Date & Time: Saturday, October 16, 2021 – Noon ET
Location: East Hartford, Conn.
Stadium: Rentschler Field
Tickets: Buy Now
Series: 50th Meeting; Yale leads, 32-17
Last Meeting: Yale 21, UConn 63, 9/26/98
TV: CBS Sports Network, Jason Knapp (play-by-play) & Ross Tucker (color)
Live Stats: Click here
Two Deeps: Yale -- UConn
Game Notes (PDF)

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Bulldogs cap a three-game road swing this Saturday at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn., in the Battle for Connecticut. Yale and UConn square off for the first time in 22 years ant he Bulldogs face their first FBS opponent since 2014, when they defeated Army at the Yale Bowl, 49-43 in overtime.

The Series
Saturday's game will be the 50th all-time meeting between Yale and UConn. The Bulldogs lead the series 32-17 which dates back to 1948. The Bulldogs won the first 16 meetings and held a 30-3 edge after the 1983 season. UConn has won the past four  meetings with the last coming in 1998. This will be just the second time Yale has played UConn away from the Yale Bowl. The only other road game was in 1992.

Bulldog Breakdown
Yale's fourth-quarter comeback at Dartmouth last Saturday was not enough as the Big Green kicked a field goal with 13 seconds left to force OT where they secured the victory. The Bulldogs will look to get back on the winning track in their final nonconference game of the season. 

Standing at 49 career victories, Head Coach Tony Reno would become just the sixth coach in Yale history to reach the 50-win plateau with his next W. He would join an impressive Yale wins list: Carm Cozza (179), Jack Siedlecki (70), Walter Camp (67), Jordan Olivar (61) and T.A.D. Jones (60).

Senior running back Zane Dudek continues to capture milestones of his own. In week 3, he reached 400 career carries and passed Dick Jauron '73 as Yale's all-time leader in yards per carry with a 6.2 average –surpassing Jauron's 5.7 mark. Dudek is also tied with Jauron with 27 career rushing touchdowns which rank fifth all-time. Additionally, Dudek reached 2,600 career ground yards after last week to pass Rich Diana '82 for sixth on Yale's all-time rush list.

The Yale offense, which is fourth in the country in time of possession (34:22), continues to be paced by Dudek and junior quarterback Griffin O'Connor who ranks second in the Ivy League with six touchdown passes to just one interception thrown this season. Sophomore QB Nolan Grooms has also seen time in situational packages, going 12-of-14 for 181 yards and three touchdowns. 

The Yale quarterbacks are tied for the national lead with just one interception thrown and have spread it around in 2021, completing passes to 13 different Bulldogs. Senior Melvin Rouse II, who moved back to wide receiver after playing cornerback last season, leads the way with 20 catches.

Yale's defensive unit is also No. 1 nationally as the leading team in 3rd Down Conversion percentage (.211). The Bulldogs also rank sixth with just 67 first downs allowed and eighth in the country in red zone defense (.643) and sacks (3.25). As a team, Yale ranks 10th in total defense (277.2).

Scouting UConn
While the Huskies are still in search of their first victory, UConn has nearly broken through in each of the past three games. They were edged by Wyoming, 24-22, in Week 5, 30-28 at Vanderbilt the following week and lost at UMass, 27-13 last Saturday. They also have losses at Fresno State (45-0), vs. Holy Cross (38-28), vs. Purdue (49-0) and at Army (52-21).

Head coach Lou Spanos took over on an interim basis for the Huskies after Week 2.

Sophomore Steven Krajewski has led UConn at quarterback over the past two games, going 31-of-58 for 392 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions. He also added a rushing score at Vanderbilt.

First-year running back Nathan Carter paces UConn with 400 rushing yards and is coming off back-to-back 120 yard games. At receiver, first-year Keelan Marlon has team leads with 282 yards and four touchdowns. Fellow classmate Aaron Tuner has a team-high 18 catches.

Sophomore linebacker Mitchell Jackson has been everywhere for the Huskies with a team-high 73 tackles. Has also has 1.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, an interception, two pass breakups and a forced fumble. Junior cornerback Jeremy Lucian leads the team with two interceptions and has added four breakups and 25 tackles.

Up front, 333-pound defensive tackle Travis Jones has 30 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and two sacks.