EAST HARTFORD – When the ball was thrown in the vicinity of UConn cornerback Cam Chadwick to start the fourth quarter at Rentschler Field on Saturday, there was a part of coach Jim Mora that wished he just knocked it down.
But at that point in the game, with a 38-6 lead over UAB, it didn’t matter that it was a 4th-down play and that, if the pass had been incomplete, the Huskies’ offense would takeover at its own 43-yard line, rather than the 22. Chadwick actually did the opposite of batting it down as he leapt to “moss” his teammate, Malachi McLean, who tried to wrestle the ball out of his hands as they went to the ground.
They shared a laugh and embraced on the sideline as Chadwick celebrated his third interception of the day.
“You know what? We’re gonna take it,” Mora said. “We’re gonna take that, it was a good interception. And he had a sack as I’m told, too, so three interceptions and a sack for a corner, that’s not a bad day.”
It was the first-ever hat trick for Chadwick and the first for any UConn player in more than a decade.
The last Husky to have three interceptions in a game was Andrew Adams against UCF on Nov. 1, 2014 – exactly 11 years to the day. Adams went on to have an eight-year NFL career, spending time with the New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens from 2016-23.
“Gotta keep on working, take it day-by-day,” Chadwick said.
Saturday was a big day for the sophomore from Plainfield, New Jersey. They haven’t all been so great. He was picked on late in the loss at Syracuse, where he was targeted several times on deep balls as the Orange mounted their fourth-quarter comeback, including on the game-winning touchdown in overtime. He’s gotten burned multiple times since.
But that comes with the territory.
“He works really hard in practice,” Mora said. “He really works hard. He’s very conscientious, sometimes he’s conscientious to a fault. As a corner, you have to have some athletic arrogance to you, you have to be able to forget things quickly, because you’re going to get beat. And I think that he’s finally found that sweet spot where you can play with a lot of confidence and still be very conscientious with the way he’s playing. He’s constantly catching the ball in practice, trying to intercept the ball. He doesn’t take anything for granted and I think you’re seeing that work pay off. I think they’re attacking him less and less because he’s become a much more consistent player for us. I’m really happy for him.”
Chadwick won’t get ahead of himself.
“Every game and every opponent that I go up against is the same,” he said. “They’re there to beat me, and I’m there to beat them. I take it just a game at a time, a play at a time, and just take them one-by-one.”
Bell (and his QB?) attracting NFL eyes
Skyler Bell, as the story has been told many times before, could’ve gotten a more significant paycheck if he wanted to return to the Big 10 and jump in the shuffle at Michigan this past offseason. But, knowing his quarterback, Joe Fagnano, was allowed another year of eligibility and that he’d be a star if he stayed, Bell didn’t go anywhere. And he’s seeing it pay off.
The former Wisconsin transfer from the Bronx, New York, set UConn’s FBS-era record for receiving touchdowns in his career as a Husky – only 22 games so far – with his first touchdown on Saturday, then scored two more to set the new single-season record at 11. His eight catches against the Blazers gave him 74 for the season – fifth-most all-time – and his 149 yards got him to 994 for the year, good for 11th.
Bell’s numbers are some of the best in the country and may top the leaderboards once Saturday’s slate is complete.
“I told myself once I made the decision whether I was coming back or leaving, ‘Whatever it may be, just go to work. You’ve got a big season ahead of you,’” he said. “I think I’ve done a good job of that. I just want to keep going, keep pushing. Not get too high or too low, not worry about rankings or anything like that, just keep playing my game and keep balling.”
You & I both!
https://t.co/M9ghWMs80a
— Noel Thomas Jr (@NoelThomas05) November 1, 2025
Former UConn receiver Geremy Davis, who still holds the school record for receptions in a game with 15 – which Bell nearly tied when he had 14 against Ball State – and is now seventh in both single-season receptions and yards, posted to X after the game: “Skyler Bell well on his way to making me an afterthought in the record books. Keep going!”
Noel Thomas Jr., who holds the single-season receptions record with 100 and is second on the yards leaderboard with 1,179, reposted Davis saying, “You and I both!” with five bell emojis.
Both of them ended up having a shot in the NFL. And Bell will, too.
Scouts have been in Storrs and while they’re there, they’re noticing Fagnano too. The seventh-year quarterback has shown he can hold his own and won’t be the reason his team loses as he’s completed 209 of his 304 passes (68.8%) for 2,529 yards, 22 touchdowns and no interceptions.
“We haven’t had a practice in weeks where there hasn’t been at least one or maybe several NFL scouts there,” Mora said. “I think they’re there obviously to see Skyler, now they’re there to see Joe. I think the things that he’s doing, the consistency he’s playing with, the accuracy with which he’s throwing the ball, the decision-making he’s exhibiting – he’s a good football player. I think it’s only a matter of time before the nation recognizes some of the great things that he’s doing. It’s rare. Very rare.”
Notes
The Huskies are continuing to open up their playbook, using speedy receiver Terrence Smith Jr. in wildcat formations out of the backfield to show different looks in the run game and stay unpredictable. Smith had five carries for 35 yards on Saturday. … Linebacker Tyquan King, the West Haven native who transferred in from Temple, has been seeing most of his time on special teams in recent games as players like Byrun Parham, Oumar Diomande, Donovan Branch and Aaron Key have earned defensive snaps in a loaded position room. “That’s the only reason,” Mora said. … Tackling remains an area of concern for the Huskies, who were dominant in just about every area on Saturday, aside from some of the big plays they allowed in the second half. … UConn hasn’t run the ball a ton in recent weeks, but Cam Edwards still looked good early as the Blazers were in more of a “coverage philosophy” on defense. Mora says he likes the balance of the offense, where they can pass when they need to pass, and run when they need to run.