University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
2-2 , 0-0
Ball State
1-3 , 0-0
Edwards and Bell Fuel Huskies Past Ball State
9/20/2025 8:12:00 PM | Football
EAST HARTFORD, CT — The UConn Huskies held off Ball State University for a 31-25 victory at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in front of 25,025 fans Saturday afternoon.
Running back Cam Edwards led UConn's offense with a career-high 194 rushing yards on 24 carries, scoring two touchdowns. Wideout Skyler Bell added a career-best 14 receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown. His 14 catches was one shy of the UConn school record.
On defense, the Huskies recorded four sacks or more in their third-straight game with safety Malachi McLean making nine tackles and one sack.
Quarterback Joe Fagnano completed 20 of 30 passes for 181 yards, including a touchdown in the win as the Husky offense went without a turnover for the fourth-straight game to start the season.
In the first quarter, opened the scoring with a 30-yard field goal by Chris Freeman at 9:48, giving them an early 3-0 lead over the Cardinals. After a defensive stand, UConn capitalized on a short field, with Fagnano connecting with Bell for a touchdown pass from two-yards out at the 2:30 mark, extending their advantage to 10-0.
At the start of the second quarter, the Cardinals quickly narrowed the gap with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Qian Magwood to quarterback Kiael Kelly at 14:53 on a trick play, making the score 10-7. Neither team could crack the scoreboard the rest of the first half.
UConn capitalized on their first possession of the second half, mounting a 14 play drive for a touchdown. Fagnano connected on a crucial 33-yard pass to Shamar Porter, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by Terrence Smith with 6:04 remaining for a 17-7 lead. Ball State responded with a solid drive, highlighted by Eric Weatherly's 22-yard run and a 22-yard pass from Kelly to Hamilton, ultimately leading to a Holmer 23-yard field goal with 37 seconds left, narrowing the score to 17-10.
In the fourth quarter, UConn opened with a strong offensive drive, culminating in a 32-yard touchdown run by Edwards at 10:24, extending their lead to 24–10. Ball State quickly responded, with Qua Ashley scoring on a 1-yard rush at 3:28, narrowing the gap to 24–17. UConn's Edwards broke away for a dramatic 67-yard touchdown run with 1:50 left, pushing the lead to 31–17. Ball State's final push saw Kelly connect with Dahya Patel for an 11-yard touchdown with just 9 seconds remaining, but the Huskies held on for a 31–25 victory.
For Edwards, it was his second-straight game finding the endzone twice for the Huskies. Bell recorded his third 100-yard game of the season and his second game with 10-plus catches.
Kelly led the Cardinals with 209 passing yards and one touchdown on 17-of-24 completions, adding 27 rushing yards on 12 attempts. Ashley contributed significantly to the ground game with 86 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, while also catching three passes for 14 yards. Hamilton was a key target through the air, securing seven receptions for 61 yards. Defensively, Alfred Chea topped the team with eight total tackles.
The Huskies return to action next Saturday, September 27 when they travel to the University at Buffalo for a 3:30 pm match-up on ESPN+.
Notes:
- The Huskies earned their first win over Ball State in the all-time series, snapping an 0-4 mark that dates back to the 2000 season.
- UConn improved to 22-11 all-time against the Mid-American Conference with a match-up at Buffalo on deck next weekend.
- Bell recorded his eighth career 100-yard receiving day, and his seventh as a Husky.
- Edwards had his seventh career 100-yard rushing day and third in four games this season. His 194 yards rushing was the most by a UConn running back since the 2010 season when Jordan Todman had 222 yards against Pitt. It was the highest rushing total by a Husky since quarterback David Pindell had 197 yards rushing against USF in 2018.
- R-Freshman Terrence Smith recorded his first career touchdown in the win.
Team Stats
BST 0, UCN 3
UCN - Freeman,Chris 30 yd field goal 4 plays, 7 yards, TOP 01:47
BST 0, UCN 10
UCN - Bell,Skyler 2 yd pass from Fagnano,Joe (Freeman,Chris kick) 10 plays, 85 yards, TOP 05:36
BST 7, UCN 10
BST - Kelly,Kiael 19 yd pass from Magwood,Qian (Holmer,Carson kick) 6 plays, 83 yards, TOP 02:32
BST 7, UCN 17
UCN - Smith,Terrence 1 yd run (Freeman,Chris kick), 14 plays, 60 yards, TOP 05:45
BST 10, UCN 17
BST - Holmer,Carson 23 yd field goal 11 plays, 69 yards, TOP 05:27
BST 10, UCN 24
UCN - Edwards,Cam 32 yd run (Freeman,Chris kick), 10 plays, 67 yards, TOP 05:09
BST 17, UCN 24
BST - Ashley,Qua 1 yd run (Holmer,Carson kick), 8 plays, 65 yards, TOP 03:10
BST 17, UCN 31
UCN - Edwards,Cam 67 yd run (Freeman,Chris kick), 3 plays, 68 yards, TOP 01:35
BST 25, UCN 31
BST - Patel,Dahya 11 yd pass from Kelly,Kiael (Gross,Koby pass) 6 plays, 65 yards, TOP 01:28
