UConn gets a much bigger measuring stick Saturday, and the timing is perfect for it.
After opening the season with a 56-7 rout of Lafayette, the Huskies return to Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn., for a 3:33 p.m. kickoff against Maryland, the first of three Power Four teams set to visit this season. Syracuse and North Carolina are still to come, but the Terrapins are the next major exam.
UConn has reason to feel good about how Week 1 went. Kalieb Osborne handled the job in his first start after winning the quarterback competition late in the summer, and he did more than manage the offense.
He helped power a school-record 671-yard performance, going 19-of-26 for 265 yards and two passing touchdowns while adding two more scores on the ground. Osborne also accounted for 90 of UConn’s 301 rushing yards.
Both UConn quarterbacks threw an interception.
Maryland arrives with its own sharp start. The Terrapins beat Hampton 62-0 and extended their nonconference winning streak to 19 games, the longest in the nation.
Malik Washington, now in his second season as Maryland’s starter, went 19-of-31 for 186 yards and a touchdown in the opener. The 6-foot-5, 231-pound sophomore already owns a school record for completions by a freshman, after finishing last season with 273 completions, 2,963 passing yards and 17 touchdowns while starting all 12 games.
The Terps showed balance in Week 1, piling up 646 total yards with 365 on the ground and 281 through the air. Their defense was just as imposing, holding Hampton to 85 total yards. That sets up a matchup where both offenses have already flashed, and both defenses have work ahead.
The crowd should be ready for it, too. UConn drew 31,831 fans for the opener against Lafayette, and last season’s high came on Nov. 8, when 38,106 watched the Huskies beat Duke at The Rent.
This won’t be the first time these teams have crossed paths. Maryland beat UConn 50-7 on Aug. 31, 2024, in College Park, Md., the first meeting between the schools since Maryland joined the Big Ten. The Huskies are 2-7 all-time against Big Ten opponents, with wins over Indiana and losses to Michigan, Illinois, Maryland and Purdue.
For fans tuning in, the game will air on CBS Sports Network, with Jordan Kent on play-by-play, Ben DiNucci and Doug Pederson as analysts, and Brandon Baylor reporting from the sideline. On radio, FOX Sports 97.9 FM in Hartford will carry the broadcast with Mike Crispino, Wayne Norman and Adam Giardino. The game is also available on SiriusXM 269 and the app at SiriusXM 978.
In Other News...
Tar Heels Face A Huge Recruiting Test In Crowded 2027 Battle
UConns recruiting footprint in the 2027 class got another look this week when DeMarcus Henry Jr., the Arizona Compass Prep standout, made a visit to Storrs as he works through a rapidly moving process. The rising wing has drawn multiple offers and picked up momentum off a strong stretch of performances across the spring and summer, the kind of rise that has put him firmly on the radar of blueblood programs and made every stop on his tour feel meaningful.
Henrys path is still unfolding, which is what makes the Huskies involvement worth watching. He has already narrowed his options and plans to see the rest of his finalists this fall, so the next few months will tell a lot about where UConn stands in a crowded chase for one of the countrys top young prospects. In the meantime, the staff also stayed busy on the road with Class of 2028 guard Michai White, who picked up a Syracuse offer after the teams visit to Prolific Prep in Florida. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Just Lost A Major Guard Target Now What For The Backcourt
Illinois had been working to keep its footing with five-star guard target NaVorro Bowman Jr., but the 2027 pursuit ended when he committed to UConn. For a program trying to map out its future backcourt, losing that kind of high-end target before the class even takes shape is a sharp reminder of how quickly recruiting boards can change.
The Illini still have options to chase, with King Gibson remaining on their radar after putting Illinois in his top 10 schools. Even so, there is no Champaign visit on his schedule, which leaves the staff to weigh how much more runway it has with top-tier prep guards versus leaning harder into the transfer portal or developing the players already on hand. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Just Got The Early Reality Check Fans Feared
The first home game of the season brought UConn back to earth in a hurry, as Maryland controlled the night from the opening stretches and left the Huskies searching for answers on both sides of the ball. The Terps passing game repeatedly found space against a UConn defense that had little margin for error, turning what had looked like a promising early-season setting into a lopsided 38-14 loss.
Maryland quarterback Malik Washington was the engine behind it all, carving up the secondary with a steady rhythm that never let UConn settle in. And while the defense was being stressed snap after snap, the Huskies offense never found much traction either after the explosiveness it showed in the opener, a reminder that this group still has work to do before it looks like a finished product. [Read more 🡒]