UConn will be trying to play a more competitive game when it travels to No. 12 NC State on Saturday night. The Huskies are coming off consecutive blowout losses to Syracuse and No. 4 Michigan, which is why they are 39-point underdogs in this game. NC State has looked excellent through the first three weeks of the season, including a 27-14 win over Texas Tech last week.
UConn put together a promising performance in its first game of the season, easily covering the 24-point spread in a 31-20 loss at Utah State. The Huskies added a 28-3 win over Central Connecticut in their second game, but they have looked terrible since then. They were blown out by Syracuse, 48-14, two weeks ago, and they failed to score a point in a 59-0 loss to Michigan last week. UConn took an additional hit in that game, as running back Nate Carter sprained his shoulder and is going to miss this contest. Head coach Jim Mora moved freshman defensive back Cam Edwards to running back to give his team some additional depth at that position.
?????????? ????????????: ???????? ??@JuliaGintof interviews @CoachJimMoraFB ahead of UConn Football's Week 4 matchup at NC State on Saturday, September 24th.
Full Episode: https://t.co/GPOIHTVd4N#HuskyRevolution p ic.twitter.com/8FnFHoKObQ
— UConn Football (@UConnFootball) September 21, 2022
The Huskies certainly need their running game to produce, as they had just 24 passing yards against Michigan, marking the fewest for the team since 2018. Their offense now ranks No. 124 out of 131 FBS teams in yards per game this season. Carter has 405 rushing yards on the season, with the next-best running back at 80 yards (Brian Brewton), so his absence is a key factor in this game. Freshman quarterback Zion Turner completed 4 of 16 passes for 17 yards last week, and he has now completed just over 50% of his passes on the season. He is facing an NC State defense that is off to a strong start, ranked No. 30 in total defense.