UNC will make a rare road trip up to New England when it visits UConn Saturday. The Huskies enter the game with a 4-4 record, having dropped their last game on the road at Air Force. UConn is an independent and thus does not play any conference games.
Jason Candle is in his first season as the Huskies’ head coach. He arrived in Connecticut after a long and decorated stint at Toledo, where he served in numerous staff jobs before ascending to the head coaching position in 2016. Across 10 years as head coach, Candle’s Rockets never finished with a losing record, won at least eight games six times and reached 11 wins twice, winning two MAC titles and appearing in eight bowl games along the way. UConn is the only other head coaching appointment of his career.
Jason Candle is in his first season as UConn’s head coach. (Image via UConn Athletics)
What’s the history?
UNC and UConn have met a total of four times on the football field, with the Tar Heels leading the series 3-1. The Huskies won the most recent meeting, though, dominating Carolina 27-14 in the 2024 Fenway Bowl. That game was the first UNC played after hiring Bill Belichick as head coach, though Belichick was not on the sidelines for the game. The Tar Heels have won all three regular-season meetings, including a 12-10 win in East Hartford in 2009 which was decided on a safety with 1:32 left in the game.
Another defensive test
Like Syracuse and Miami before them, UConn brings an explosive offense to the table. The Huskies rank in the nation’s top 30 in both total offense (437.6 yards per game) and scoring offense (34.4 points per game). The Huskies have eclipsed 30 points in five of eight games and have hit the 40-point plateau – which UNC has yet to do – three times. UConn’s offense is not particularly tilted toward the run or the pass, but is simply solid in both areas: its 247 passing yards per game ranks 44th in the FBS and its 191 rushing yards per game ranks 33rd.
Leading that offense is quarterback Kalieb Osborne, who followed Candle to UConn from Toledo. In his first season as a full-time starter, Osborne has shined, throwing 14 touchdowns against just two interceptions. Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 218 pounds, Osborne is also a physically imposing presence on the ground, having totaled seven rushing touchdowns already this year.
“He runs like a running back, but he’s got a lot of long passes, too,” UNC head coach Bill Belichick said of Osborne. “He’s got a good arm, and he can attack all the different spots on the field.”
UConn quarterback Kalieb Osborne has scored 21 total touchdowns this season. (Image via UConn Athletics)
Flags flying
Saturday’s game will pit one of the nation’s least-penalized teams (UNC) against one of the most penalized. The Huskies commit 8.5 penalties per game, which is tied for 127th out of 138 FBS teams. (Ironically, UNC has played two of the only teams which rank below UConn: Pitt and Syracuse) Included in that penalty total was a damaging roughing the passer call in UConn’s overtime loss against Syracuse earlier in the season, which shortened a potential two-point conversion try in the overtime period. The Orange then converted on the two-point try and won the game.
Third down issues
Miami and UNC were ruthlessly efficient on third downs last weekend, combining to convert 14 of their 22 chances. That could be the case again in Connecticut, as the Huskies and Tar Heels both field below-average third down defenses. UConn allows opponents to convert 40% of their chances, which is tied for 87th in the FBS. UNC is even worse, ranking 123rd by allowing a 44.2% conversion rate. Only four power conference teams – Purdue, Rutgers, Kentucky and Stanford – rank below the Tar Heels.
What are the odds?
At the time of publication, UNC is a 7.5-point favorite in the game.
Featured image via UConn Athletics
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2026 UNC Football Opponent Preview: UConn Chapelboro.com.
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