In the late 1990s, UConn embarked on the world of top-level college football, a decision that has brought highs and lows. One of the rewards was the chance to play in a bowl game, which, before the playoff system was adopted and began expanding, was the ultimate destination.
After a transitional period of two seasons as an independent, coach Randy Edsall led the Huskies into the Big East, meant to be a formidable conference of traditional football schools like Syracuse, Pitt, Boston College, West Virginia, Miami, among others. The Huskies began to compete for a bowl bid and earned their first in 2004.
In the two decades since, UConn has played in eight bowl games, with No.9 to come against Army at the Fenway Bowl in Boston on Saturday at 2:15 p.m. Here is a look at the Huskies’ bowl history:
Dec. 27, 2004: Motor City Bowl
Ironically, UConn’s first bowl opponent was Toledo, the school from which their new head coach, Jason Candle, was lured. The Big Ten could not provide a qualifying team for its tie in, so the Huskies (7-4) were invited to Detroit’s Ford Field and knocked off the MAC champs, 39-10, before 52,552 fans.
UConn rolled up 398 yards in offense, with 239 though the air as MVP Dan Orlovsky kept the chains moving and threw a TD pass. Larry Taylor returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown and Matt Nuzie kicked four field goals.
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Dec. 29, 2007: Meineke Car Care Bowl
Three years later, Edsall and the Huskies (9-3) were back in the bowl business, invited to play Wake Forest in the bowl game in Charlotte, N.C., providing a bit of a home field advantage for the Deacons, their campus 80 miles from the NFL home of the Panthers. Wake Forest won, 24-10, before 53,126. Taylor again returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown as the Huskies took a 10-0 lead, but it was all Deacons after that. They gained 412 yards to UConn’s 213.
Jan. 3, 2009: International Bowl
UConn (7-5) crossed north of the border to play in the Rogers Centre, retractable-roofed home of the Blue Jays. Buffalo, another opponent that didn’t have to travel far, was the victim when UConn got its first-ever FBS win. The Huskies beat the Bulls again, 38-20, before 40,184.
This was Donald Brown’s day, he ran for 261 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown, to win the game’s MVP, and declared afterward he would skip his senior year and enter the NFL Draft, the first Husky ever taken in the first round. QB Tyler Lorenzen ran for two scores.
Jan 2, 2010: Papajohns.com Bowl
One of the most satisfying days in program history, UConn (7-5) was capping a season that included five losses by a total of 15 points, the dramatic OT win at Notre Dame and the death of teammate Jasper Howard. Now they faced the SEC’s South Carolina Gamecocks and famed coach Steve Spurrier at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala.
Kashif Moore’s one-handed touchdown catch helped the Huskies take a 13-0 lead in the first half, and Andre Dixon’s 10-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter sealed the 20-7 victory before 45,254. Dixon was player of the game with 126 yards rushing.
Randy Edsall led UConn to five bowl games, the last, shown here, was the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2011.
Jan. 1, 2011: Fiesta Bowl
Still the high-water mark in UConn football history, Dave Teggart’s clutch 50-yard kick at South Florida lifted the Huskies (8-4) to the Big East championship and into a New Year’s Day game at Glendale, Ariz., site of Super Bowls. They Huskies hung in for a while with one of the sport’s blue bloods, but lost to Oklahoma, 48-20, before 67,232.
Dwayne Gratz’s interception return got UConn on the board, but the Huskies were trailing by 24 before Robbie Frey’s 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Teggart kicked two field goals, but UConn was overmatched. After the game, Edsall accepted the job at Maryland, abruptly ending his first tenure at UConn.
Dec. 26, 2015: St. Petersburg Bowl
After several losing seasons, coach Bob Diaco’s Huskies managed a 6-6 record and represented the American Athletic Conference at Tropicana Field, the stadium in which UConn won its first men’s basketball championship 16 years earlier. Marshall won a forgettable game, 16-10, before 14,652. Ron Johnson scored on an 8-yard run and Bobby Puyol kicked a 52-yard field goal for UConn.
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Dec. 19, 2022: Myrtle Beach Bowl
UConn was 10-41 between the St. Pete Bowl and Jim Mora’s arrival as coach in 2022, as neither Diaco nor Edsall, who returned in 2017, could turn things around. The Huskies, now an independent again, staged a series of upsets behind freshman quarterback Zion Turner, over Fresno State, Boston College and Liberty, to edge into bowl territory. At Myrtle Beach, S.C., they faced Marshall again and, after falling behind 28-0, lost 28-14 before 12,023. at Brooks Stadium. Turner threw three interceptions, but Bristol’s Victor Rose capped his freshman season with touchdown runs of 14 and 24 yards.
Dec. 28, 2024: Fenway Bowl
Seeking an attendance surge, the Fenway Sports Group found another bowl for their AAC tie-in and invited the independent Huskies to face North Carolina. It worked, as a record 27,900 filled the ancient home of the Red Sox and UConn won, 27-14, in the shadow of The Green Monster — and Bill Belichick, who was soon to take over the Tar Heels.
Joe Fagnano, the game’s MVP, completed 16 of 23 for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Mel Brown rushed for 96 and Skyler Bell caught three for 77 and a touchdown. The Huskies (9-4) completed their first winning season since 2010.