UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma took a moment after his team’s dominant 99–67 win over Florida State and the unveiling of their 12th national championship banner to praise another Huskies squad the football team.
While a packed Gampel Pavilion celebrated the reigning champs on Sunday, an even larger crowd of 38,106 fans had filled Rentschler Field the day before to witness UConn football’s stunning 37–34 upset victory over Duke.
“Did you guys see the football game yesterday? Pretty cool, huh?” Auriemma said in his postgame press conference. “The only time I’ve seen it like that was when Michigan came here but that crowd was mostly Michigan fans. Yesterday, that was Connecticut. That was really cool.”
Auriemma was referring to UConn’s 2013 near-upset against No. 15 Michigan, when the Huskies led by two touchdowns before ultimately falling 24–21. This time, however, UConn finished the job in thrilling fashion.
After an early Duke touchdown, quarterback Joe Fagnano led three scoring drives to give UConn a 20–17 halftime lead. The second half turned into a back-and-forth battle featuring six lead changes. With less than two minutes left, Fagnano connected with Skyler Bell for a 19-yard touchdown, and linebacker Bryun Parham sealed the win with a late strip sack.
Men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley also showed his support for the football team. Ahead of the game, he encouraged fans to show up through a “public service announcement,” and after the victory, he posted on X: “Him Mora,” a nod to football coach Jim Mora.
The weekend proved to be a memorable one for UConn athletics with both the women’s basketball and football programs celebrating major victories that united Husky Nation.
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