UConn heads to Oxford on Saturday with a chance to keep its early-season momentum rolling, but the Huskies are walking into a game that looks a lot different from the ones they’ve already played.
The Huskies face Miami Ohio at Fred C. Yager Stadium at 3:30 p.m.
EST, with ESPN+ carrying the game. UConn comes in at 2-1, while the RedHawks are 1-2.
Miami Ohio is favored by 3.5 points, and the over/under is 51.5.
This will be the first meeting between the programs. UConn, though, has done well against MAC opponents overall, owning a 23-11 record against the league and winning its last three games against MAC teams dating back to the 2022 season.
There’s also a familiar face on the other sideline. UConn head coach Jason Candle has faced Miami four times during his time as Toledo’s head coach, going 3-1. His only loss came in the 2023 MAC Championship Game, and his Rockets beat Miami in Oxford, 24-3, last season.
“Coach Martin has done an outstanding job for a long time. We played against them here [at Miami Ohio] the last few years during my years at Toledo and they were a tough team,” Candle said.
“Very detailed, very skilled team. They don’t give up a lot of plays and they don’t make a lot of mistakes.”
The numbers tell the story of what UConn is likely to face. Miami’s defense gave up 446 total yards in its 35-31 loss to Cincinnati, including 309 through the air and 137 on the ground. On offense, quarterback David McComb has already thrown for 809 yards, a sign that the RedHawks’ passing game is their clearest strength.
UConn, meanwhile, is coming off a 436-yard outing against Southern Miss, split almost evenly between the run and the pass. The Huskies flashed big-play ability with 10 plays of 15-plus yards through the air or 10-plus on the ground, but this matchup could demand more from the passing game than UConn has needed so far.
That’s the big question: can the Huskies find a true breakthrough through the air? Kalieb Osborne has shown plenty of versatility, using his legs to extend plays and keep drives alive.
He completed passes to 10 different receivers against Southern Miss, and seven of his 16 completions went for more than 15 yards. His first touchdown pass came after he scrambled around until someone came open.
Still, no clear go-to receiver has emerged yet. UConn has leaned on balance and depth, with Kenji Christian contributing as both a runner and a receiving threat, Cyncir Bowers earning offensive MVP honors for Week 3 after a 42-yard rushing touchdown, and Trey Cornist adding a receiving score while grinding out tough yards in short-yardage spots.
Saturday also puts UConn’s offensive line under a brighter spotlight. Against Southern Miss, the Huskies were flagged six times, and four of those were holding calls on the line.
Another was a false start by the offensive line, while the sixth was intentional grounding on Osborne after heavy pressure. Candle pointed to the youth and inexperience up front, but this will be a serious test as the level of competition rises.
The other side of the ball brings its own challenge. UConn did force its first two turnovers of the season last week, both interceptions, and held Southern Miss to four yards per play in the first half while building a 27-6 halftime lead. Candle wants that kind of disruption again, especially against a Miami offense that can stretch the field.
“If a quarterback gets disrupted and he gets off to a rocky start, very few can come back and rebound from that,” Candle said. “I think we try to make the other team one-dimensional; if we can, try to limit their opportunity to run the football and then, when we have the chance to, pin our ears back and try to get after the quarterback.”
Miami’s playmakers make that easier said than done. Maleek Huggins had 128 receiving yards and a touchdown against Cincinnati, with a 32.0 yards-per-catch average, and leads the team in receiving yards. Damerion Witten, the Ohio State transfer, has two touchdown catches and ranks second on the team in receiving yards while averaging 30.7 yards per catch.
UConn’s road schedule is also starting to stack up. The Huskies already have five road games on the calendar, and after this trip they’ll have completed two of them. Temple and Air Force await in October, before the season ends at Wyoming.
The Huskies have also been tough against the MAC for a while now. Since 2013, they’ve lost just once to a MAC team, a 25-21 setback against Ball State in 2022.
One more note from last year’s matchup picture: Ryder Treadway caught four passes for a team-high 55 yards and a touchdown against Miami Ohio, and Candle viewed that performance as his breakout game.
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