STORRS – There will be a showdown between two of the best quarterbacks, statistically, in college football this season when UConn hosts Duke in its most anticipated game of the year at Rentschler Field on Saturday.
UConn’s Joe Fagnano and Duke’s Darian Mensah are both among the best in the nation in every major statistical category through 10 weeks as Fagnano looks for his fifth win at home and Mensah bids to lead the Blue Devils to bowl eligibility.
It will be a tall task for the Huskies’ defense to stop the Duke redshirt-sophomore, who was regarded as one of the best transfer portal additions after starring at Tulane last year and is finding just as much success in Durham.
Having played eight games to UConn’s nine, Mensah has the fifth-most passing yards in the nation with 2,575. He’s tied for sixth with 21 passing touchdowns to just two interceptions and has the eighth-best quarterback rating in the FBS (166.7). Fagnano, with one more game under his belt, comes in just behind Mensah with his 2,529 passing yards (No. 6), but has the fourth-most passing touchdowns in the nation (22) and has yet to have thrown an interception – the only QB with a clean sheet after at least 75 passing attempts.
Mensah has completed 202 of his 290 passing attempts (69.7%) to Fagnano’s 209 of 304 (68.8%).
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“I think that this quarterback (Mensah) is outstanding in the pocket, finding passing lanes, moving around in the pocket and still keeping his eyes down the field,” UConn coach Jim Mora said. “And then they’ve got a good group of receivers, so they’re playing with a high level of confidence right now. When a quarterback can find a rhythm because his offensive line and his backs, and his tight ends who are also involved in pass protection, are doing a good job for him, then that just builds confidence.”
The Blue Devils visit The Rent coming off of a dramatic, 46-45, road win at Clemson – the program’s first win in Death Valley in 45 years. It was shaping up to be a shootout from the start and Mensah stepped up to the challenge, completing 27 of his 41 passes for 361 yards and four touchdowns. He executed a 94-yard final drive that resulted in a touchdown and the game-winning two-point conversion with 40 seconds left.
It was Mensah’s fifth game this year with over 300 yards passing.
“He’s a heck of a football player,” said Fagnano, who’s had four 300-yard games himself – three coming in the last month. “I’ve been able to watch some of their games now and he can really command the offense and he plays well, but I’m focused on the UConn Huskies and I’m really excited to play.”
The key to Fagnano’s success has been his ability to be steady.
Part of it can be attributed to his experience having seven years in college football and three with the Huskies, but a larger part can go to his offensive line giving him time to go through his progressions, and his improved ability to extend plays with his legs and find the open receiver.
“His ability to make really good decisions with the ball in his hand, that’s what separates him in my mind,” Mora said. “I think it’s the No. 1 attribute you’re looking for in a quarterback, at least that’s what Bill Walsh said. Bill Walsh was obviously a great mentor to me and this is what he said, I’m gonna agree with a guy like Bill Walsh. Mike Holmgren, same thing, Steve Mariucci, same thing – these are guys that were quarterback gurus, I mean, the best to ever do it at the highest level, and they all said it’s decision-making. And that’s what I’ve seen from Joe.”
It has helped both quarterbacks to have a clear No. 1 target.
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For UConn, that is Skyler Bell, the senior wide receiver who has the most catches in the nation (74), the most receiving touchdowns (11) and the second-most receiving yards (994). The attention he’s required from opposing defenses has helped open up the playbook with additional options in both the passing and running game.
Duke has a similar pass-catching option in Cooper Barkate, a Harvard transfer who has 774 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 45 receptions, an average of 17.2 yards per catch. Barkate had his best two performances of the year in the last two weeks with 172 yards on 13 catches against Georgia Tech, which was undefeated at the time and ranked No. 12 in the nation, and 127 yards on six catches last week at Clemson.
“His athleticism, his change-of-direction, his speed, his burst, his ability to make people miss in the open field, their ability to get it to him in tight spaces and then guys don’t make the tackle and he gets free…” Mora said. “The chemistry between him and their quarterback, you notice it on film. There’s a lot of confidence there. He’s just a dynamic athlete. Some guys just have a little more quickness, a little more speed, a little more burst, a little more agility, change-of-direction, than others. And he’s one of those guys that really has it.”
If UConn’s numbers at home (44.8 points per game) and Duke’s numbers on the road (39 points per game) are any indication, fans should be in for a treat.
“You talk about a team that has turned the ball over one time all season and is undefeated at home. They only have one loss at home over the last two years and are already bowl eligible. They have not lost a game in regulation this year and have beaten an ACC team (Boston College),” Duke coach Manny Diaz told reporters this week. “You put the film on Connecticut; they jump off the tape. You look at the numbers for Connecticut, and it jumps off the sheet.”