The Buffalo Bills open their Thursday night stage at the all-new Highmark Stadium with a lot of attention on the matchup against the Detroit Lions, but UConn fans have one eye on a much smaller detail: whether Skyler Bell is active.
Buffalo is 1-0 after its Week 1 win over the Houston Texans, while Detroit comes in at 1-0 after an overtime escape against the New Orleans Saints. The Lions built a 21-0 lead before letting it slip away, and now the Bills get the league’s traditional Thursday Night Football spotlight in Orchard Park, N.Y.
For Huskies supporters, though, the real storyline is Bell. The former UConn standout was selected by Buffalo in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and he was kept out of the first two preseason games before turning in a productive finale with seven catches for 49 yards, plus 28 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Bell’s college résumé is the kind that still stands out in Storrs. He helped UConn to a 9-4 record in 2025 under former head coach Jim Mora, teaming with quarterback Joe Fagnano to post 101 catches for 1,278 yards. That production made him the first Associated Press First-Team All-American in program history, and he was also a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation’s top pass catcher.
The numbers were elite by any standard. Bell was one of just two players in the country with at least 100 receptions and one of only three to top 1,200 receiving yards. His 13 touchdowns ranked second nationally, and he did it while out-producing a name like Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State, who is viewed as the best receiver in the country and could be the No. 1 pick in the 2027 draft.
UConn, meanwhile, has already moved on to its next test. After a loss to Maryland on Saturday, the Huskies return to action Saturday night at 7 p.m.
ET against Southern Miss. Both teams are 1-1, with Southern Miss coming off a 43-8 defeat to Auburn.
UConn opened its season by beating Lafayette 56-7 on Sept. 5.
In Other News...
UConn Just Added Another Huge 2027 Recruiting Opportunity
UConns 2027 recruiting board keeps getting more interesting, and the latest name to surface is one that fits the Huskies recent habit of staying in the mix for elite talent. The program is also tracking other top targets such as Asa Montgomery and NaVorro Bowman Jr., with each prospect in a different stage of the process as visits and decisions start to take shape.
Jordan Page is the next major opportunity on the schedule, adding another high-end wing target to a class that already has plenty of intrigue. For UConn, the visit gives the staff a chance to make its pitch to one of the countrys most coveted young players, and it comes at a time when every trip and every impression can matter in a loaded recruiting race. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Just Got A Schedule Break Fans Should Watch Closely
UConns football schedule for 2027 already has a familiar ACC flavor to it, with road trips lined up against North Carolina, Syracuse and Pitt. The Tar Heels had been filling out their non-conference calendar, and for the Huskies, that made the matchup in Chapel Hill look like one more solid opportunity to measure themselves against a Power Four opponent in a season that already carries some built-in intrigue.
The reason fans should keep an eye on this is the ACCs new scheduling setup, which is reshaping how schools build their slates. With league games taking up more room and only a limited number of non-conference spots available, every future opening gets tighter and the ripple effects can reach well beyond one season. For UConn, the question is whether that added pressure changes how stable those ACC games remain, or whether the Huskies can keep benefiting from a slate that gives them exposure against programs theyd like to see on the schedule more often. [Read more 🡒]