You asked for more games with this former BE rival
With a new Syracuse Orange football season looming, we’re pleased to say that a fan favorite TNIAAM series is making its return once again to help you get ready for the new year.
After kicking off the 2025 campaign in Atlanta for a battle of the orange against Tennessee, Syracuse makes its home season debut one week later against a familiar Big East foe.
Syracuse will welcome in UConn to the JMA Wireless Dome, aiming to continue a recent string of success against the Huskies and retain the (totally legit) OrangeHusky trophy. The Orange have had the last laugh over the past few matchups, but UConn did have ‘Cuse sweating a bit in their most recent game in 2024.
Does Syracuse defend its home turf easily, or will fans be subject to a game that feels like it went into six overtimes?
Here’s your breakdown of Syracuse’s first home opponent:
What to know about the UConn Huskies
School: University of Connecticut (Storrs, CT)
Nickname: Huskies
Mascots: Jonathan The Husky, Jonathan XV
Photo by Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
#BRAND Slogans: #GoHuskies, #StorrsSupremacy, #OneUniversityOneUConn
Alternate #BRAND Slogans: #IndeFootball, #MoreMora, #DefendTheFenway, #HartfordHeroes
Recommended Blog: The UConn Blog
Conference: Independent
History vs. Syracuse: The Orange are 7-6 all-time versus UConn dating back to 2004. Between ‘04 and 2012, both programs faced each other every year in the Big East. The Huskies won six of the first eight matchups. As a non-conference opponent, Syracuse has won the last five games between 2012 and last season. Syracuse is 5-2 all-time versus UConn at home.
Coach: Jim L. Mora enters his fourth season as UConn’s head coach, coming off his best season yet with the program. The son of former NFL head coach Jim E. Mora started off with a different Huskies program, playing on defense for four years at the University of Washington. His coaching career immediately kickoff as a graduate assistant with Washington. Mora then had a run of various position coaching runs with the Chargers, Saints and 49ers. He served as head coach of Falcons and Seahawks in the 2000s. After one year at Seattle, he was UCLA’s head coach for six years, took a brief pause and then became UConn head’s coach for the 2022 season.
2024 Record: 9-4
What happened last season: UConn had its most wins ever since becoming an independent football school a half-decade ago and most since 2007. The Huskies overcame a trouncing in their season-opener (losing by 43 points to Maryland), winning 10 of its last 13. That included a 13-point win against North Carolina in the Fenway Bowl, the program’s first bowl win under Mora and first since 2009. Wins came against Merrimack, Florida Atlantic, Buffalo, Temple, Rice, Georgia State, UAB, UMass and the Tar Heels. Losses were all versus P5 opponents: Maryland, Duke, Wake Forest and the Orange.
UConn’s offense rallied around the trio of Cam Edwards, Durell Robinson and Mel Brown, who all finished with more than 670 yards on the ground. Quarterback Joe Fagnano stayed free of mistakes and threw for over 1,600 yards, 20 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Skyler Bell (50 catches for 860 yards) led all receivers for UConn. On defense, the linebacker duo of Tui Faumuina-Brown (91 total tackles, 4.5 sacks) and Jayden McDonald (125 total tackles, 3.5 sacks) guided that unit, while Malik Dixon-Williams (3 INTs) was a bright spot in the secondary.
Jason Snow / The Patriot Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
What happened during the offseason: It was a busy period for UConn in the transfer portal, picking up more than 15 players. Headline those additions: former Washington linebacker Bryun Parham, former Iowa State EDGE Trent Jones II and former Notre Dame offensive tackle Ty Chan. The Huskies rank No. 86 in its transfer portal additions, per 247Sports’ team rankings. UConn is bringing in the 116th-best recruitment class this year, which features 12 commitments (10 three-star).
2025 season projections: UConn ranks No. 84 in ESPN’s most recent SP+ rankings, with the offense and defense each ranking in the mid-80s. The Huskies project for 7.4 wins in the SP+ rankings. UConn’s over-under for regular season wins is set at 7.5, per FanDuel, with slightly more action on the under.
Game Date: Saturday, September 6
Location: JMA Wireless Dome
Odds of Orange Victory: 70%
Odds of “marquee game” potential: 20%
Very Early Outlook vs. Syracuse: Regardless of a win or loss versus Tennessee, you know coach Fran Brown will not squander away his team’s chances to capitalize early before the schedule really beefs up. Outside of Syracuse playing better historically at home versus UConn, the Huskies lost a fair bit of talent this offseason and the Orange will certainly be better prepared for the scheme (especially on offense) they’re facing up against.
The case for UConn: the Huskies have beefed up in the trenches and will put up a fight there. Syracuse’s run defense should get a boost at defensive line with some returns, but UConn will probably still put up a scare and Mora is an experienced coach who can do more with less at the college level.
That being said, UConn’s defense doesn’t have enough bite, even with initial concerns on what Syracuse’s offense will look like moving forward.