Huskies host Liberty with the chance to reach bowl eligibility
Did not think we'd be seeing that headline this season.
The Huskies are 15-point underdogs at home against an 8-1, 19th-ranked Liberty team visiting the Rent on Saturday. The 12 p.m. contest will be televised on CBS Sports Network and it’s the Huskies’ fourth game of the season against a ranked opponent.
Back in August, it would have been very hard to imagine UConn entering this game with five wins. After Game 1, a “promising” loss to Utah State that featured an injury to the team’s top QB and WR, those chances may have gone even lower. The wins against Fresno State and Boston College were huge for Jim Mora and this program, and have the 2022 season looking better than all of us expected.
Nevertheless, critics remain. Some point out that in the advanced metrics, UConn’s gains have been minimal. While we are not the kind to immediately dismiss analytics, the context is important here. Beating BC for the first time in program history is massive. Overcoming injuries and finding a way to win not just the games they should but also a couple of others demonstrates a level of competence that the last coach was not anywhere close to, and the two before him only briefly had.
Two keys to the win total this season: multiple winnable games on the schedule (good job, athletic department) and an ability from Mora and his staff to make the most of the talent on hand and form a successful gameplan. That second part is huge, and it’s why we have confidence for continued progress next year and beyond.
Against Liberty on Saturday, the Huskies may be overmatched, but unlike previous iterations of this team, we don’t expect that to decide the game. Win or lose, UConn needs to stay competitive and keep spirits high heading into the season finale at Army.
Some recent links:
Recap from UConn’s 27-10 win over UMass, and takeaways from the game.
Future opponents - What Liberty and Army have been up to.
Future football schedules - UConn has four games to fill out between 2024 and 2026. Who could they play?