Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.
That’ll be the sentiment most UConn football fans take from the Jim Mora Era, which will be remembered very fondly, despite some puzzlement at the news the California native is leaving for the Colorado State job.
Even though the gruff, hard-nosed coach is on his way out just as it seemed he was about to elevate the program to even further heights, fans can celebrate that UConn football is back on track. The next hire will no doubt be every bit as important as Mora’s was.
Fans will remember ‘The Husky Revolution’ and ‘The Reload’, as well as ‘Him Mora,’ and all of the memes and pound-your-chest moments the program provided them for the first time since the original Randy Edsall era.
People can debate where Mora’s tenure ranks in UConn football history. His 27-23 record over four seasons and three bowl appearances are impressive, and if he had stuck around longer, he may have broken some of Edsall’s records, who went 70-63, won two Big East titles, beat Notre Dame on the road and took the team to the Fiesta Bowl. Despite some bad blood after he left for Maryland, there’s no denying his track record.
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Still, the past four seasons have been nothing short of blissful for Huskies fans who have long been yearning for a competitive team to root for.
Here’s a look at the top five moments of the Mora era at UConn:
1. 2024 Fenway Bowl: UConn 27, North Carolina 14
This was a statement victory to cap off a nine-win season, and the game wasn’t nearly as close as the final score made it look. The Huskies bullied the Tar Heels for one of the more memorable wins in program history, a thorough beatdown at venerable Fenway Park. That they did this in front of a heavily pro-UConn crowd, in one of the most famous ballparks in the country, in their extended backyard in Boston, made it all the more special.
2. Nov. 8, 2025: UConn 37, Duke 34
The win over the Blue Devils at Rentschler Field was the culmination of Mora’s four-year build, and a reminder of what UConn football can be. A near-sellout crowd created a frenzied atmosphere, and the Huskies rallied late, scoring on a Joe Fagnano-to-Skyler Bell connection for a 19-yard touchdown with 1:58 to go. A Bryun Parham strip-sack with 18 seconds to go sealed another win over another power-conference foe, a team that is still mathematically alive for the ACC championship.
3. Oct. 29, 2022: UConn 13, Boston College 3
Anytime UConn football beats Boston College, it’s pretty sweet. This was the Huskies’ first-ever win over the Eagles, a 13-3 defensive domination that humiliated BC fans, something they’ve become accustomed to over the last two decades in the ACC.
The win legitimized the UConn-BC football rivalry, and proved these weren’t the same old hopeless Huskies. UConn was 3-5 heading into the game, and angered by a loss to Ball State the previous week. This W kept their bowl dreams alive, which they cashed in on with three straight wins to earn their trip to the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
4. Nov. 12, 2022: UConn 36, No. 19 Liberty 33
This was the last of three straight wins that made UConn bowl eligible in 2022, their first postseason trip in seven years. It came over an 8-1 Liberty squad ranked No. 19 in the nation, which had just beaten Arkansas and BYU in the previous two weeks. The Flames would go on to start the next season 13-0 and lose to Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl. Sure, it was Liberty, but beating a ranked team at the Rent signaled the program was indeed on an upward trajectory.
5. Oct. 18, 2025: UConn 38, Boston College 23
We could have chosen the back-to-back 48-14 and 47-3 wins over Florida Atlantic and Buffalo, respectively, in September of last year, which were eye-opening at the time and announced to the rest of the college football world that this team was no longer a pushover. Those wins helped propel the Huskies to a 9-3 season and immediately erased memories of the 3-9 campaign they suffered in Mora’s second year in 2023.
But beating BC is extra special for UConn fans, especially those who still blame the Eagles for leaving for the ACC 22 years ago. It’s validation for UConn, which has better athletic programs in nearly every sport, and for a fanbase that believes it deserved a power-conference invite far more than Boston College. This 38-23 beatdown also came at Chestnut Hill, UConn’s first ever win there, and its first power-conference road win since 2012. It’ll be remembered fondly for years.