UConn vs. Air Force 2025 Preview: Can Huskies Remain Undefeated at home?

After a 37-34 win over Duke, the UConn Huskies again gear up for battle as they face the Air Force Falcons at Rentschler Field. The Huskies have spent the week as the darlings of college football, as quarterback Joe Fagnano, wide receiver Skyler Bell and linebacker Bryun Parham have also received national recognition. Fagnano was rated as the top quarterback in the country by CBS Sports, while Bell is a serious contender for the Biletnikoff Award going to the game’s best wide receiver.

However, will they continue to ride high in their final home of the game season? Or will Air Force win its third game out of four? Let’s dive into this UConn vs. Air Force 2025 preview and find out.

UConn vs. Air Force: 2025 College Football Preview

Matchup History

This is the Huskies first ever meeting with the Falcons. The Huskies have a 1-7 record all time against the Mountain West, and are set to face the Falcons again in 2026, but instead in Colorado. UConn hopes to improve to 6-0 at home this season and 12-1 over the past two years.

Key Players for Air Force

The Falcons come to Connecticut with a fire lit beneath them. Their offense is finally starting to click on all cylinders, and it’s showed with two victories in their past three appearances. Air Force’s rushing attack is no joke, and it’s led by Liam Szarka.

The Falcons are second in FBS in rushing yardage per game, and Szarka individually is 14th in the country with 903 yards. He also is third in the country with 13 rushing touchdowns.

While Szarka isn’t the most aggressive runner, he’s shifty and agile, which could pay dividends for Air Force. UConn has one of the least efficient rushing defenses in the country, so Szarka could be in for his fifth 100-yard game.

And, he’s a quarterback? That’s right, Szarka is also the starting quarterback for this Air Force offense. While he has 66 more rush attempts than pass attempts, Szarka has also thrown nine touchdowns. UConn’s goal will be to force him into must-pass situations, which is where he has fallen short as a collegiate.

Somebody will need to wake up for this Air Force defense, and Isaac Hubert would be the guy. He leads the Falcons with three sacks, though all three of which came in his first two games. He needs to be a more consistent presence and apply pressure on quarterback Joe Fagnano. Fagnano has only taken 13 sacks in 10 games, and Air Force only has 11 for the season. The Falcons need to hope Hubert can cause havoc in the backfield.

Key Players for Connecticut

Last year, Joe Fagnano was just emerging as the starting quarterback  for this UConn offense. Now, his legitimacy as one of college football’s most coveted quarterback talents is not questioned. Even given the competition, his 25 touchdowns and zero turnovers through 10 games is absurd. Only 2013 Marcus Mariota has achieved such a feat in recent history, and he went on to be the NFL’s top draft pick. Fagnano also has five straight games with 250+ yards, 3+ touchdowns and zero turnovers, tying Joe Burrow for the most in the past decade. Safe to say, Fagnano is the elite quarterback talent Huskies fans have been waiting for.

In this game, Air Force will need to figure out ways to keep Fagnano limited. They’ve allowed the third-most passing yards per game, and Fagnano is second in the country in yards. This lines up for another Fagnano masterclass on Saturday.

And if the jury was out on whether Bryun Parham’s early-season success was a fluke, the case is closed. Parham has stayed among the FBS’ leaders in sacks and combined tackles. He’s third with 10.5 sacks and sixth with 96 tackles. And, he comes off of perhaps his best performance of the season against Duke, where he compiled 16 tackles as well as forced two turnovers.

If Szarka isn’t running, his pocket presence is extremely shaky. This could be another statement day from Parham, still proving doubters wrong after he couldn’t see the field with Washington last year.

How Air Force Wins

Keep yourself in the game and continue to establish a presence on the ground. Connecticut is one of just 31 teams in the country giving up more than 174 rushing yards per game, and this was a big problem for the Huskies last week against Duke. Though they did a relatively solid job keeping quarterback Darian Mensah in check, they allowed Duke to rush for 168 yards. When Mensah was struggling to find receivers downfield, they continued to resort to its ground game and it kept them close.

If Air Force’s deficit is never too extreme, they should and will continue to feed the rock to Szarka until UConn finds an answer.

How UConn Wins

Never let Air Force see the light of day. The Huskies biggest problem against inferior opponents this season is that they’ve struggled to put them away. Delaware hung around until overtime when they finally delivered the last blow. Same goes against Rice. UConn–a far superior, more crisp football team–needs to put this game to bed early. By taking a big lead, which is possible given Fagnano’s abilities against one of the country’s worst passing defenses, the Huskies take away the threat of Szarka on the ground. If he’s forced to pass, the Huskies will force a mistake or two or three.

And if the Huskies can win the turnover battle, it’s a wrap. In all three games that Air Force has won the turnover battle this season, they’ve won. Meanwhile, they’re 0-6 when they don’t, with a combined point differential of -8. If Air Force can’t come up lucky against a team that hasn’t turned the ball over yet this season, they won’t be able to out-play them to a great enough extent to win.

Prediction

Air Force certainly has a chance in this game. For as one-dimensional as their offense is, their rushing attack is not to be taken lightly. Szarka is a pure runner, and they have a few more in that group that can do some damage. The offense has gone for 30+ six times, and 40+ twice. Against a streaky UConn defense, they could put points on the board.

Not to mention, the Huskies are 0-2 this season following a game against an ACC opponent. Could UConn still be riding high on the coattails of a program-defining victory last week?

Even with all of those concerns laid out, it’d be shocking if UConn lost this game. Their strengths play into Air Force’s weaknesses. Fagnano could have his best passing game of the season against a defense that has made little to no adjustments against the pass. And for all of their offensive prowess, they’ve given up more than 40 points four times this season. Given UConn’s ability to take care of the football, it’d be shocking if Air Force pulls off the upset.

UConn will win and pull away in the fourth quarter.

Bold Prediction

Joe Fagnano passes for 400+ yards for the first time in his collegiate career.