around and start on a short week against one of the AFC’s top teams. He was also dealing with a foot injury suffered last week.
Baltimore added former New England Patriots starter Jacoby Brissett in a trade this week from the Arizona Cardinals, and he now appears set to take over with Jackson and Tyler "Snoop" Huntley both out. Fagnano likely won’t get another shot soon, though the setup would be different if he did have more time to prepare.
At UConn, Fagnano’s college career was built on patience and production. He spent seven years in college overall, with four at FCS Maine and three in Storrs, using redshirts and COVID exemptions to extend his run. Along the way, he rewrote the program record book.
His 2025 season helped push UConn to a 9-4 record and a Fenway Bowl berth. He threw 28 touchdown passes and only one interception.
That season also featured a strong supporting cast around him. Cam Edwards and Skyler Bell joined Fagnano in forming a dangerous offensive trio for former head coach Jim Mora, and Bell went on to earn All-American honors at wide receiver.
Fagnano entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent and signed with Baltimore after the draft. Bell was taken in the fourth round by Buffalo, while Edwards is now at Michigan State.
In Other News...
Former UConn Coach Is Back In College Football Again
Paul Pasqualoni is headed back into Division I football, landing on the Florida State staff after a long coaching career that has taken him from head coaching stops at Syracuse and UConn to assistant jobs in both college and the NFL. For UConn fans, his name still carries the memory of a difficult stretch in Storrs, where his three seasons as the Huskies head coach were defined by losing records and little momentum.
Now 77, Pasqualoni is re-entering the college game in a different role, one that keeps him around the sport even as the landscape shifts again in Tallahassee. Florida States staff has been in transition since Mike Norvell was fired, and Pasqualonis arrival adds another experienced voice to a program trying to reset itself while filling out its defensive side of the ball. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Gets A Huge Early Test In A Rematch Fans Will Feel
UConn is getting an early measuring-stick game in a place that should feel familiar to plenty of fans, with Michigan waiting at Bostons TD Garden in an upcoming rematch that carries real juice. The matchup brings together two programs with recent history and plenty of recognizable names, including UConns Braylon Mullins and Michigans Elliott Cadeau, while the backdrop adds a little extra edge for a Huskies team that will be looking to make a statement.
Dan Hurley has already made clear he is looking forward to the game and respects what Michigan brings to the floor, which is part of what makes this one stand out this early in the season. The series history adds another layer, and with both teams having gone through changes since they last met, this is the kind of test that can reveal a lot before the calendar has even settled into conference play. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Gets An Early Read On Its New Look In A Huge Rematch
UConn gets an early chance to see where its new-look roster stands when the Huskies step into a high-profile nonconference test this week in Boston. The No. 4 team in the country is coming off a strong season-opening win and has already strung together three straight victories, but this one carries a different kind of weight as part of a demanding schedule that will tell a lot about how quickly the pieces are coming together.
Michigan arrives with its own opener in the books, and the stage at TD Garden should give this matchup the feel of a major early measuring stick. It is the kind of game UConn circles because it offers more than a resume boost, with the national spotlight and a familiar opponent adding extra edge to a November night that could say plenty about where the Huskies are headed. [Read more 🡒]