Wasabi Fenway Bowl: Connecticut defeats North Carolina 27-14

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Saturday morning was not ideal if you are a baseball fan. However, if football is your thing, then a cloudy off and on raining day was a perfect setting for North Carolina and Connecticut in the 2024 Wasabi Fenway Bowl. This was the fourth all-time meeting between the two schools with UNC having won the previous three. The Tar Heels were also trying to win a bowl game for the first time since the 2019 Military Bowl when they defeated Temple 55-13. A crowd of 27,900, mostly Huskies fans, made the trip to Fenway Park to see their schools play.

UNC won the toss to open the game and chose to defer to the second half. The Huskies got the ball first to begin the game. That first drive by the Huskies produced the game’s first points. A 35-yard FG by Chris Freeman gave the Huskies a 3-0 lead 4:14 into the game. The key play on the drive was the very first one, a 47-yard run down the right sideline by Connecticut RB Mel Brown that set up UConn in plus territory. After an exchange of punts, things got a little worse for the Tar Heels. Starting QB Jacolby Criswell left the game with an apparent shoulder injury with 4:40 left in the quarter. He was replaced by freshman Michael Merdinger.

UConn would get the ball back after another Tar Heels punt and quickly made it 10-0 on a 38-yard TD pass from Joe Fagnano to Skyler Bell in the right corner of the endzone. Connecticut was in control. However, that only lasted a few seconds. On the ensuing kickoff, Chris Culliver caught it, started up the middle turned left, made two Huskies miss, and went down the sidelines for a 95-yard kickoff return for a UNC touchdown. It was the 7th non-offensive score for North Carolina this year. With three minutes left in the quarter, it was now 10-7 Connecticut. The quarter came to an end with UConn leading and driving for more points.

The Huskies finished off the drive with a four-yard TD pass from Fagnano (16-of-23, 151 yards, 2 TD) to Alex Hong. A minute into the second quarter, UConn was up 17-7. UNC had only 13 total yards of offense, and -13 on the ground with zero first downs. The Huskies, on the other hand, had 191 yards of total offense, 102 of which were on the ground, 10 first downs, and 3-of-5 on third down. The Huskies came to play and it was showing. Things were getting so bad for UNC that they were using a RB, Caleb Hood, to take direct snaps and run the ball. It was not working. At the two-minute warning, the Huskies were poised to add points to their total with the ball on the UNC 4-yard line with a first and goal. It would take all four downs, but UConn added to their lead. Cam Edwards (17 carries 74 yards, 1 TD), on a 2-yard TD run to the right, made it a 24-7 Huskies lead with 54 seconds left in the half. Carolina’s last drive of the half ended with an interception by UConn LB Tui Faumuina-Brown.

A miserable first half for the Tar Heels it was as they gained 45 total yards, 44 of them through the air. They took eight penalties for 50 yards, were 0-4 on third downs, and ran 15 total plays. Meanwhile, Connecticut was on fire with 241 total yards of offense, 151 on the ground, and 90 through the air. They were a perfect 3-for-3 in the red zone, 5-of-9 on third down, and ran 43 plays. UNC would get the third-quarter opening kickoff to try and change the way the game was going.

The first Carolina drive of the second half was no better. They were stopped on downs at their own 45-yard line. Connecticut was in plus territory looking to put this game away. While it was not a touchdown drive, it still turned into points. A 24-yard FG by Freeman gave UConn a 27-7 lead with 7:36 left in the third. The quarter moved along quietly with the Huskies in complete control.

The Carolina offense finally got started in the fourth in a much different way. Using Hood (11 rushes, 81 yards, 1-for-1 17 yards, 1 TD) as the QB, the Tar Heels drove 96 yards in 8 plays. Seven of those plays were running plays with Hood taking direct snaps. The drive ended on a TD pass from Hood to TE John Copenhaver of 17 yards to the right side. Carolina was now down two scores at 27-14 with 4:16 left in the game.

UNC would get the ball back one more time. This time they would gain some yards before the Huskies’ defense stopped them on a 4 and 1 from the UConn 49-yard line. UConn ran out the clock and took the win 27-14.

After the game, the two teams talked in different directions. UNC interim head coach Freddie Kitchens was disappointed in the loss. He was “proud of the guys for what they have been through the last three weeks.” He believes that the program is heading in the right direction with the new staff that is coming in. Kitchens is the only holdover from the current staff that will be retained. UConn Head Coach Jim Mora thanked the bowl committee and Huskies Nation for coming out. While he praised UNC for “playing hard” he was very happy with the way his team practiced. His players that came into the room all talked about the great week they had getting ready for this game. And it paid off in a big way. The UConn win gave them a nine-win season for the third time in program history.

Where the Huskies go from here is an interesting question since they are an independent program. This win might be of interest to any conference that is looking for a team. For UNC, it is all about next season and how the new staff led by Bill Belichick gets them ready for it.